At Ashleigh Primary School and Nursery, we believe that the Early Years are crucial years for our children, within which they learn to develop a secure base and foundation for future learning.
We ensure children develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally whilst they are part of our EYFS. We will ensure our children develop a positive attitude to school and learning, which will stay with them as they move through Ashleigh Primary School.
We value all children as individual learners and believe all children can achieve their full potential in their own unique way. With this in mind, we provide a flexible, engaging curriculum which is designed to meet the needs of all children, taking account of their different starting points.
All children in our EYFS follow the EYFS Curriculum. The seven areas of learning and development are inter-connected and we ensure that careful planning allows full coverage and exposure to each aspect of the curriculum. We believe these are crucial for igniting a child’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and building blocks for their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.
At Ashleigh, each area of learning is taught in a practical, progressive and interactive way with support and challenge from adults. This will be delivered through discrete teaching sessions, small group sessions and individual work. The combination of discrete ‘teacher-led’ sessions as well as the vast variety of continuous provision opportunities ensures all learning styles and needs are met.
Underpinning all of this, and at the heart of our EYFS Curriculum at Ashleigh, are the Characteristics of Effective Learning. We develop the key characteristics of ‘Playing and Exploring’, ‘Active Learning’ and ‘Thinking Critically’. These give the children crucial skills to draw upon throughout their time at school and turn them into creative, resilient learners.
We create a curriculum that is forever evolving and responsive to a child’s interests; a curriculum which allows a child to gather knowledge and skills. We ensure that these skills and knowledge are taught in a progressive way from our Nursery provision, into our Reception provision, and then into Year 1. We provide topics which are directly linked to a child’s interests, to inspire and create curious learners. Vocabulary underpins all the topics we teach, as our intent is to ensure every child is exposed to a wide range of vocabulary they can draw upon and revisit throughout their time at school.
Phonics is taught discretely every day using Read Write Inc, with Phase 1 (listening skills) underpinning all aspects of teaching Phonics. We believe this provides all children with the greatest opportunity to complete Reception being able to read short sentences and write for a purpose. All children will be taught a progressive Early Maths curriculum which is accurately linked to the Maths No Problem approach used from Year 1. The skills and knowledge our children will acquire from this approach will ensure they can fully access the Maths curriculum as they move through Ashleigh Primary.
We ensure a child’s emotional, social, physical and academic needs are met through our curriculum and parents are seen as partners in this approach. Our EYFS is the foundation for future learning at Ashleigh Primary School, and the building blocks to become fluent, articulate and confident learners.
Our EYFS Approach – Please click to open
