What is the EYFS?

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum sets standards for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5.

Early Learning Goals (ELG) The areas of learning for your child are based on the ‘Early Learning Goals’. These are government guidelines that set out the curriculum that your child is taught and assessed against, starting from birth and concluding in their final year within the foundation stage in Reception. These are the organised into two groups (prime areas and specific areas) and consist of 7 areas of learning:

Prime areas

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (ELG’s: Self-Regulation, Managing Self and Building Relationships)

• Communication and Language (ELG’s: Listening, Understanding and Attention, Speaking)

• Physical Development (ELG’s: Gross Motor and Fine Motor)

Specific areas

*Maths (ELG’s: Number and Numerical Patterns)

*Literacy (ELG’s: Comprehension, Word Reading and Writing)

*Expressive Arts and Design (ELG’s: Creating with Materials and Being Imaginative and Expressive)

*Understanding the World (ELG’s: Past & Present, People, Culture & Communities, Natural World)

The EYFS at Allens Croft

At Allens Croft Primary School and Resource Base, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is designed to encourage independent, inquisitive and happy learners. We aim to provide children with important foundational skills and knowledge that will later be enhanced and embedded in Key Stage 1. We aim to build on the wealth of knowledge children already have and are actively developing relationships with our feeder settings to enhance. We recognise that all children are unique, and take every opportunity to celebrate and welcome the diversity within our school community.

Our curriculum is developed and adapted each year to follow the interests and fascinations of the children in the current year group whilst also building specific knowledge, identified through the areas of learning. We recognise how learning builds sequentially – by building knowledge, skills and learning behaviours from what the children already know and can do towards identified end points or outcomes. 

Pupils learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities and challenges. These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside. The weekly timetables are carefully structured so that children have rigorous directed teaching in Literacy, Mathematics and Phonics. We also ensure regular circle time and social group activities to focus on Communication and Language, PSED and learning to focus on Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. These sessions are followed by group work where children work with a member of staff to develop their individual targets/next steps. This focused group time enables the teacher to systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions quickly and provide real-time verbal feedback which results in a strong impact on the acquisition of new learning.

The curriculum is planned for the inside and outside classrooms and is planned in a cross-curricular way to enable all aspects of the children’s development as well as to promote sustained thinking and active learning.

Here are our topics this year:

1.1  All About Me

1.2  Celebrations

2.1  Our Community

2.2  Animals

3.1  Traditional Tales

3.2  You Choose