At Birches Green Primary School, we believe that the Early Years Foundation Stage is the foundation of a lifelong learning journey. Guided by our motto, Curious Together, Learning Together, Achieving Together, we work in partnership with parents and carers to nurture independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential.

Our intent is to create an environment where curiosity is encouraged, learning is celebrated, and achievement is valued. We are committed to fostering the values of friendship, excellence, perseverance, honesty, and respect in all aspects of early education. Through meaningful experiences, we support children in developing physically, verbally, cognitively, and emotionally while embedding a positive attitude to school and a love of learning.

Recognising that every child is unique, we carefully consider their starting points and individual needs as they join Birches Green Primary School. We provide a broad, balanced, and differentiated curriculum that equips children with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to embrace the opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges of both the present and the future. By valuing children’s personal interests and individual needs, we create learning experiences that inspire curiosity, encourage perseverance, and promote excellence.

Through our engaging indoor and outdoor environments, we provide rich opportunities for exploration, discovery, and problem-solving. Our goal is to ensure that every child is supported in reaching their Early Learning Goals, laying the foundation for success throughout their educational journey. Together, we inspire a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.

EYFS Framework

At Birches Green Primary School, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This is made up of four overriding principles which our early year’s education is based upon:

·        Unique Child – Every child is unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

·        Positive Relationships – Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.

·        Enabling Environments – Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers.

·        Learning and Development – Children develop and learn in different ways. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early year’s provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

In order to meet these expectations, we, as a school, have adopted the ‘Development Matter 2021’ framework and use this, with some school specific additions, to plan the curriculum we offer to pupils.

Areas of Learning

The curriculum provides a play-based and experiential learning environment, combined with focussed teaching and basic skills, to ensure children make rapid progress before moving onto Year 1. The children in both nursery and reception are provided with ample opportunities accessible in our indoor and outdoor provision. They engage in planned, focussed activities as well as self-initiated and free flow activities. The learning experiences within our early years are linked to the seven areas of learning and development within the EYFS. These areas are split into three prime areas and four specific areas. The three prime areas are those which the children should develop first and are considered most essential for the healthy development and future learning of our children. These include:

·        Personal, Social and Emotional Development – involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

·        Communication and Language – involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

·        Physical Development – involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

As children grow and make progress in the prime areas, this will help them to naturally develop skills within the four specific areas. These are:

·        Literacy – the early teaching of literacy involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

·        Mathematics – the early teaching of mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, spaces, and measures.

·        Understanding the World – this involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

·        Expressive Arts and Design – this involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning, are at the heart of our curriculum offer. We pride ourselves in the willingness and confidence with which pupils approach learning experiences. For such young children, this goes hand in hand with the warm and nurturing relationships that all staff establish with pupils. From these early connections grows trust and a climate where children feel safe to be themselves, explore and take risks. Children learn quickly that what they cannot accomplish can be termed ‘not yet’, as everyone has the potential to keep trying and succeed.

Supporting Documents

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 

Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five

Development Matters 2021