WELCOME TO THE EYFS
At Cavendish Primary School we believe that all children deserve memorable experiences rich in awe and wonder that allows children's natural creativity and curiosity to flourish, alongside the purposeful acquisition of skills and knowledge. We strive to provide an education that ensures all children are given the best chance to become well-rounded, happy individuals, ready to succeed in modern Britain. We know that our children enter EYFS with varied life experiences and we aim to plan their learning journey from their individual starting points.
The EYFS team are Miss Richardson (EYFS and Early Reading and Phonics Lead), Mrs Pickersgill and Miss Richardson.
We believe the Early Years Foundation Stage makes a crucial contribution to a child's early development and learning. Our aim at Cavendish is to provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations. Careful analysis and discussion about our pupils' backgrounds, life experiences and culture has helped us to design our EYFS curriculum with four key priorities underpinning this area. We believe that by focusing on the following key priorities our children will be inspired and motivated to learn, be ready to successfully meet the challenges of the next stage of their education and be well prepares for life in modern Britain.
Our curriculum priorities are:
1. Aspiration - we aim to provide a wide range of experiences, which challenge children but also demonstrate the wide range of possibilities available for their future.
2. Initiative - we aim to offer experiences, which help them to become independent and resourceful learners.
3. Engagement - we aim to provide rich and varied experiences both in and out of school.
4. Citizenship - we aim to help our pupils value their environment and peers and understand their responsibilities within our school and beyond.
The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is divided into 3 prime and 4 specific areas.
The 7 areas of learning and development are interconnected and equally important to support a rounded, holistic approach to child development. We aim to deliver all the areas through planned, purposeful play, with a balance of adult led and child-initiated activities.
We provide a rich variety of teaching and learning experiences that are appropriate to the needs of the child. We understand all children are unique and develop and learn in different ways. We support children to be resilient, capable, confident and inquisitive as they play and explore, become active learners and develop creative and critical thinking.
The environments and opportunities that we provide will allow learners to actively learn, play, explore, create and think critically. Children's behaviours and attitudes are a key focus to develop effective learners with key skills to draw on as they move through the school.
At Cavendish Primary School, we teach the curriculum through play and exploration supported by outstanding adult-interaction. We believe effective learning builds on and extends what the children know and can do. Our planning shows how the principles of the EYFS will be put into practice and is always informed by observations and assessments we have made of the children, considering their current interests, development and learning. All practitioners who work in the Foundation Stage at Cavendish are involved in this process. Key texts prioritise developing children's language and extending their vocabulary. SMSC and British values weave throughout each topic area.
The EYFS curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that it is relevant to the school context and the intent, implementation and impact of all lessons meet the varied needs of all groups or learners. Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are fully integrated, where possible, into the whole school. Practitioners identify and assess the pupils with SEND as early as possible through screening and careful observations of the children. Staff have excellent partnerships with parents/carers in order that their knowledge, views and experience can assist us in assessing and providing for their children. Outside agencies work closely with the setting to provide additional support for the school and parents.
It is out aim to provide children with a well-structures, safe, active learning environment both indoors and outdoors. This will enable them to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding that will form the basis of lifelong learning.
We look forward to sharing your child's learning journey with us here at Cavendish.
EYFS Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term:
Spring Term:
Summer Term:
WITHIN THE EYFS WE WILL ENSURE PUPILS:
Have strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and will listen respectfully and with tolerance to the views of others.
Take pride in all that they do, always striving to do their best.
Demonstrate emotional resilience and the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge.
Develop a sense of self-awareness and become confident in their own abilities.
Be kind, respectful and honest, demonstrate inclusive attitudes and have a sense of their role in our wider society
It is our aim to provide children, with a well-structured, safe, active learning environment both indoors and outdoors. This will enable them to develop the skills, attitudes and understanding that will form the basis of lifelong learning and encourage them to become useful, active members of a diverse and constantly changing society.
OUR SCHOOL DAY
| 8.40am | Registration, wellbeing checks and morning activities |
| 9.10am | RWI Phonic Sessions |
| 10am | 'Challenge Time' and independent Learning & Exploring through Play |
| 11am | Guided Write Session |
| 11:35am | Toilet & Hand Washing |
| 11.45am | Lunch and Play |
| 12.45pm | Maths Groups |
| 1.25pm | 'Challenge Time' and independent Learning & Exploring through Play |
| 2.30pm | Story & Singing Time |
| 3pm | Home Time |
THE PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE THE WORK IN THE EYFS ARE GROUPED INTO 4 THEMES:
A unique child / Positive relationships / Enabling Environments /
Learning and Development.
