Heybrook Primary and Nursery

Heybrook Primary and Nursery School

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

 

Vision

Knowing how vital it is for our learners to have the best possible start to school life, our Early Years team is committed to laying the strongest of foundations for our children’s future learning and development. Although we recognise that many of our children may start Heybrook with limited understanding and experiences, we believe that all our children can flourish given the right support. All of our Early Years staff believe that each and every one of our children should be “happy, healthy and successful” here at Heybrook, and it is this ethos that drives our Early Years curriculum and provision.

 

Our blend of adult-directed and independent learning ensures that our children gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed both in their studies and in their wider lives. By offering a rich and purposeful diet of reading as well as paying particular attention to developing their vocabulary, children at Heybrook are given every opportunity to make progress in their learning. Our relentless focus on phonics and early reading means that our children begin to learn to read as soon as they join us. With our curriculum centred around exciting and varied themes and with cross curricular learning a key feature, children are immersed in their learning and are more able to build their persistent schema of knowledge. Moreover, by aligning our ambitious Early Years curriculum with the curriculum in KS1 and 2, our children are able to embark on a continuous and sequential learning journey.

 

Inclusivity in our classrooms is a fundamental belief here at Heybrook, and it is with this in mind that we consider all our children’s individual needs. Our championing of caring and respectful relationships support our children to be more confident, independent and resilient. We know that happy and healthy children learn best and so the physical and mental health of our pupils is of utmost importance to us. We provide well-established routines for all our children as we know that this is vital for our children's self-regulation. We also know that the partnerships between school and parent/carers is a key factor in the progress that children make during their time in the Early Years. As such, we value parental communication and engagement very highly.

 

 Aims

We aim to:

  • Prioritise phonics and early reading; setting high expectations and promoting a love of reading from the outset of their journey at Heybrook
  • Develop our children’s vocabulary, language and communication skills
  • Integrate our Early Years curriculum with that of KS1 and KS2 in order to ensure that our school curriculum is sequential and progressive
  • Offer our children a broad and balanced curriculum covering the breadth and depth of the EYFS framework.
  • Build confidence, resilience and independence in all our learners
  • Nurture and safeguard our pupils’ physical and mental health
  • Deliver our curriculum through a range of adult-led and child-initiated activities
  • Promote inclusive classrooms where all learners are supported and appropriately challenged
  • Provide engaging and immersive learning environments which inspire curiosity
  • Offer regular access to high-quality outdoor learning
  • Develop caring, nurturing and respectful relationships with all our children and families

 

Curriculum map

Our curriculum maps for EYFS clearly set out the sequence of learning:
Nursery (2-3 year olds) Curriculum Map 2024-25
Reception Curriculum Map 2024-25

 

What it looks like

EYFS at Heybrook