THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 

 

The national curriculum for children of pre-school age is set out in a government document, called The Early Years Foundation Stage (2014).  This curriculum and the accompanying safeguarding and welfare standards are followed by everyone providing care and education for children aged from birth to the end of the reception year of infant school.  You can view and / or download this publication here.

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Play is important for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. The Early Years Foundation Stage identifies three key characteristics to the way children learn and develop:

 

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’; 

• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and 

• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things. 

 

The curriculum is shaped by seven areas of learning and development, all equally important and inter-connected.  There are three prime areas which reflect the key skills and capacities all children need to develop and learn effectively, and become ready for school:

 

·        Personal, Social and Emotional Development

·        Physical Development

·        Communication and Language

 

There are four specific areas which it is expected will have a greater focus as the children grow in confidence and ability within the above three prime areas.  These are:

 

·        Literacy

·        Mathematics

·        Understanding the World

·        Expressive Arts and Design

 

For each area, the curriculum sets out early learning goals (what it is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their education) and the stages of development which children may go through before achieving these goals. Your key person will use the stages of development to help to monitor and record your child's progress whilst at pre-school and  share this with you.  This process continues when children move into the reception year at infant school and work towards achieving the early learning goals. 

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DETAILS OF THE 7 AREAS OF LEARNING FROM THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

 

Personal, social and emotional 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.

 

Physical 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 development 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. 

 

Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

 

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 to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.

 

Understanding the world 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 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.

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"You can view or print a parent's guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum here:"

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