Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Mary Dean's. 

 

At Mary Dean's we have a Nursery unit for 3-4 year old children and a Reception unit for 4-5 year old children. 

Intent

At Mary Deans C of E Primary School, we offer an EYFS curriculum rich in meaningful, stimulating experiences that provide strong foundations for future learning. Rooted in our Christian values, we aim to nurture children enabling them to flourish as unique individuals within a caring and inclusive community.

It is our intent that children in EYFS develop cognitively and emotionally while fostering a positive attitude towards school. We have high aspirations for all children and strive to ensure they make excellent progress towards the Early Learning Goals.

We follow the statutory EYFS Framework and use Development Matters to support planning and assessment. Our curriculum is carefully designed around the needs, interests and stages of development of our children. Through a balance of adult-led learning and high-quality continuous provision, we provide opportunities for children to develop knowledge, skills and understanding across all areas of learning. Whilst ensuring coverage of a broad and balanced curriculum, we remain responsive to children's interests, experiences and emerging needs.

We believe that every child is unique and deserves to be valued, encouraged and supported to achieve their full potential. We begin each academic year by carefully considering children's starting points and use this information to shape a curriculum that enables every child to succeed. Our provision promotes curiosity, independence, resilience and confidence, ensuring that children are active participants in their own learning journey.

Play is central to learning in the Early Years and lies at the heart of our curriculum. Through purposeful play and rich learning experiences, adults support, model and extend children's learning. Warm and positive relationships, consistent routines and strong partnerships with families ensure that children feel safe, valued and ready to learn.

By the end of Reception, we intend for all children to have made strong progress from their starting points and to possess the knowledge, skills and learning behaviours required for a successful transition into Year 1 and beyond.

Implementation

Throughout the year, teachers plan engaging themes and experiences that support learning across the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum: Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

Learning is carefully sequenced to build children's knowledge, skills and understanding over time, ensuring progression towards the Early Learning Goals. Examples of these progression documents can be found at the bottom of the page. High-quality adult interactions, carefully planned enhancements and responsive teaching support children in reaching their full potential.

All areas of learning are taught through practical, hands-on experiences which allow children to explore, investigate and develop their understanding through active learning. Our curriculum combines direct teaching, adult-led group work and high-quality continuous provision that encourages children to apply, practise and deepen their learning independently.

At the heart of our curriculum are the Characteristics of Effective Learning:

• Playing and Exploring
• Active Learning
• Creating and Thinking Critically

We place a strong emphasis on developing communication and language skills. Through high-quality conversations, storytelling, singing, role play and rich vocabulary experiences, children develop confidence as communicators and build a broad and ambitious vocabulary.

We recognise the importance of strong home-school partnerships and actively encourage parental involvement in children's learning through workshops, newsletters, reading opportunities and regular communication.

Literacy and Phonics

Reading is at the heart of our EYFS curriculum. We strive to foster a lifelong love of reading through daily story times, high-quality texts and language-rich learning experiences. Carefully chosen books expose children to a wide range of vocabulary, genres, authors and themes, helping to develop comprehension, communication and imagination.

We teach phonics through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme, providing a systematic and progressive approach to the teaching of early reading and spelling. Daily phonics lessons enable children to develop secure phonic knowledge and the skills required to become fluent readers.

Children read books that are closely matched to their phonic knowledge, ensuring they can practise and apply newly taught skills successfully. Reading practice sessions take place three times a week in school and children are encouraged to read frequently at home. Alongside their decodable reading books, children also take home library books to promote enjoyment of reading with their families.

Writing opportunities are embedded throughout the provision, enabling children to develop mark-making, transcription and composition skills in meaningful and purposeful contexts.

Mathematics

At Mary Deans C of E Primary School, we teach mathematics through a mastery approach, using the guidance and principles of the NCETM alongside the White Rose Maths scheme.

Children develop a deep understanding of number, numerical patterns and mathematical concepts through carefully sequenced learning experiences. Daily mathematics sessions provide opportunities for children to explore, reason, problem-solve and explain their thinking.

A strong emphasis is placed on practical learning through the use of concrete resources and manipulatives. Children regularly use equipment such as counters, tens frames, Numicon, cubes and other physical resources to develop a secure conceptual understanding before moving towards more abstract representations.

Mathematical learning is further embedded through continuous provision, where children apply their knowledge through play-based activities and real-life contexts. Mathematical vocabulary is explicitly taught and modelled, helping children to articulate their understanding and develop confidence when reasoning mathematically.

Wider Curriculum

Teachers plan exciting, purposeful and meaningful learning experiences that build upon children's natural curiosity and interests across all areas of the curriculum.

Outdoor learning is an important aspect of our provision and children have regular opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. Our outdoor environment encourages exploration, investigation, physical development and collaborative play. Children are supported in developing resilience, confidence and independence through a range of practical experiences.

Physical Education supports children in developing fundamental movement skills, coordination, balance and core strength, while also promoting teamwork, perseverance and positive attitudes towards physical activity.

As a Church of England school, opportunities for spiritual development are woven throughout the curriculum. Children are encouraged to reflect, wonder, celebrate and develop an understanding of themselves, others and the wider world.

Our curriculum also provides opportunities for children to develop their creativity, cultural understanding and knowledge of the world around them through a rich range of experiences, visits, visitors and celebrations.

Impact

The impact of our EYFS curriculum is evidenced through children's engagement, progress and achievement. Evidence is gathered through observations, interactions, work samples, photographs alongside ongoing assessment against the EYFS framework.

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. Ongoing observations and formative assessment enable staff to identify children's next steps and adapt provision to meet individual needs. This ensures that learning remains ambitious, responsive and appropriately challenging.

At Mary Deans C of E Primary School, our EYFS curriculum develops happy, confident and independent learners who are curious about the world around them. Children build positive relationships, develop resilience and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for the next stage of their education. They leave Reception well prepared for Year 1 and equipped with a strong foundation for lifelong learning.