During the EYFS your child will continue their journey through ‘The
Foundation Stage’ of their education. The document ‘The Early Years
Foundation Stage; forms the basis for education from birth to five, stating that
education should practise four main principles:
1. A Unique Child
2. Positive Relationships
3. Enabling Environments
4. Learning and Development
The Curriculum the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the framework followed by all early years settings following the British Curriculum. This is a child centered curriculum, which places play and exploration at the forefront of the child’s learning journey. The EYFS framework guides staff to provide meaningful learning opportunities across 7 areas of learning and development, outlined below:
The 7 areas of learning and development are:
- communication and language.
- personal, social and emotional development.
- physical development.
- literacy.
- mathematics.
- understanding the world.
- expressive arts and design.
All areas of learning and development are inter-connected.
The three Prime areas are:
- communication and language – your child will have the opportunity to experience a language rich environment, to develop their speaking and listening skills. Children also develop the confidence to express themselves key social skills.
- physical development – your child will be provided with the opportunities to be active and interactive while developing their control, coordination and movement skills. We encourage children to move energetically and develop their ability to negotiate space and obstacles and assess risk.
- personal, social and emotional development – your child will learn and play in a safe, secure and happy environment where we will help them to respect one another, manage their feelings, develop self-regulation skills and have confidence in their own abilities.
The four specific areas; through which the Prime areas are supported and applied, are:
- literacy – encouraging children to link sounds to letters and begin to read and write. St Anne’s offers a wide range of reading materials to ignite interest and foster a love of language and literacy.
- mathematics – providing children with the opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems and to describe shapes, space, measure and patterns.
- understanding the world – the children are encouraged to make sense of the physical and natural world and their community through a wide range of experiences.
- expressive arts and design – the children are provided with opportunities to explore and play with a wide variety of media and materials. They are encouraged to share their thoughts and express themselves through music, role-play, imaginative play and design and technology.
Each area of learning and development is implemented through carefully planned, purposeful play and a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities and experiences. At St Anne’s we place high value on play and on the Characteristics of Effective Learning. Play is essential for development improving the cognitive, physical, social and emotional wellbeing of children. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves, it builds empathy, creativity and collaboration.
- Playing and Exploring – children investigate and experience things, and have a ‘go’
- Active Learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
- Creating and Thinking Critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing things.
Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin
You can find out further information about our curriculum and our curriculum plans by clicking on the links.
If you would like any further information please contact St Anne’s school office or Miss Ellen Taylor
- Tel: 01388 603359
- Email: stannes@durhamlearning.net
