Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Hollywell

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential.”  

(EYFS Framework, 2021)

At Hollywell we are here to help every child grow; grow as human beings, grow intellectually and grow in maturity and character. This starts in the Early Years in our Reception class.

Our vision in EYFS is to provide an enabling environment which promotes the learning and development of every child. Our inspirational curriculum is designed to widen every child’s world allowing them to develop the knowledge, skills, vocabulary and learning behaviours that they need to succeed.

We believe that all children are capable of achieving amazing things! We aim for children to leave EYFS with fond memories, an open-minded outlook and a sense of excitement for the school journey ahead, because all of us have put them at the centre of everything we do.

We are committed to the values and principles that underpin the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and Every Child Matters. 

The EYFS framework is based on four overarching principles:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

We understand that play is an integral part of learning and this is at the heart of our early years’ curriculum. We believe that the correct mix of adult directed and uninterrupted child-initiated play ensures the best outcomes for pupils. We aim to provide children with real-life experiences and opportunities to learn through the natural world, thus allowing the children to investigate and apply their learning using our stimulating indoor and outdoor environments.

We build warm and positive relationships with the children, ensure consistent routines and build strong relationships with parents. We recognise the crucial role that early year’s education has to play in providing firm foundations upon which the rest of a child’s education is successfully based.

Our Reception teachers have closely followed the National Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum in order to hone an EYFS provision that meets the needs of our children and community. The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum includes three prime areas of learning and four specific areas as follows:

Prime areas: are fundamental, work together and support development in all other areas.

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development

Specific areas: include essential knowledge and skills for children to participate successfully in society.

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

The Characteristics of Effective Learning 

When planning out Curriculum we used the research and guidance which can be found in 'Development Matters'  to inform our choices and decisions. The Characteristics of Effective Learning, outlined in this document, are an integral part of the Early Years and are important when carefully considering the learning environment and the opportunities that will be available.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning include;

‘Finding out and exploring’,

‘Being willing to have a go’,

‘Being involved and concentrating’ and

being a ‘creative and critical thinker’.

Our learning environment is carefully planned with these characteristics in mind and we constantly adapt to meet the needs and interests of our children. At Hollywell, we value the impact that getting provision right can have on a child's success and journey. The Characteristics of Effective Learning can be developed both indoors and outdoors and can be targeted through engaging activities that encourage curiosity and exploration.

Learning Projects

Within Reception, our projects (topics) change frequently (at least half termly) and are reflective of the needs and interests of the children as well as being the first stepping stone on our whole school curriculum journey. The indoor and outdoor classroom environments are updated frequently to ensure engaging, motivational, and exciting learning opportunities are provided for your child. You will receive a curriculum 'What we are learning' each half term which will provide you with more detail about projects and subject content. These can also be located on the class pages here.

Further information on the content of the EYFS curriculum at Hollywell can be found on the long term curriculum plan below.

Our EYFS Learning Environment

We provide an enriching, purposeful, and stimulating learning environment both indoors and outdoors which promotes exploration and curiosity. Play is an incredibly important part of our learning process; this paired with adult-led tasks ensures we provide a balanced curriculum with the same academic ambitions for almost all children. For children with particular needs, such as those with SEN and/or disabilities, their curriculum is individualised to meet all of their needs.

In Reception our resources are chosen to meet the children’s needs and promote learning. Our curriculum is taught through a wide range of topics based on our children's interests.  It focuses on teaching a balance of skills and knowledge through play and is based on the needs of the current cohort. Regular assessments are carried out through observations of children's play and during adult-led group and class sessions. The knowledge of the children is then used to inform our  planning and to support any interventions that need to be put in place. Our curriculum and care practices promote and support children’s emotional security and the development of their character. We pride ourselves on putting pupil wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.

Inside Learning Environment

Phonics and Early Reading  

At Hollywell Primary School there is a sharp focus on language and vocabulary development, increasing opportunities for conversations and ensuring that all children can communicate effectively. By following Little Wandle Letters and Sounds synthetic phonics programme, we provide children with a secure knowledge of phonics, giving children the foundations for future learning and preparing them to become confident and fluent readers.

