Early Years Foundation Stage
EYFS provide the curriculum framework (Development Matters) that leaders use to then build their own curriculum and decide what they INTEND children to learn.
Leaders and practitioners decide how to IMPLEMENT the curriculum so that the children make progress in the 7 areas of learning.
Leaders and practitioners evaluate the IMPACT of the curriculum by checking what children can do.
The EYFS is the statutory document that we must follow and Development Matters (non- statutory document) is the curriculum tool through which we deliver the Early Years statutory objectives. It helps to form the curriculum that we have crafted.
There are 7 areas of learning and development.
The 3 prime areas:
- communication and language
- physical development
- personal, social and emotional development
The 4 specific areas:
- literacy
- maths
- understanding the world
- expressive arts and design
There are also three characteristics of effective teaching and learning which are:
- Playing and exploring
- Active learning
- Creating and thinking critically
These tell us about how each child learns, not what they are learning.
EYFS - Intent, Implementation and Impact Report
Our Ofsted 2022 inspection recognised that:
"Leaders in early years have created an ambitious curriculum for children. They quickly become confident and inquisitive leaners, keen for a challenge. "