Early Years Foundation Stage
Statutory Framework and Curriculum
WHAT IS THE EYFS?
The EYFS is how the Government and early years professionals describe the time in your child's life between birth and age 5.
This is a very important stage as it helps your child get ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. From when your child is born up until the age of 5, their early years experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs.
Sennen & Land's End Pre-School is registered to deliver the EYFS and follows a legal document called the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (see bottom of page to download a copy and a parents guide). The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help your child, and was developed with a number of early years experts and parents.
Principles and Guidelines for Planning in the Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage is a play based framework that all UK childcare providers use as a tool to ensure that children from birth to five years are developing and learning to their full potential. Providers plan and provide a range of play activities, which help children to make progress in each of the following areas of learning and development: The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) breaks learning down into three “Prime” and four “Specific” areas of learning. Before the age of 5, much emphasis is placed on the three “Prime” areas which are PSED, Physical Development, Communication and Language.
Prime areas
Planning at Pre-School
We have taken inspiration from many different child-led approaches, such as Steiner Waldorf, Montessori, Ephgrave’s ‘In the Moment’ and the Curiosity approach.
Child-led approaches focus on the face that brain activity and synapse formation are at their highest when a child is deeply engrossed in something which fascinates, challenges and makes them happy. Every child is unique, and we cannot predict or impose what will spark that deep fascination.
Each child is at a different level of development and therefore something that will challenge one will be mundane for the next. Equally one child will be at their happiest digging in the mud while another will enjoy sitting and drawing a picture. We have organised the setting so that each child can excel in their own unique way.
What is Play?
Quite often we hear comments such as, “The children only play at pre-school,” or “The children like to play but I wish they would learn something”.
The Importance of Play
Play is a powerful medium which strengthens and supports children’s learning and development. Play underpins the whole EYFS!
When children play, they are learning at the highest level!
Play can extend certain areas of their learning – for example, through play, children develop language skills, begin to understand their emotions, develop creativity, social and intellectual skills, becoming confident independent learners. Such a playful approach to learning builds on children’s interests and responds to their ideas for play.
For most children their play is natural and spontaneous although some children may need extra help from adults. Play can take place both indoors and outdoors and it is in these different environments that children explore and discover their immediate world. This is how they practise new ideas and skills, take risks, begin to show imagination and solve problems both on their own and increasingly, with others.
At pre-school, we provide high quality planned experiences to encourage children’s play. Play is universally seen as an important way for adults to support children’s learning that is both enjoyable and challenging.
The role of the adult
Adults provide time and space, appropriate resources and well-timed support and encouragement. They observe play and join in when invited, watching and listening before intervening. They value play and provide safe but challenging environments that support and extend learning and development. Key workers will observe and assess children’s learning and development in order to identify the “next steps” in moving learning on.
The EYFS is how the Government and early years professionals describe the time in your child's life between birth and age 5.
This is a very important stage as it helps your child get ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. From when your child is born up until the age of 5, their early years experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs.
Sennen & Land's End Pre-School is registered to deliver the EYFS and follows a legal document called the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (see bottom of page to download a copy and a parents guide). The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help your child, and was developed with a number of early years experts and parents.
Principles and Guidelines for Planning in the Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage is a play based framework that all UK childcare providers use as a tool to ensure that children from birth to five years are developing and learning to their full potential. Providers plan and provide a range of play activities, which help children to make progress in each of the following areas of learning and development: The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) breaks learning down into three “Prime” and four “Specific” areas of learning. Before the age of 5, much emphasis is placed on the three “Prime” areas which are PSED, Physical Development, Communication and Language.
Prime areas
- Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
- Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
- Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
- Literacy involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
- Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
- Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
- Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
Planning at Pre-School
We have taken inspiration from many different child-led approaches, such as Steiner Waldorf, Montessori, Ephgrave’s ‘In the Moment’ and the Curiosity approach.
Child-led approaches focus on the face that brain activity and synapse formation are at their highest when a child is deeply engrossed in something which fascinates, challenges and makes them happy. Every child is unique, and we cannot predict or impose what will spark that deep fascination.
Each child is at a different level of development and therefore something that will challenge one will be mundane for the next. Equally one child will be at their happiest digging in the mud while another will enjoy sitting and drawing a picture. We have organised the setting so that each child can excel in their own unique way.
What is Play?
Quite often we hear comments such as, “The children only play at pre-school,” or “The children like to play but I wish they would learn something”.
The Importance of Play
Play is a powerful medium which strengthens and supports children’s learning and development. Play underpins the whole EYFS!
When children play, they are learning at the highest level!
Play can extend certain areas of their learning – for example, through play, children develop language skills, begin to understand their emotions, develop creativity, social and intellectual skills, becoming confident independent learners. Such a playful approach to learning builds on children’s interests and responds to their ideas for play.
For most children their play is natural and spontaneous although some children may need extra help from adults. Play can take place both indoors and outdoors and it is in these different environments that children explore and discover their immediate world. This is how they practise new ideas and skills, take risks, begin to show imagination and solve problems both on their own and increasingly, with others.
At pre-school, we provide high quality planned experiences to encourage children’s play. Play is universally seen as an important way for adults to support children’s learning that is both enjoyable and challenging.
The role of the adult
Adults provide time and space, appropriate resources and well-timed support and encouragement. They observe play and join in when invited, watching and listening before intervening. They value play and provide safe but challenging environments that support and extend learning and development. Key workers will observe and assess children’s learning and development in order to identify the “next steps” in moving learning on.
