Ash Hill Primary School

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EYFS Curriculum

 

EYFS Vision Statement

At Ash Hill, our Early Years is the foundation on which every child’s learning journey is built and we strive to secure strong foundations for our learners. We believe that children learn best when they feel a deep sense of belonging and joy in their learning. Our environment is a place where curiosity is nurtured, imaginations are ignited, and every child is supported to become the very best they can be.

We value the uniqueness of each child and celebrate their individuality, recognising that every child brings their own ideas, interests and experiences. Through play, exploration, and purposeful interactions, we lay the foundations for lifelong learning — developing children’s communication, independence, and confidence as learners.

Our curriculum is broad, balanced and provides rich opportunities for children to develop in all areas of learning, so that they build the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for success across the curriculum and beyond into Key Stage 1.

Our six school values — consideration, community mindedness, responsibility, determination, resilience and honesty — are woven through all that we do. They are modelled by adults and lived by children, helping them to grow as kind, confident and responsible members of our school and wider community.

We make the most of our indoor and outdoor environments, including the natural world around us, to inspire awe and wonder. We want children to experience the joy of discovery, to take risks in their learning, to persevere when things are tricky, and to feel proud of their achievements.

Above all, we want every child to leave our Early Years with strong foundations — academically, socially and emotionally — ready for the next stage of their education and excited about the endless possibilities ahead.

"Play is the highest form of research" - Albert Einstein

Children in our Nursery and Reception classes are part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This is a very important stage, as it helps prepare children for school and provides them with those fundamental skills they need for lifelong learning.

We follow the statutory EYFS framework, which supports children’s healthy development and helps them to develop the skills they need to thrive.

 

What do the children learn?

Learning is based on seven areas of development, grouped into Prime and Specific areas:

 

Prime Areas (developed first):

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development

These areas are the foundations for all future learning and are woven throughout our Early Years Curriculum.

 

Specific Areas (built on the Prime Areas):

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

 

We plan activities around all seven areas, tailored to each child’s needs and interests. The curriculum is flexible, engaging, and designed to help every child grow in confidence, curiosity, and capability.

 

How does this look in our Nursery and Reception classes?

Play is an integral part of how children learn and this is at the heart of our Early Years curriculum at Ash Hill. We plan for daily uninterrupted child-initiated play, as well as play that is facilitated by adults. Play is purposeful and engaging, consequently ensuring the best outcomes for all our pupils. Both classes also participate in whole class adult-led and small group experiences.

All pupils have access to our exciting indoor and outdoor provision. They also have visits from members of the local community, as well as having the opportunity to visit the local library, shops, farm and many other places to enhance our pupils’ life experiences.

Both classes have a daily story time. These books are carefully mapped out throughout the year so that children experience a range of stories, poems and non-fiction texts. All are carefully chosen to help build the children’s vocabulary, broaden their knowledge of the world and more importantly, foster a lifelong love of reading! 

Our Nursery class has planned opportunities to learn the foundations of phonics, such as activities to discriminate between sounds in the environment, learning rhymes and alliteration etc. All learning is carefully sequenced so when our Nursery pupils move onto Reception, they have the fundamental skills they need to be successful with their phonics development. Pupils in our Reception class participate in a daily phonics lesson (see phonics section) and follow the Little Wandle phonics scheme.

Both Nursery and Reception pupils take home a book to share with their family from the time they start their learning journey with us at Ash Hill. This is a real book chosen from our class book areas. Once our Reception pupils begin the school’s chosen phonics scheme, Little Wandle, a phonics book is sent home that matches the sounds the child has learnt so far. This reading scheme book continues to accompany the sharing book.

We build warm and positive relationships between pupils and staff by using consistent routines and have high expectations from all our pupils. We value the strong relationships we have with our parents and families. This helps the children to feel safe and secure in their learning environments. Nurturing our pupils is at the heart of our EYFS curriculum and is fundamental in enabling our pupils to be happy and successful learners.