Reception (EYFS) - Benjamin Class

Niton Primary School Early Years Foundation Key Stage

Welcome to Benjamin Class. The class is taught by Mrs Tapper and is supported by Mrs Nugent and Ms Selby.

In the EYFS we believe that all children are entitled to the best possible start in their school life, both intellectually and emotionally, in order to enable them to develop their full potential.

Intent and Aims of the Foundation Stage

We aim to support each child’s welfare, learning and developmental needs by:
● Recognising that all children are unique and special.
● Understanding that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates - physically, cognitively, linguistically, socially and emotionally.
● Providing a safe, secure and caring environment where children feel happy and know that they are valued.
● Fostering and nurturing children’s self-confidence and self-esteem through their developing awareness of their own identity and role within the community.
● Teaching them to express and communicate their needs and feelings in appropriate ways.
● Encouraging children’s independence and decision-making, to set their own challenges, supporting them to learn through their mistakes.
● Developing children’s understanding of social skills and the values and codes of behaviour required for people to work together harmoniously.
● Supporting children to develop care, respect and appreciation for others, including those with beliefs, cultures and opinions that differ to their own.
● Understanding the importance of play in children’s learning and development.
● Providing learning experiences in play which reflect children’s personal interests and areas of curiosity in order to encourage and develop their natural desire, interest, excitement and motivation to learn.
● Providing experiences which build on children’s existing knowledge and understanding in order to challenge, stimulate and extend their learning and development.
● Providing effective learning opportunities in a range of environments, inside and outside.
● Developing children’s knowledge, experience and understanding of the world in which they and others live.
● Helping children to develop kind and caring attitudes and respect for other people and all living things.
● Helping develop children’s lively enquiring minds and the ability to think for themselves
● Developing the children’s ability to think creatively.
● Providing opportunities for talking and listening, and communication through a variety of media.
● Enabling children to acquire specific skills, knowledge, ideas and attitudes.
● Enabling children to explore feelings and appreciate the awe and wonder of the world.

The Foundation Stage Curriculum

The curriculum is centred on 3 prime areas of learning:
● Personal, Social and Emotional Development
● Communication and Language
● Physical Development

Providers must also support activities through four specific areas which strengthen the prime areas. These are:
● Literacy
● Mathematics
● Understanding the World
● Expressive Arts and Design

This is underpinned by the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which move through all areas of learning:
● playing and exploring
● active learning
● creating and thinking critically

These Areas of Learning and Development address children’s physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional development. No one aspect of development stands in isolation from the others as all Areas of Learning and Development are all closely interlinked. This ensures the delivery of a holistic, child-centred curriculum which allows children to make lots of links between what they are learning. All Areas of Learning and Development are given equal
weighting and value.

The curriculum for the Foundation Stage in our school reflects the areas of learning identified in the Early Learning Goals. By the end of the Reception year the children will be building in elements of the Year One curriculum and the way the Year One day is organised to support them in their transition.