EYFS Intent
At The Huntspill Primary Academies, we provide an Early Years setting where the children feel happy, safe, respected, included and valued. We always welcome and value children’s thoughts and opinions, giving them the opportunity to speak and be listened to. All staff support the children to become confident, independent learners with a positive and curious attitude to learning. We always ensure that we are supporting children to explore, to grow and to develop the characteristics needed for effective learning.
The characteristics of effective learning are:
Playing and exploring – engagement
- Finding out and exploring
- Playing with what they know
- Being willing to have a go
Active learning – motivation
- Being involved and concentrating
- Keeping trying
- Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically – thinking
- Having their own ideas
- Making links
- Choosing to do things
We understand that children develop rapidly during the early years, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. We provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum, to extend their knowledge and skills to allow them to reach their full potential. We prepare children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure children make good progress from their starting points. The positive relationships that we build with parents enable us to work effectively with them to help their children flourish.
EYFS Implementation
In our setting, we always ensure quality and consistency within our teaching and learning so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind. Our provision offers a balance of child initiated and adult-led learning using continuous provision and small group activities.
All areas of the EYFS curriculum are followed and planned for to ensure there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum. The children learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas in the EYFS curriculum. These are:
Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Specific Areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
Children have access to our indoor and outdoor spaces, all year round. The children have the freedom within continuous provision to be in control of their own learning and to follow their interests. Continuous provision enhancements change on a regular basis to extend children’s learning, follow children’s interests, enhance our learning theme, promote curiosity and encourage exploration.
Adults in the EYFS act as facilitators and scaffold children’s learning. They carefully monitor and observe children in their play, looking at ways to deepen their knowledge and understanding and allow them time and opportunities to consolidate their learning. All staff support them in meeting their next steps.
All staff discuss their observations and help to assess children using the Early Years Framework. Planning, adult interaction and the learning environment is carefully thought out to meet the needs of the children and help them achieve their potential.
We make close links with parents/carers through home visits (prior to COVID-19 restrictions), regular communication, parent’s evenings, phonics meetings, ‘stay and play’ sessions, picnics and via the school website or Facebook page. Both of the schools and Little Learners settings have a close partnership. We share good practise and support transition for the children and their families.
EYFS Impact
All staff take the time to get to know each child well and find out about their interests and their home life. We value what children have to say and encourage them to share their experiences with us when they feel confident to do this. Through observations of the children in play and monitoring the areas of provision, we make alterations to our provision as necessary. This enables us to continue to meet the needs and interests of the children. If an area within our continuous provision is no longer being used or is less popular, we discuss ways to enhance this provision as a staff and also involve the children in decision making. This supports the children in taking ownership of their learning environment.
Staff spend time interacting with the children, making observations and using their knowledge to extend children's learning. Following discussions as a whole EYFS staff, the Development Matters document and the Early Years Framework supports us to make a ‘best fit’ judgement on the children’s current level of development. Children will participate in the Reception baseline within the first six weeks of starting school. School will track their progress and attainment at regular intervals throughout the academic year. By the end of June, teacher's will indicate whether or not children are meeting the expected level of development. Children who are meeting the expected level of development are said to have achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD).
Summative assessment, using the school’s assessment tracker ‘Insight Tracker’ compares children’s attainment to age related expectations and tracks their progress, from their starting point. This is tracked to ensure rates of progress are at least good for all children, including vulnerable groups such as those with SEND or who are disadvantaged. The EYFS team and Head Teacher closely monitor this data and regularly discuss any areas for development. Internal and external EYFS Moderation takes place yearly to help support us in the judgements that we have made.
For details about our phonics provision, click here
New Reception Starters
Click here for:
East Huntspill-
Hawthorn Class Induction pack 2023
Hawthorn Class Induction letter 2023
West Huntspill-
Ash Class Induction letter 2023
Useful Documents