Our SchoolThe School GovernorsOfsted SafeguardingInclusion and SENDEKCCurriculumStatutory Information
Our TeamSenior Leadership TeamSEN TeamFLO TeamOffice TeamClass TeachersGovernorsTeaching AssistantsPremises TeamMidday Supervisors
Early Years Foundation Stage at East Stour
As the first step into education for many children, an engaging, supportive EYFS is crucial. Our curriculum encourages children to follow their own interests, and utilises ‘in-the-moment’ planning to ensure high-quality learning. Working in a child-centred way means that differences and diversity are celebrated and explored as part of daily life.
We prioritise the development of the Prime Areas of the Curriculum: Personal, Social & Emotional Development, Communication & Language and Physical Development, Our staff are skilled in creating positive interactions that develop child initiated play and learning. Children learn to take managed risks and rise to challenges with resilience. They are encouraged to have a growth mindset, and to question what they see, to develop enquiring minds and a thirst for learning. Our curriculum works on the understanding that communication, emotional understanding and social skills underpin the Specific learning areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts & Design.
Our curriculum follows the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early years Foundation Stage. Through our knowledge of each child and formative assessments the EYFS team plan exciting and engaging activities that will move the children’s learning forward. This may involve following a class theme where we take advantage of cross curricular links in order to combine transferable skills and develop a wide-ranging vocabulary which underpins the children’s learning. This may also include following individual children’s interests and making the most of those focused moments where the teaching and learning can be maximised in a one to one way with teacher and child.
Children in EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active and thinking critically and creatively and this takes place both in the indoors and outdoor area. Our outdoor area is open all year round and in all but the most challenging weather conditions. Children make their own decisions about where they learn best and teachers ensure that there are opportunities for all areas of learning both inside and outside.
Work is shared with parents through the Tapestry app and child initiated learning is collated in our termly floor books. We follow the RWI phonics scheme which helps to create fluent and confident readers.
Children at the end of Foundation stage will have developed essential knowledge and skills required for everyday life and lifelong learning. Children at East Stour will be well rounded, happy, inquisitive and successful learners.