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EYFS

EYFS Team

Click on the images to find out who we are. 

 

 

Our Learning

Woodland Nursery and Reception at St John’s offer children a wide range of engaging learning and teaching experiences, carefully matched to their individual needs and interests, forming a strong foundation for future learning. Through well-planned, purposeful play—both indoors and outdoors, including in our fantastic, well-resourced Forest School area—children are supported to explore and discover more about themselves and the world around them.

Children are given opportunities to develop their ideas, learn self-control, and begin to understand the importance of rules that help them make sense of their environment. They are also encouraged to become creative, confident and independent learners.

The Early Years team works collaboratively to deliver a curriculum that ensures continuity and balance across all areas of learning, from Nursery through to the end of the Reception year.

In Woodlands Nursery and Reception, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). This curriculum is broken down into 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas of learning. 

 Prime Areas:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development - helping children to build a positive sense of self and others, form secure relationships, develop social skills, manage their emotions, understand appropriate behaviour in group settings, and gain confidence in their own abilities.

Communication and Language - supporting children to experience a language-rich environment, build confidence in expressing themselves, and develop listening and speaking skills across a variety of situations.

Physical Development – offering opportunities for children to be active and engaged while developing balance, coordination and movement. Children are also supported to understand the value of physical activity and to make healthy choices, particularly in relation to food.

Specific Areas:

Literacy developing early reading and writing skills by encouraging children to recognise sounds and letters and begin to read and write independently.

Mathematics - supporting children to count, recognise and use numbers, solve simple addition and subtraction problems, and explore shape, space and measures.

Understanding the World – helping children to make sense of their surroundings and communities by exploring people, places, technology and the natural environment.

Expressive Arts and Design -– providing opportunities for children to experiment with a variety of materials and media, and to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings through art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

The EYFS Framework explains how young children learn most effectively through the Characteristics of Effective Learning.

Early years practice is guided by four key principles:

  • Every child is an individual who is continuously developing and can be confident, capable, resilient and self-assured.
  • Children develop independence and strength through nurturing, positive relationships.
  • Children make the best progress in supportive environments where adults offer guidance, respond to individual interests and needs, and build learning over time. Effective partnerships between practitioners and parents and/or carers play an important role.
  • Children learn and develop at their own pace and learning and development are equally valued.

Communication 

Each Friday, a Woodland Nursery Learning Update is shared via the Tapestry platform, while a Reception Learning Update is sent through Class Dojo. These updates provide information about the learning that has taken place during the week in both Nursery and Reception. In addition, a Whole School Newsletter is emailed to families, containing wider school news and information. We encourage parents and carers to read both newsletters to stay informed about the many exciting activities and events taking place across the school.

Before a new topic begins each half term, a learning update will be sent home to share what your child will be exploring. It will include key vocabulary, home learning ideas, and the books we will be using. Going through this with your child at home is a wonderful way to support and extend their learning and helps them feel excited and confident about what’s coming next.

 

Reading

In EYFS, we place great importance on reading and aim to nurture a genuine love of books in every child. Sharing stories at home plays a key role in helping children become confident readers and supports what we hope will grow into a lifelong enjoyment of reading, as well as an essential life skill. In Reception, home reading books are carefully selected to match your child’s current phonic knowledge and are changed weekly. As the day books are changed may vary, we kindly ask that reading books are brought into school every day.

 

Useful Links

  1. Reception Long Term Plan pdf
  2. Reception Spring Two Overview pdf
  3. Reception Summer One Overview pdf

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