St Mary's Catholic Primary School

At St. Mary’s RC Primary School, our intention is to make every child’s very first experiences of school positive and meaningful. We place great emphasis on making our EYFS classroom a place where children feel safe, valued and motivated to learn. We want children to be excited about coming to school and in the future to remember fondly the time they spent in the Early Years at St. Mary’s. We are very proud of our Early Years Provision and we strive to ensure that our team of dedicated staff continue to maintain high standards of education for the youngest children in our care. We provide a curriculum that is tailored to the needs of all of the children in our diverse school community. We recognise and celebrate that each child is unique and has different strengths, interests, prior experiences and learning styles. We encourage our children to become ‘EAT Learners’ developing the learning characteristics of exploring, being active and thinking critically. As well as this, we ensure our curriculum provides children with opportunities to gain foundational skills and knowledge that will later be enhanced and embedded in Key Stage One and life further up the school. In our EYFS classes we create an atmosphere where children are relaxed and at ease with the adults, but where mutual respect is paramount. We have high expectations for behaviour and learning, with all adults using consistent positive recognition strategies which help children to follow and understand our school values and rules: Loved and inspired by Mary.. We shine and learn as a family of God. We praise, recognise and reward not only the outcomes of children’s play and learning, but the effort they put in. Ensuring that children understand the importance of being resilient, tackling challenges and persevering – even if they may not always succeed first time!

We intend:

• To 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.

• 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 individual next steps.

• To offer a wide range of rich, first hand experiences to ensure learning is meaningful and memorable.

• To create an exciting, engaging and well planned indoor and outdoor environment, which supports independent and collaborative learning.

• To foster the development of each child’s character, their personal development, health and wellbeing.

·         To provide children with the knowledge and skills to lead a healthy life and make healthy choices.

• To prepare children to reach the Early Learning goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure every child makes at least good progress from their starting points.

• To support a positive transition between Nursery and Reception and then into KS1.

·         To meet the individual needs of each child and support SEND pupils effectively.

·         To provide a variety of opportunity to ensure ‘Cultural Capital’ for all children through our EAT passport learning and weekly Forest School sessions.

Throughout the EYFS, we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework. This framework specifies the requirement for learning and development and provides prime and specific areas of learning we must cover in our curriculum. We achieve our intent by:

• Following a 2 year rolling curriculum cycle that is child-centred and based around rich, high quality texts, engaging topics and real life experiences. With reading and communication and language at its heart.

·         New vocabulary introduced and taught each week from our key text.

·         Daily key worker group time with a focus on ‘Communication and Language’ and ‘Personal, Emotional and Social development.’

• Encouraging active learning to ensure that children are motivated and interested. Taking the time to get to know children’s interests to support learning. We check children’s interests half termly and adapt our environment and experiences appropriately.

·         Weekly PSCHE lessons focussing on emotional wellbeing with calm areas and resources available when needed.

• Ensuring there is a broad, balanced and progressive indoor and outdoor learning environment and curriculum in place to support the children to learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum. As well as celebrating every child’s learning through displays on our Proud wall which are updated regularly.

·         SEND children identified quickly and effectively with support and resources put in place successfully.

• Promoting the characteristics of effective learning as an integral part of all areas of learning and reflecting these in our observations and assessments of children. We have a whole school approach to becoming ‘EAT learners’.

• Having clear routines in place, alongside a well-planned and balanced timetable, so that children know what to expect and when and their role within their school day.

·         A rolling drinks and snack station where children are encouraged to self-serve independently. This area is always observed by an adult.

• Allowing children ample time to use and develop taught skills throughout the year on a daily basis within their own self-directed play, with the opportunity to work independently, collaboratively with friends or with members of staff. We do this because continuous provision supports children to develop key life skills such as independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry, analysis and problem solving.

• Planning and leading targeted small group sessions to enable adults to systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions and provide real time verbal feedback which results in a strong impact on the acquisition of new learning.

• Following an interactive, well-structured and pacey phonics program ‘Red Rose Phonics’, we teach phonics daily in small, streamed groups from day one of children starting with us in Reception.

• Providing the tools for parents to support reading and phonics at home. St. Mary’s will offer parent workshops to empower parents with these skills and knowledge. With children in Reception taking home fully decodable phonics books that are matched to their individual level and changed twice weekly. As well as all children taking home high quality reading for pleasure books to inspire their love of books and stories.

• Providing book corners that include well known texts, unfamiliar texts and those changed regularly linked to our topic. Enjoying books throughout the day is encouraged and celebrated.

• Following White Rose Maths, children learn to use a variety of methods to develop their deep understanding and mastery of numbers, calculations, shape and space.

·         Providing Early Maths workshops aimed at parents and carers to provide an insight into how Maths at St. Mary’s is taught and to empower parents with key knowledge and skills to further learning opportunities at home.

·         Having an inclusive approach which means that all children learn together but supporting and providing intervention where necessary to meet the individual needs of all children.

• Being a forward thinking team who are always discussing possible changes and enhancements to improve provision.

• All adults working together to build up an assessment of each child’s current attainment and next steps. With ongoing assessments that take place formatively within every interaction that happens in the classroom. Weekly staff meetings where adults can discuss and share progress, next step and good practice.

·         Weekly forest school sessions with regular themed days to ensure ‘Cultural Capital’ for all.

·         Staff to receive training to deliver and implement ‘Let’s get brushing’ scheme to promote positive oral health for all children as a life long goal.

• Keeping up to date with training related to the EYFS and being fully informed about and aware of important Government/Ofsted initiatives and focuses.

·         Carrying out moderation both internally and externally with local schools to ensure accuracy.

·         Offering weekly pre-school sessions to ensure a smooth transition from nursery to school.

Our children have varied and diverse starting points. Therefore, we have high expectations to ensure that all children make ‘good progress’ across all of the areas of the EYFS curriculum. Progress is evident in books, floor books, on Phonics and Math assessments and through attainment and progress data and through discussion with our team. We strive for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception. The impact of our curriculum will also be measured by how effectively it helps our pupils develop into well rounded individuals who embody our values and carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens. We endeavour for pupils to be Key Stage 1 ready and have our school values embedded by the time they leave reception, preparing them for their future.