Beeston Primary School

Beeston Primary School

EYFS

Our vision for all our pupils is, “Be all you can be!”

At Beeston Primary:

  • Our EYFS children learn in a small, mixed age environment alongside Year 1 pupils.
  • We have a ‘family feel’ and welcome many siblings from our older pupils into our EYFS, alongside others from the surrounding rural/town areas.
  • We promote our ethos ‘Be All You Can Be’ and aim to provide a stimulating, safe space where our children can flourish as individuals by exploring a wide range of activities.

Therefore, the EYFS curriculum at Beeston School has been planned as follows:

  • We teach Phonics, on a daily basis, using the Read Write Inc Scheme.
  • Our School Values & British Values are taught through a wide range of curricular experiences and via external visits.
  • We provide indoor and outdoor learning environments; these contain both adult-led and child-led activities.
  • We follow the White Rose Maths EYFS scheme of learning.
  • The Dimensions Curriculum is also used to incorporate the 7 areas of development: Communication & Language, Physical Development, PSED, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World & Expressive Arts and Design.
  • RE is also experienced by following the Norfolk Diocese Curriculum.
Intent
  • At Beeston Primary School, it is our intent that all children have a positive experience while in our care. They should feel safe and enjoy coming to school.
  • We aim to implement routines and ethos which are consistent across all our Key Stages.
  • It is also our intent that all children develop physically, socially, emotionally, verbally and cognitively in a small, nurturing environment which values all cultures, communities and people.
  • We aim for our children to be confident, independent learners who believe in themselves.
  • We have high aspirations for all our pupils and encourage them to build upon their own individual skills, knowledge and interests – they are all unique.
  • We encourage our children to interact positively with their peers and with the various adults in school.
  • The relationship between parents and school is also key; we aim to provide a friendly, accessible point of contact. We also provide parents with an ongoing update of their child’s learning via the online journal ‘Tapestry’.
  • We deliver a mix of adult directed and child-initiated play/learning where children can develop a love of learning.
  • We provide a holistic curriculum which maximises opportunities for learning experiences; we also appreciate the value of external trips and visits.
  • We strive to ensure that our EYFS pupils reach their full potential from their various starting points and that they are prepared for the challenges of Key Stage One and beyond.
Implementation
  • Our children will learn though a balanced combination of adult-led and child-directed activities with The Characteristics of Effective Teaching & Learning at the heart of everything we do.
  • The day is carefully structured so that children have regular, directed teaching in Phonics and Mathematics.
  • EYFS follow the Read Write Inc scheme where the children will work with trained members of staff, on a daily basis, to develop their Phonic knowledge and letter formation. This then leads into early reading and writing/spelling.
  • We provide a ‘streamed’ setting for Phonics where individual children can receive the appropriate challenge/support for their particular level. This focused group time means that teaching staff can check for understanding, identify areas of need and provide the support required for the children to make progress. The groups are fluid.
  • During the day, we allow time to be set aside for those children who require more individual support with their learning in Phonics, Speech & Language and in their understanding of numbers.
  • We promote a love of reading through visits to the school library, listening to stories in class and regular shared reading sessions with older Key Stage Two pupils. We also choose a variety of Fiction and Non Fiction texts to support their learning in the wider curriculum.
  • Our small, inclusive setting means that our EYFS pupils learn from, and acquire skills from, our Year One pupils.
  • Our Continuous Provision contains a range of resources; Construction, Loose Parts, Art & Craft materials are all readily available for children to use creatively within their play. We also create different learning areas within the inside environment; our Home Corner reflects our learning in ‘Topic’ and is changed twice a term to encourage learning through play.
  • We encourage the development of Gross and Fine Motor Skills. Our outside area contains climbing equipment and our children follow the Beeston PE curriculum. We also implement regular Fine Motor activities which are important for their developments in writing.
  • Our learning environments are adaptable in order to reflect the children’s interests and progression.
  • The children play and spend time outdoors in all weathers during fortnightly Forest School sessions where they develop a large range of skills. They develop in these sessions through exploratory and sensory experiences where they learn to work together, manage their feelings and ask questions.
  • At Beeston, we understand the importance of parental engagement and we promote strong partnerships between home and school. Our parents enjoy using Tapestry to engage in their child’s learning and are able to share experiences from home.
  • Our ongoing Tapestry observations provide a valuable record of children’s individual progress from their starting points and this ‘good practice’ approach informs our planning and next steps in teaching and learning for all our EYFS children.
Impact
  • We regularly track progress in Phonics using the Read Write Inc Tracker. Children are assessed each half term which enables us to monitor individual progress.
  • This information is used to plan the next steps for learning; challenge/support.
  • We use the Read Write Inc ‘FAST TRACK’ programme to support those children who may not be progressing at the desired rate in Phonics.
  • Every member of staff has access to Tapestry, where they can upload ongoing observational assessments. This allows us to keep a cumulative record of individual development and plan any next steps for learning across all areas.
  • Evidence from ongoing observations in school, along with those from home, allow us to build a picture of the ‘whole child’ which then can be used at the end of Reception to support attainment in the Early Learning Goals.
  • We aim for each child to be happy, confident learners who know their strengths.