The EYFS Curriculum consists of the seven areas of Learning and Development. In school there are three prime and four specific areas.
The three prime areas of learning are:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development / Communication and Language /Physical Development
The four specific areas of learning are:
Mathematics /Literacy /Understanding of the World / Expressive Arts and Design
RE is incorporated into the area of Understanding the World through the aspect of People and Communities and Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development, including the promotion of British Values are at the heart of our curriculum.
PHONICS IN EYFS
At Cavendish we teach phonics using a range of games, songs, rhymes, activities and resources. We try to keep it as fun and interactive as possible. At Cavendish phonics is taught using the Ruth Miskin Read, Write Inc (RWI) programme, a resource which integrates phonics with comprehension, spelling and handwriting; furthermore, we use the "RWI" series of books to support learning in phonics. RWI sets out a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonic skills for children starting by the age of five, with the aim of them becoming fluent readers by age seven. Parent workshops, information sessions and class newsletters provide extra information on how we teach phonics.
Maths in EYFS
In the EYFS at Cavendish, we teach maths in a fun engaging way, through stories, songs and actions. We teach the children to explain their thinking verbally, to reason and to problem solve. We use concrete resources, such as blocks and bricks to represent our numbers.
Children are exposed to maths throughout the day, whether that’s by counting how many lunchboxes there are or by making large constructions outside using various shapes.
Independent learning through play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking. The EYFS team plan and provide a range of play activities which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. These activities are exciting, challenging and motivating.
Learning Outside
We try to learn outside every day. The fully-equipped outdoor classroom is just as dynamic and interactive as inside. Children are encouraged to engage in a range of different activities that support social skills and living an active lifestyle. We use our allotment area to grow our own produce which we use in our design technology sessions.
CAVENDISH FOREST SCHOOL
‘Forest School’ is a teaching style that gives all learners the opportunity to build confidence, self-esteem through hands on learning in a woodland environment.
Forest school encourages students to be independent, solve problems and develop self-awareness.
Reading
The children in the Foundation Stage class are exposed to a ‘print-rich’ environment of signs, labels, books, key words, displays and role play areas that give opportunities for reading, all of which the children are encouraged to notice and learn to read. There is a book area of picture books, or information books which the children can enjoy sharing and listening to during story time. In this way children’s enjoyment and a sense of purpose for reading is fostered. More formal teaching of reading is carried out through phonics lessons, shared read sessions and individual reading.
EYFS Long Term Plan Reading Spines
pshe
PSHE is key to all that we do in all aspects of your child's day and we will foster good relationships, manage our feelings and behaviours and become confident independent learners.
We also teach discreet lessons and follow the Jigsaw PSHE Scheme of Work. Jigsaw PSHE is a comprehensive Scheme of Work for the whole Primary School from EYFS through to Year 6. It brings together PSHE Education, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development in a comprehensive scheme of learning. We will meet our class character Jigsaw Jenny and have time for mindfulness, contemplation and group discussions.
Physical education
We feel it is important at Cavendish that our children achieve a measure of physical fitness and to find sports and activities that they can enjoy and, if possible, at which they can excel.
In Foundation Stage we will cover much pf the psychical development curriculum in class with fine motor activities and outside for gross motor skills but will also have a P.E. lesson once a week when we will cover dance, gymnastics and sports skills.
COMPUTING
Every classroom has an interactive whiteboard and ICT plays an integral role in your child's school life. ICT works together with the curriculum to enable it to be presented in an interesting way as well as enabling children to learn the ICT skills needed in our modern society. We have a range of ICT equipment including PC’s, iPads and programmable toys.
religion and world views
Children in EYFS will encounter Religion and Worldviews through special people, books, times, places and objects and by visiting places of worship such as the local church in Sutton. They will listen to stories, including Bible stories, on a regular basis and be introduced to subject specific words. They will have opportunities to use all their senses to explore beliefs, practices and forms of expression and use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation of and wonder at the world in which they live. The environment is enriched with religious texts, images and characters so that they can explore, ask questions and become familiar with religious artefacts and symbols. They will also acknowledge key religious celebrations and festivals such as Harvest, Diwali, Christmas and Easter. They will begin to think about belonging, special places and special stories. Children will be encouraged to ask questions and share their own thoughts, ideas and practices, recognising both similarities and differences. They will be given the opportunity to look at places of worship including the church and the mosque and to hear religious stories from Christianity and other faiths such as Hinduism.
