Overview

Our aim is for all our children to be safe, happy, resilient, engaged, empowered, kind, articulate and strong risk takers – and to ‘love learning, love life.’

We have designed every aspect of our curriculum with these aims in mind to create a happy and stimulating learning experience for all children. From the warm welcome on the door, the calm routines, the enabling indoor and outdoor environment, to the inspiring experiences organised to link in with our learning - we are passionate about making learning memorable.

The curriculum in EYFS is developed so that children build on prior knowledge and learning and revisit key concepts regularly. Children learn through whole class and focus group teaching, adult directed activities and child initiated activities. Our curriculum involves half termly themes, such as ‘Celebrations’, ‘Everyday Heroes’ and ‘Trains, Planes and Automobiles’.

Every day, our children have opportunities to where children can challenge themselves and follow their curiosity as they play. Our experienced, enthusiastic team continually work on their skilful interactions with children during these times facilitate their play in order to extend and scaffold learning and maximise developmental progress.

Underpinning our approach to curriculum design is the belief that early reading and the teaching of phonics is vital to children’s success. Our language rich environment where nursery rhymes, songs and stories are a daily occurrence ensures that children are absorbed in a language rich environment. We follow the Little Wandle programme to ensure our children have a consistent and structured start to learning the basic skills needed to read and write confidently. This includes daily phonic and reading lessons.

We firmly believe that all children regardless of their background deserve to have an equal chance at success. We know that children arrive at our setting with different life experiences and that building communication between home and school, engaging our parents at the earliest opportunity, is vital to the continuing development of our young children.

Early Years Foundation Stage – EYFS

The Reception year in school is characterised by the ‘ Early Years Foundation Stage’ a distinct year in a child’s education. The EYFS sets the standards that all early years’ providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ providing the broad range of skills and knowledge that provide the right foundation for good future progress in school and life.

The EYFS is underpinned by four guiding principles:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self- assured;
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experience responds to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers;
• Children learn in different ways and at different rates

The EYFS curriculum at Carlisle is designed with reference to the Early Years Foundation statutory framework and underpinned by development matters. This is made up of 7 key areas: Physical Development, Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Maths, Literacy, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.