EYFS

What is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?

• The EYFS is a framework for children’s development from birth to the end of their first (Reception) year in school.

• The EYFS framework describes how early years practitioners should work with children and their families to support their development and learning.

• The EYFS describes how your child should be kept safe and cared for and how all concerned can make sure that your child achieves the most that they can in their earliest years of life.

The EYFS is based on four important principles.

Theme: A Unique Child

Principle: Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

Theme: Positive Relationships

Principle: Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.

Theme: Enabling Environments

Principle: The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.

Theme: Learning and Development

Principle: Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and interconnected.

What does all this mean?

• Young children learn best through play and first hand experience.

• The teacher provides your child with a range of appropriate play and learning experiences for their stage of development and helps them develop new skills. There will be a mixture of adult led and child initiated activities.

• The activities that are provided for young children will underpin the skills they need to work towards the Early Learning Goals in the following areas at the end of their reception year at school:

3 Prime Areas

• Communication and language
• Personal, social and emotional development
• Physical development

4 Specific Areas

• Mathematics
• Literacy
• Expressive Art & Design
• Understanding the World

Parents as Partners

• It is important to remember that you know more about your own child than anyone else.
• Achievements which happen outside school will be valued and noted. Please share these with us so parents can contribute to individual Learning Journeys throughout the year. Across the Federation, we are using an app called 'Tapestry' to record your child's significant achievements which we hope will involve parents as partners even more.

Your child’s key worker is the class teacher.