Early Years
Aims
Start building schema that will be developed through to Year 11
Ensure a strong foundation for children’s development in the seven areas of learning through the characteristics of effective learning
Children become confident to explore, relate to others, set their own goals and solve problems
Develop language and extended vocabulary
Be ready for Year 1
What we do in the Early Years
Vertical threads through the all-through curriculum allow children to make connections and build schema that start in the Early Years and build through to Year 11.
Activities and experiences for children are set out under each of the areas of learning:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive Arts and Design
Children learn by leading their own play and by taking part in play that is guided by adults through:
- Playing and Exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;
- Active Learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements;
- Creating and Thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
The EYFS curriculum and provision has been designed to expose children to reading, vocabulary and language rich experiences. The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial. These include:
- commenting on what children are interested in or doing,
- echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added,
- reading frequently to children,
- engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems,
- providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts
- conversations, story-telling and role play,
- modelling from their teacher,
- sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate.
