EYFS
Curriculum Statement
Harlands is a vibrant and aspirational school with a reputation for giving children rich opportunities to develop into confident, accomplished and considerate young people with a love of learning. We believe in ‘striving for excellence, valuing everyone and our world’. Our Early Years learning environment is organised into two classes – Apple and Cherry but the children have free flow between the classes and our outside area. Our school values the qualities of respectfulness, being responsible, optimism, tolerance of others, kindness, critical thinking and developing confidence. In Early Years we ensure that these values are introduced to all of the children – they are embedded in what we do and how we do it. The school’s Golden Threads; creativity, choice and community also start their journey in Early Years. The children’s natural creativity is nurtured, their ability to make and justify good choices is encouraged and their sense of community, both local and global, is ignited.
Intent
Early Years is an important and exciting year and we aim to work in partnership with parents/carers to provide a secure foundation for future learning.
We offer equality of opportunity for every child, providing quality and consistency so that every child makes good progress from their starting point. We know that children develop and learn at different rates and in different ways and we adapt our provision to allow each unique child to become an independent learner.
Implementation
The Early Years Foundation Stage framework explains the skills and knowledge children will acquire through seven areas of learning which sub divide into 17 aspects.
The three prime areas are:
- communication and language
- physical development
- personal, social and emotional development
These prime areas are essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning throughout their school career and allow them to fully access the four specific areas of:
- literacy
- mathematics
- understanding the world
- expressive arts and design
Each day consists of: short whole class focused inputs; independent learning sessions when the children select their own activities, alongside small group and 1-to1 learning time with children.
Our learning opportunities reflect Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’ through questioning, scaffolding, independent practice and regular review. Our curriculum development is planned in an enabling environment around the needs and interests of the children. These are assessed and reviewed regularly.
Impact
We foster a love of learning through an ambitious and diverse curriculum that reflects our School Values and Golden Threads. We value the uniqueness of every individual child and support them in their learning. Throughout the year our skilled and expert Early Years team start them on their journey as creative, independent learners - who are ready for the challenges of Year One and their future learning at Harlands and beyond.
Updated October 2022