EYFS

• To follow the EYFS curriculum, and develop the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning.
• For all children to feel happy, safe and secure in our learning environment.
• To develop the holistic development of the whole child and celebrate their individuality through a combination of focused activities to suit their needs, and responding to the children’s interests and curiosities as they arise.
• To provide exciting provision both indoors and outdoors to engage and inspire the children to learn.
• To develop a plethora of opportunities to develop and harness the children’s interests.
• To encourage children to take risks and develop resilience.
• To encourage the children to have high expectations of themselves and others.
• To develop pupil’s cultural capital by ensuring all children gain rich experiences, and have equal opportunities in order to prepare them for future life.
• To ensure all children are challenged appropriately.

• In EYFS our approach is implemented through following the interests of the children, through our skills and a play based curriculum.
• We facilitate a highly stimulating indoor and outdoor environment, which encompasses open ended, natural, authentic and loose parts play provision. Children have access to the outdoors at all times throughout playing and learning time so that they can learn in an environment that compliments their learning and allows them to make excellent progress.
• At Meadowside, we believe the adult’s role is to facilitate opportunities for children to learn through thoughtful enhancements and sensitive, nurturing interactions. This allows practitioners to respond to children’s needs and encourage them to try their best, therefore, empowering our early learners to see their play as meaningful and valued, developing their confidence to lead their own play. This approach also means that children are constantly engaged in their learning and learn in real life contexts.
• All adults in EYFS are trained to a high standard to ensure they are skilled to further a child’s learning through questioning. They have a good knowledge of each child’s next steps so they can extend their learning whilst ‘at play’, ensuring that Every Child Achieves. Our unique approach also values the importance of acquisition of key skills, facilitated through short, fun and interactive daily Phonics (Little Wandle scheme) and Maths (Whiterose and NCETM schemes) inputs, as well as, Literacy and Maths being threaded through all areas of the environment. Our exciting environment is then enhanced to support the application of key learning, so that children are constantly remembering and embedding what they have learned. In addition, high quality stories and literature are in every area of provision to encourage children to use their phonic knowledge, develop descriptive, exciting vocabulary and a love of reading. We deliver daily Reading for pleasure, comprehension and Poetry sessions to inspire and extend language and a love for reading. .
• We access the children regularly to inform our planning and the next steps for each individual child. The children’s learning process is recorded on Tapestry. Their learning outcomes are recorded in whole class floor books and individual Learning Journals.
• Our curriculum for EYFS is underpinned by excellent relationships with children, but also with our parents. We ensure that children have the best possible opportunities to achieve by communicating openly and effectively with parents on a regular basis, through newsletters, Tapestry, termly reports and verbal communication to ensure children receive valuable and targeted support at home.

• Children will feel valued, safe and happy.
• Children will have a positive relationship with the staff in Reception.
• Children will have developed positive learning behaviours, respect towards themselves and others, and the resilience to try new things and challenge themselves. They will be able to manage conflict and disagreements independently using various strategies.
• Children will be intrinsically motivated to learn, with the sole purpose being enjoyment and a love of learning.
• Children will be confident in all seven areas of learning, with the focus being on the development of the whole child.
• The foundations of learning will be secure to prepare them for KS1. This will be all seven areas of learning with particular focus on the prime areas: Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, and Physical Development.
• Children will have the knowledge and experiences to help them tackle new challenges when they arise, preparing them for future life.
• Parents will have a positive relationship with the staff in Reception and the school.