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EYFS - Foundation Stage

Intent

At Downsway Primary School we believe that our Early Years Foundation Stage is crucial to developing firm foundations to be built upon throughout our school journey and beyond. It is our intent that the children who enter our EYFS develop physically, verbally, emotionally, creatively, and intellectually whilst embedding a positive attitude to school and learning in order for each child to achieve their full potential.

We set high expectations throughout all areas of school life and beyond.  We embed our core values in all aspects of our children’s lives as they become lifelong learners in an environment of acceptance and support. We believe that all children deserve to be valued as an individual and we are passionate in supporting all children to achieve their full, unique potential.

Our Foundation Stage class follow the EYFS curriculum, which has seven main areas of learning.

The Prime Areas:

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • The Specific Areas:-
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts

Implementation

We implement these areas of learning by providing a safe, stimulating environment that allows children to discover, be challenged, consolidate and achieve their very best whilst developing their resilience and independence. There is a combination of adult-led, child initiated, teacher taught whole class, group and individual support. Throughout all of these areas of learning and at the heart of the EYFS Curriculum are the “Characteristics of Effective Learning”. We strive to develop these key characteristics of “Playing and Learning”, “Active Learning” and “Thinking Critically” in order to give the children the skills that they will continue to draw upon throughout their development.

Each and every part of our learning environment has been carefully planned to meet and challenge the development needs of our children. Learning opportunities are carefully planned around the interests of the children, so they can lead, take ownership and become immersed in their learning. We support the children to develop their skills progressively in exciting, fun and creative ways to achieve the highest standards possible.

We get to know our families and children well and use their interests and knowledge to support and inspire our children’s knowledge and understanding of themselves, our local community and beyond. Our learning environments, both inside and outside are adapted to meet the different and developing needs of our children. 

Within our EYFS Curriculum, children are assessed through accurate observations informing future planning and children’s individual next steps in their learning. This enables us to ensure learning is embedded and consistent and that all children continue to make the best possible progress within our EYFS setting.

Impact

The impact of our provision can be seen through not only the progress the children make but also the feedback received by our parents/carers.  It is a privilege to be part of such an important stage in our children’s development and our dedicated staff work tirelessly to deliver the best possible outcomes for our children.