Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Intent

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at The Oak Tree Federation, is designed to provide a solid foundation for children's future learning and development. Our intent is to offer a holistic approach that nurtures children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development by providing a nurturing, stimulating and inclusive environment where every child can flourish. We understand the significance of early experiences in shaping children's attitudes towards learning and their overall well-being. Therefore, our EYFS curriculum is carefully crafted to prioritise play-based learning, exploration, and fostering a love for learning in all its forms.

Implementation

In Reception, children engage with our EYFS curriculum, which provides them with a diverse range of knowledge and skills essential for their future progress in both school and life. Our curriculum is deeply rooted in language, with learning drawing inspiration from captivating stories and non-fiction texts. Through holistic experiences, the children learn and develop across seven key areas of learning and development:

Prime Areas:

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal, Social, and Emotional Development

Specific Areas:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

We include the KS1 topics within the EYFS, however the planning is adapted to meet the age, stage, individual needs and interests of our children.

We provide an indoor and outdoor enabling environment which encompass the 7 areas of learning through our provision:

  1. Continuous Provision: This refers to the resources and opportunities that are consistently available to children within their learning environment. It ensures that essential materials and activities are accessible to children on an ongoing basis, enabling them to explore, experiment, and engage in self-directed learning experiences. Continuous provision allows children to revisit concepts and activities, reinforcing their learning over time.
  2. Enhanced Provision: Enhanced provision builds upon the foundation of continuous provision by offering additional resources, experiences, and challenges to enrich children's learning opportunities. These enhancements may include special activities, projects, or materials designed to extend children's learning and provide for individual interests, strengths, and developmental needs.

Characteristics of Effective Learning Embedded in Enabling Environments:

  1. Playing and Exploring: Environments are designed to encourage children to explore, experiment, and play freely. Play-based learning activities stimulate curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
  2. Active Learning: Children are actively involved in their learning experiences, rather than passive recipients of information. They participate in hands-on activities, experiments, and investigations, which promote critical thinking and decision-making skills.
  3. Creating and Thinking Critically: Environments foster opportunities for children to think creatively, make connections, and solve problems independently or collaboratively. They are encouraged to express their ideas, ask questions, and explore different perspectives.

Providing Challenge:

Sustained Shared Thinking involves adults and children engaging in meaningful conversations and interactions that encourage critical thinking, reasoning, and reflection. Through open-ended questioning, active listening, and thoughtful responses, adults promote deep exploration of concepts and ideas, building on what the children know, fostering children's cognitive development and communication skills. Adults play a crucial role in providing challenges within the learning environment by scaffolding children's learning experiences. This involves presenting tasks or questions that are slightly beyond children's current abilities, encouraging them to stretch their thinking and skills. Through supportive interactions, adults provide guidance, encouragement, and feedback that empower children to tackle challenges, develop resilience, and build confidence in their abilities.

We have a structured lesson time for Literacy and Maths using the following schemes:

DfE Validated Phonics Scheme & Ofsted-Ready Monster Phonics

Maths & Science resources | CPD courses | White Rose Education

Drawing Club - "CAN I GO AND PLAY NOW..?"

Impact

The EYFS curriculum encompasses our school values, providing children with a strong foundation for lifelong learning. It sparks curiosity, helps them explore interests, and builds confidence and happiness. As a result, children transition to Year 1 as well-rounded individuals, ready for further growth and discovery. This enriching curriculum reflects our commitment to nurturing joyful learning experiences.