Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
EYFS is how the Government and Early Years professionals describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5.
Our curriculum begins in EYFS, where the uniqueness of each child is valued. We strongly believe that the Early Years experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure. It should support children's development, care and learning needs, while preparing them for future learning and successes.
At Fowey Primary School EYFS, we support our children to become independent and collaborative learners by providing a wide range of activities and experiences. Pupils explore their world through play and outdoor learning. Pupils work within the EYFS framework with emphasis placed on the teaching of numeracy and literacy skills, as well as encouraging the development of the whole child – fostering the creativity and love for learning inside every child.
Intent
At Fowey Primary School, we support our children to become independent and collaborative learners by providing a wide range of experiences across our well-resourced indoor and outdoor learning spaces. Highly skilled staff ensure that all opportunities take place in a safe and secure environment, where skills are developed through a careful balance of explicit teaching and play-based learning.
At Fowey Primary School, we aim to…
o Work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential from their various starting points.
o To understand and follow children’s interests and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning, consolidate and deepen knowledge and ensure children meet their next steps.
o To create an indoor and outdoor environment which motivates, inspires and supports learning.
o To prepare ALL children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure ALL children make good progress from their starting points.
o To plan and support a successful and smooth transition into KS1.
Implementation
At Fowey Primary School, we follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This framework sets the standards that must be met to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
We have a curriculum that is ambitious for all children and is based upon real-life experiences and half-termly themes, which engage and inspire children. We encourage active learning to ensure that children are motivated and interested. All areas of the EYFS Curriculum are followed and planned for, to ensure that there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum.
Impact
Data and monitoring demonstrate that children across our Early Years Foundation Stage setting progress well, regardless of their starting point. In 2024, 100% made good or better progress from their baseline assessment to the EYFSP assessment at the end of the year. This year, 81% of children are on-track to meet the Good Level of Development measure at the end of their Reception year. We have high expectations of all children and are proactive in providing early intervention and challenge where required.
Evidence in children’s interactive Learning Journals captures learning across all areas of the EYFS curriculum. Our staff use observations to make formative assessments which inform future planning and ensure that all children build on their current knowledge and skills at an appropriate pace.
Summative assessment compares children’s attainment to age related expectations using our half termly curriculum outcomes and the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Reception year (EYFSP). This is carefully 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.
Assessment judgements are moderated both in school and externally with local schools.
EYFS Framework
At Fowey, we use ‘The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ to support the provision of quality learning opportunities. The EYFS is based upon four principles:
- A Unique Child
- Positive Relationships
- Enabling Environments
- Learning and Development
The EYFS framework includes seven areas of learning and development that are interconnected.
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
Our Early Years has a curriculum of learning which outlines how we teach the seven areas of learning throughout the year.
To view our long-term EYFS curriculum plan, click below:
Our EYFS team
In the Early Years Foundation Stage at Fowey, the Class Teacher is Miss Makinson, supported by Mrs Chanin as HLTA.
My name is Miss Makinson and I am the EYFS class teacher at Fowey Primary School. I have loved every minute spent teaching and learning in Early Years classrooms. My passion for teaching is in the EYFS, seeing every day how the children can learn through play, exploration and real life experiences. I learn from the wonderful children and their exciting play based learning experiences on a daily basis. I have a love for children's books and my favourite time of the day is story time. I take pride in incorporating authentic, exciting, diverse and inclusive books through every area of learning at Fowey EYFS.
Tapestry
All Early Years children attending Fowey Primary School will have a personal online Learning Journey which records photos, observations and comments in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage. This enables us to build up a record of each child’s learning during their time with us. Tapestry is a brilliant platform of shared learning opportunities. Not only can you see what your child is learning in school, you can also add your own posts! We love sharing learning experiences both inside and outside of school, all of which contribute to the progress your child makes as they move throughout the Early Years.
Useful resources
"Play is the work of childhood" - Piaget
"Play is the highest form of research" - Einstein
Reading and Rhyme at Fowey
Reading is at the heart of our learning at Fowey Primary School. After our Daily Read, Write, Inc (RWI) lessons, we incorporate reading into our curriculum time. In EYFS this takes the form of 'Adventure Time'. The children choose their own area of learning from the indoor or outdoor environment, navigating challenges and frequently having to use reading skills to support them to complete tasks and challenges - such as 'What do I have to add to the magic potion?' or 'What materials can you use to build a house for Stick Man?'.
Throughout the year, we will engage in daily story times, a ‘book vote’ linked to their Fundamental British values learning on democracy, and the children will have access to explore a variety of stories through the library our own classroom ‘Reading Realm’. Listening to rich and varied stories will help foster a love of reading and books. Our favourite stories are read frequently and joined in with to encourage repetition and development of vocabulary and word knowledge. We will explore a variety of stories, books, animation and traditional tales through ‘Drawing Club’, which the children will take part in on a daily basis.
We will immerse ourselves in stories and rhymes every day. We will sing nursery rhymes on a daily basis, join in with Daily Routine songs and learn a variety of popular rhymes and songs.
Some of our favourites are; Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Row row row your boat, Incy Wincy Spider, 1,2,3,4,5 once a caught a fish alive, Five little ducks, The Grand Old Duke of York, Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, Down at the station, Hey diddle diddle, Five currant buns, Baa Baa black sheep, Five little men, 5 speckled frogs, The bear went over the mountain, Mary had a little lamb, I am the baker man, Five little monkeys, I can sing a rainbow, London Bridge, Mary, Mary.