Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Our Academy offers a 30‑place Reception class and a 26‑place Nursery, and we believe every child deserves a strong start to their education. Our Early Years Foundation Stage provides a nurturing, engaging and inclusive environment where children are given what they need to thrive, develop confidence and build a love of learning from the very beginning.

Our EYFS curriculum is carefully designed to support progress across the seven areas of learning and development: Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design. Stories, rhymes and poems sit at the heart of our daily practice, enriching vocabulary, strengthening language comprehension and fostering a lifelong love of reading.

Through a balance of child‑initiated and adult‑led learning, both indoors and outdoors, children develop independence, curiosity and resilience. Our environments are thoughtfully organised and enhanced using open‑ended resources, informed by Early Excellence principles. These spaces encourage exploration, creativity and deep thinking through purposeful play.

High‑quality adult–child interactions are central to everything we do. Secure relationships with key workers support children’s attachment, emotional security and wellbeing. These positive relationships enable adults to model language, guide social skills and respond effectively to children’s interests and needs.

The learning environment is organised into defined areas that are thoughtfully enhanced to support progression across the seven areas of learning. Enhancements are guided by the principles of “Why this? Why now? What’s next?”, ensuring learning opportunities are relevant, timely and responsive to children’s interests and next steps. This approach supports the Characteristics of Effective Learning, helping children to play and explore, actively learn, and think critically.

Planning and provision are underpinned by ongoing assessment, Trust Benchmarking documents and the professional knowledge of the children. This ensures teaching is well‑sequenced, responsive and matched to individual starting points, providing the right level of challenge and support for every learner.

We value strong partnerships with parents and carers. Weekly Stay and Read sessions and regular parent events provide opportunities for parents to engage in learning alongside their children. During these sessions, staff model key skills from our Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme, supporting early reading and promoting a love of reading. Half‑termly curriculum events further strengthen these partnerships, giving families insight into how learning is taught and supported in the Early Years.

We work extremely hard to ensure that by the end of the Early Years, children are ready for the next stage of their education and transition well into Year 1.

Our Early Years is firmly rooted in our Trust's vision.

How our EYFS reflects our Trust's vision:

Get them in – Strong relationships with families, clear transition arrangements and inclusive practice ensure children settle quickly and feel a sense of belonging.

Keep them safe – Secure key worker relationships, a nurturing environment and high-quality interactions support children’s wellbeing and emotional security.

Give them a strong start – A carefully designed EYFS curriculum builds strong foundations across the seven areas of learning.

Know what they need – Ongoing assessment, Trust Benchmarking documents and knowledge of each child inform responsive teaching and provision.

Deliver it well – Skilled staff, purposeful interactions, carefully enhanced environments and evidence‑informed approaches, including Early Excellence, WellComm and Little Wandle, ensure high‑quality teaching and learning.

Send them on ready – Children leave the Early Years with the skills, knowledge and learning behaviours needed to transition confidently into Year 1.

Further information about our EYFS curriculum intent, implementation and impact, EYFS policy and long‑term plans can be found in the documents below. Visits to our setting are warmly welcomed and can be arranged by contacting the school office.