At The Barford and Bawburgh Federation, we recognise and value the importance of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in providing a secure foundation for future learning and development. In our reception classes we ensure that children are supported in a safe and nurturing space where they feel confident and enthused to engage with play and learning. Children have access to planned and purposeful play opportunities and are supported in becoming confident independent learners. Adults in the classroom work hard to develop secure and positive relationships which enables them to support and scaffold children’s learning and development across all areas of the curriculum.
We seek to meet the needs of all children by working in close partnership with parents/carers, professionals and practitioners, whose contributions are invaluable when ensuring equal opportunities for all. High quality teaching and learning is at the heart of our school as well as a drive to keep children healthy, happy and safe.
All children in our EYFS class follow the curriculum as outlined in the 2021 EYFS statutory framework. The EYFS framework includes 7 areas of learning and development that are equally important and inter-connected.
Alongside our delivery of discrete phonics and maths we follow we follow CUSP Early Foundations which supports children’s development across all 7 areas of learning. The approach is presented in three parts:
1. Foundational knowledge: what pupils should know and be able to do throughout the EYFS and how this will support their development and prepare them for Key Stage 1. This is often delivered through discrete teaching following a structured story time, also known as ‘Story explorers’, and links closely to the story of the week.
2. Opportunities and experiences: how this foundational knowledge can be learnt through play and through guided activities that will allow pupils to explore, experiment with and think hard about new and important concepts.
3. Structured Story Time (Story Explorers): core texts that will introduce key language, ideas and themes that pupils will need to access the foundational knowledge, built into a framework that uses all that we know about effective literacy instruction.
Across the year, termly topics are covered using high quality texts. These texts have been carefully selected to ensure ambitious vocabulary and multiple learning opportunities for children. Each week, children are exposed to a new text through structured story times and taught important knowledge and skills linked to the story. Continuous provision is then carefully planned out to provide children with opportunities to embed this learning further throughout the week. Children’s own individual interests are also taken into account and used to inform planning, whether this be in the moment or future planning.
We understand that all children are unique individuals and we therefore plan a curriculum that intends to meet the needs of all learners. Staff ensure children have access to equal learning opportunities and additional support is provided where necessary for children to make progress towards the early learning goals. Adult-led sessions and continuous provision are both adapted to meet the needs of the children in the current cohort and staff make use of continuous formative assessment to highlight gaps and areas of need and respond with early intervention.
All of our continuous provision envelopes the characteristics of effective learning; playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically. When these characteristics are carefully considered children are provided with immersive and stimulating learning through play. They are able to investigate and experience, create and share their own ideas while developing critical skills of resourcefulness and resilience.
