Early Years Curriculum

At Ellington Primary School, we understand the importance of building good foundations for future learning and our provision for nursery children and reception aged children reflects this. We recognise that children have rights and, as such, are valued, listened to and given time and space to express themselves.

The curriculum in Early Years is designed to provide experiences that help to support their communication skills and increase their vocabulary. Children are provided with opportunities to actively participate, explore, and question things. We have a very strong emphasis on the social development of children as part of a community and their relationships to other children, their families and teachers. We recognise the importance of the environment, which we consider to be ‘the third teacher’. We also follow the principles set out in the document ‘Birth to Five Matters’ which states that significant learning is dependent on each child having opportunities to thrive and develop positive relationships within an enabling environment.

Continuous Provision is how we plan our learning environment. The purpose of continuous provision is “to continue the provision for learning in the absence of an adult”. Each and every part of our learning environment has been carefully planned to meet and challenge the development needs of our children.

Learning opportunities are carefully planned around the interests of the children so they can lead, take ownership and become immersed in their learning. We support the children to develop their skills progressively in exciting, fun and creative ways to achieve the highest standards possible. We also provide ‘hooks’ or ‘scenarios’ to support their ideas and to really engage the children in their new learning experiences. Teachers support children’s learning and development by planning a range of Literacy and Numeracy activities, which are delivered through whole class, one-to-one and small group sessions.

The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their development.

They will be learning new skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

• Communication and language;

• Physical development;

• Personal, social and emotional development;

• Literacy;

• Mathematics;

• Understanding the world; and

• Expressive arts and design.

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities which are suited to your individual unique needs.