Curriculum – EYFS
At Silver Tree, our first aim is to welcome the children into a warm, friendly and supportive environment in which they can learn, play and develop their personalities and talents.
We have high expectations for all children and aim for them to be happy, achieve their potential and have the best possible start in life.
Our Curriculum starts in Early Years. Teaching themes are based around chosen core texts which engage children and give opportunities to learn through curiosity and play.
We will ensure that learning will be fun, engaging and we will challenge and support all children wherever their starting point. As an EYFS team and effective role models, we will provide high quality interactions in order to develop and deepen the children’s learning opportunities. We will deliver our curriculum through a balance of adult led and child-initiated activities based on the EYFS Framework 21’ & children’s interests.
At Silver Tree Primary School, we recognise that the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development. We always make sure that the learning environment inside and outside is planned effectively to meet the requirements of all areas of learning.
We ensure that the classroom is well organised into clearly defined areas, which allows the children to explore and learn securely and safely. We encourage children to engage in purposeful and challenging activities.
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum focuses on the three key skills for life long learning, these are :
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
Specific Areas of Learning:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Intent
At Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery:
- We believe that young children learn most effectively through play and interaction with adults.
- We believe all children should be given a wide range of opportunities.
- We believe that all children should be challenged to their full potential.
- We believe that exploring in early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives.
- We will show children the world beyond Ushaw Moor.
- We will help children to become better learners.
Implementation
At Silver Tree, we offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and which builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children, whatever their starting points.
We follow the Early Years curriculum using topic themes and enrichment opportunities.
At Silver Tree, we meet the welfare requirements laid down in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and actively safeguard and promote the welfare of all of our children.
We prioritise creating a ‘language rich’ environment through the use of songs, nursery rhymes, stories and providing time for quality interactions between adults and between peers. Trained staff ensure that interactions are positive and progressive, allowing children to flourish and gather words at pace in order to become confident communicators. Children are encouraged to become early readers through enjoyment of books and the systematic teaching of phonics through the Success for All Phonics programme. The children learn nursery rhymes and develop their mathematical thinking through direct teaching and exploration. We want our children to become confident mathematicians who can apply what they have learnt to real life experiences.
We have built our school environment to enable our children to strengthen their core muscles through physical play and children spend time outdoors in their natural environment in all weathers. They develop through wonderful, exploratory, sensory experiences in our mud kitchen, sandpit and taking part in Forest School sessions. Our learning environment is adaptable in order to reflect children’s interests and progression. The children are supported to learn to work together, manage their feelings and ask questions through skilled adult facilitated play.
The curriculum is taught through topics which are enriched with classroom enhancements, trips and visitors. Topics are supported by quality key texts. These are chosen carefully to encourage children’s speech, language and communication development. All planning however, is flexible and responsive to children’s needs so plans can be changed and adapted dependent on children’s interests.
We understand the importance of parental engagement and believe that our parents have a crucial role to play in their children’s education. We work hard to create strong partnerships between home and school. Parents receive knowledge organisers each half term to inform them of what their child is learning and to explain how they can support this at home. Parents enjoy using Class Dojo to engage in their child’s learning and share experiences from home.
As part of the learning and teaching process, children are assessed in relation to their progress towards the Early Learning Goals (ELGs). These judgements are made on the basis of accumulative observations and in-depth knowledge of the children acquired through ongoing assessments. These ongoing assessments are used to inform planning and next steps in teaching and learning for all children throughout the year.
Impact
Our curriculum and its delivery ensure that children, from their own starting points make good progress. During their time with us children make progress towards the national expectation for a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the year. Pupils also make good progress toward their age-related expectations both academically and socially, developing a sense of themselves before transitioning into Year One.
Children develop their characteristics of learning and are able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations making links and explaining their ideas and understanding. Children are confident to take risks and discuss their successes and failures with peers and adults drawing on their experiences to improve or adjust what they are doing.
We believe our high standards are due to our carefully planned environment, enriched play-based curriculum, quality first teaching and the rigour of assessment.
We value and prioritise quality conversations, alongside singing and repetitive rhymes/stories. All of this supports children’s vocabulary acquisition and use.