Early Years

EYFS

Nursery and Reception are known as The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Our pupils work through the revised Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. This is split up into seven key areas of learning:

• Communication and Language (C&L)
• Physical Development (PD)
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSE)
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World (UW)
• Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)

In addition to these areas of learning, pupils in our EYFS take part in ballet and PE with specialist coaches. We also follow our whole school RE curriculum. Reception children also have specialist music lessons with the Royal Academy of Music on a weekly basis.

We want our Early Years children to be happy, confident and enthusiastic learners who develop through playing, exploring and critical thinking. We encourage an "I can try, I can do it!" ethos across the setting and aim to instil this approach within the children.

We teach the EYFS curriculum through a series of topics and these change every half term. There is a balance between adult directed and child initiated learning. Teaching and learning is done through play both indoors and outdoors. For more information on the National Curriculum click here. 

We enrich the curriculum as much as possible and regularly have visitors and guests into school.  We are fortunate enough to be able to visit Brockwell Community Gardens, Brixton Windmill, Brixton Library and the Ritzy Cinema to enhance our learning beyond the classroom. Nursery also visit Battersea Park Zoo and Reception visit Bockett's Farm in Surrey.

We work in continuous partnership with parents/ carers and welcome them to be involved in school life as much as possible. We strive to keep parents/ carers continuously informed about what the children are learning about and how they can help at home. We do this through the use of email contact, weekly newsletters, home/school books and a daily notice board.

Parents are invited into school throughout the year. Parents partake in 'A Day in Early Years' and they join us for Christmas crafts. Parents also have a chance to read to the class during 'Mystery Reader' sessions. We provide information events to help parents understanding the curriculum and how to support children with reading and phonics.

When children start in Reception, it is a statutory requirement that each child is assessed individually. The baseline assessment is a starting point that gives a snapshot of where each individual pupil is at the beginning of the year with communication, language and literacy, and in maths. Observations also play a large roll in EYFS: EYFS staff observe the children on a daily basis to identify individual qualities, strengths and needs. We strongly believe the importance of having regular communication and an open dialogue with parents, especially should a need arise. At the end of the year, each child is assessed against the 17 Early Learning Goals (EYFS) across the areas outlined above. Parents/carers have regular opportunities to find out about how their child is progressing towards these throughout their time in Nursery and Reception and to add information about how they feel their child is progressing.

Reception Welcome Meeting Presentations