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Intent At St Maria Goretti Primary School, every child in our EYFS is recognised as a unique individual. We acknowledge and promote children’s interests to provide them with the opportunities to follow their imagination and creativity. In Reception, we invest time in helping children to self-regulate and understand their emotions, as we believe that children who are resilient and independent learners are more likely to succeed on their school journey and throughout their lives. We want the children to have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners. Opportunities are provided throughout the Reception year, through indoor and outdoor provision and wider curriculum enrichment experiences. Throughout their time in EYFS, the children develop a sense of belonging to our school family by building strong relationships that help them to feel safe and happy. We celebrate diversity through stories we tell about a variety of faiths and cultures from around the world. We create a stimulating, welcoming environment where speaking and listening skills are prioritised and vocabulary and communication are paramount.
‘The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.’ |
Maria Montessori
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Implementation Each half term, the children are introduced to themes through stories and predictable times of the year to provide inspiration for learning, whilst providing the flexibility for children to follow their own interests and ideas. Children learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities. The timetable is carefully structured so that children have directed teaching during the day. This means that the teacher can systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions quickly and provide real-time verbal feedback which results in a strong impact on the acquisition of new learning. Children are provided time to engage in ‘exploration’ through the variety of experiences which are carefully planned to engage and challenge them in the indoor and outdoor provision. The curriculum is planned for inside and outside learning opportunities and equal importance is given to learning in both areas. |
Inclusion
Our inclusive approach means that all children learn together. We do provide additional interventions and support for children who may not be reaching age related expectations, or for those who are showing a greater depth of understanding and need further challenge. This includes, sessions for developing speech and language, social skills, fine motor skills, phonics, and mathematics. Regular monitoring of teaching and learning by SLT and the EYFS leader, ensures staff develop good subject knowledge. The EYFS leader ensures staff receive CPD specific to Early Years to develop their practice.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum demonstrates that children are becoming confident, curious, and independent learners across the seven areas, achieving key developmental milestones regardless of their starting points. Our curriculum ensures children are prepared for the challenges in Key Stage one.