eNJOYMENT AND ENRICHMENT
Throughout the year we organise a wide variety of fun, enrichment and charity events to bring our school community together such as:
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Family Sports Day
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Easter Extravaganza
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Winter Craft Day
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Times Tables Rock Stars
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World Book Day
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British Science Week
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Stay, Play and Learn sessions
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Story sessions with Puppets, Plays and Story Days
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Breakfast with Santa
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Hello Yellow Day
Parents as partners
It is clear that children get the best out of school when parents and the school work together. As well as informal contacts with the school you will be invited to parents’ evenings, and receive a formal written report in the Summer Term.
During the year there are a range of opportunities for you to work alongside your child through stay and play sessions and immersive days as well as enjoy their class performances and sports days.
Communication
A close relationship between parents and practitioners is vital. We will always be available in a morning for you to pass on quick messages and relevant information about your child. If however you have an issue which requires more of our time or it sensitive then please email your child's class teacher.
We also use 'Tapestry' as a way of sharing your child's school life with you. Tapestry is a secure online Learning Journal to record photos, observations and comments, in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, to build up a record of your child's experiences during their time within Cavendish Primary School's Foundation Stage. This system allows us to work with parents and carers to share information and record the children's play and learning in and outside the classroom.
BRitish values in the eyfs
The fundamental British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs are taught in the EYFS in an age appropriate way. This is through ensuring children learn right from wrong, mix and share with other children and value other's views, know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and challenge negative attitudes and stereotypes.
We teach the children that their opinions are important and that each child's thought and feeling should be listened to and valued. We teach children that sometimes they will be given the power to choose and will make decisions on their own and in groups.
We promote democracy by:
- Having a daily choice of activities - we give children the option to choose which activities they are going to do at different times of the day. We encourage them to respect each other's decisions and discuss how children feel when the activity they would like isn't chosen for that session. If there are some children that cannot verbally communicate well, use picture cards.
- Story time - we lay out a selection of books and ask the children to vote for which one they would prefer to listen to.
- Turn-taking - this is done in a variety of ways through games, phonics and reading activities, within self-choosing activities and at times where there are limited resources.
- Emotions - we help children to identify their emotions and talk about reasons for these emotions.
Mutual respect and tolerance for others is about treating other people how you would like to be treated and learning to understand and appreciate each other's differences, without allowing those differences to cause a change in the treatment of any sort.
At Cavendish it is about being part of a community where not everyone is the same and forming relationships within a community without discrimination. The environment in our setting is inclusive, respectful and values faiths, cultures and races.
To help promote mutual respect we focus on behaviour such as sharing and respecting other's opinions.
We promote respect and tolerance in the setting by:
- Encouraging children to share stories of their home that reflect the values and the diversity of their experiences.
- Provide resources and activities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.
- Trying to take the children on visits, invite visitors in and engage with the wider community.
We ensure that children understand their own and other's behaviour, the consequences and help them to distinguish right from wrong by promoting 'the rule of law'.
The rule of law is promoted in the setting by:
- Working with the children to create rules and codes of behaviour, such as agreeing on rules about tidying up, and also ensuring children understand that the rules apply to everyone.
- Having visitors such as the police and other services to visit and learn about 'people who help us' and the laws and rules that we need to follow.
Individual liberty requires children to understand and value their own self and to gain confidence in making choices. Self-esteem, self-confidence and self-awareness are key.
We promote individual liberty by:
- Providing opportunities for risk-taking such as obstacles courses for children to develop their self-knowledge, and self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities.
- Encouraging a range of experiences that allow children to explore the language of feelings and responsibility, reflect on their differences and understand everyone is free to have different opinions.
- Providing activities and opportunities such as mixing their own colours for leaf painting and taking part in races on the setting's sport day. This helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves and increases their confidence and own abilities.
- Having group discussions about how the children may feel about the activities they did or the story at story time. We allow them to voice their own feelings and understand that that are free to have different opinions.
"We celebrate British Values in practice and ensure that we embrace our citizenship and the diverse culture we are so lucky to be a part of."