Little Wandle is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme to teach early reading and spelling. Right from the start of Reception, children have a whole class daily phonics lesson. Lessons are supported by a teaching assistant. Phonics teaching begins in week two are we use specific Little Wandle resources to deliver lessons. These include mnemonics and phrases to help embed learning. Four new phonemes and their corresponding graphemes are taught (GPCs) each week and they are then used in the final lesson of the week to review the week’s learning. 

Half termly assessments take place to help inform future teaching and help identify children who have gaps in their phonic knowledge and need additional practice. Daily assessment of learning also takes place within the classroom so staff can quickly identify any children who are in danger of falling behind and provide the appropriate daily ‘Keep Up’ intervention. These assessments support staff in grouping children and matching reading books to ability. 

A high priority is given to the teaching of reading. We aim to teach children to read and develop a love of books.  Books are used to teach themes and to enhance our whole Early Years curriculum. As well as a daily story time and access to a wide range of good quality literature in the continuous provision, children take part in group reading practice sessions three times a week.

Further information on phonics is available at the bottom of the page. 

How do we support Reading at Home? 

Children take phonetically decodable books home weekly along with a sharing book which they have selected from our picture book selection. Guidance is given to parents on how reading is taught in Reception and how they can support at home in a meeting held early on in the Autumn term. We expect all parents to support with reading and sharing books regularly at home. A reading reward scheme to encourage reading at home is in place. 

Communication and Language

“The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning.”

DM 2020  Lower levels of speech and language. 

At Hollywell Primary School we believe that language  is also integral to success. We ensure that our children are immersed in a ‘language-rich’ environment through a variety of stories, non-fiction texts, songs and nursery rhymes right from their very first day. New vocabulary is introduced regularly linking to the project of learning, through whole class and group reading times, as well as in child-initiated play through high-quality interactions with the children. New vocabulary is modelled effectively by adults supporting the play provision which encourages the sharing of ideas and curiosity about the world around them.

On entering Reception all children take an Early Language Screener assessment. This supports us in identifying any issues children may have with language development very early on. Specific interventions are put in place for groups and more individualised speech and language programs are delivered for those who need it.  We involve parents by providing activities which can be carried out at home to support.

White Rose Maths in Reception 

Using the White Rose Scheme for Maths within our EYFS setting ensures that our Reception Team are knowledgeable and confident about the teaching of Early Mathematics. We provide regular adult-led Maths sessions where children can gain a greater understanding of a range of mathematical concepts. Following these sessions, the children are encouraged to apply their knowledge in their play; through the high-quality provision provided. We ensure that children have sufficient practice to be confident in using and understanding numbers as well as developing a strong basis for more complex problem-solving and reasoning later on. Across EYFS, the teaching is designed to help children remember long-term what they have been taught and to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts.

Forest School Sessions (GROWTH enrichment)

In Reception we use the woods and the forests, on our school site, as a means to build independence and self-esteem in our children. We are lucky to have a fabulous Forest School base at the bottom of our school field and groups of 15 children attend every other week  to have an hour-long session led by our Forest School-trained provider.

Our Forest School curriculum is well linked with our Reception curriculum and our GROWTH curriculum, with  links to the natural environment made within all of our contexts for learning. Personal skills of teamwork and problem solving are developed and the woodland environment is used to learn about more abstract concepts such as mathematics and communication. You can find out more in the Forest School section of our website.

Parental Partnership

At Hollywell Primary School, we value working alongside parents and recognise the positive impact successful relationships have on a child’s learning and social and emotional development. Parents are the experts in their children; their first and enduring educators. We encourage strong parental links and want home and school to be partners in each child's journey. Hollywell children are confident and take pride in their learning and love to share this with their families.

Transition into Reception

Children join us from many local settings (School nurseries, Pre-schools, Day Nurseries, child minders) Varied experiences pre-school experiences.  Teachers visit children in their setting to speak to key worker and meet each child.

We have a tried and tested induction programme which includes:

• An induction evening for parents so that parents can meet school staff and hear information such as the ethos of the school, vision and values, information about equipment and uniform needed.
• A chance for parents and their child to walk around the whole school and grounds with the opportunity to speak to staff and ask any questions they may have.
• During late June/July children will come into school for New starters sessions. The class is spilt into two groups of 15 children. The first session will last one hour the others two hours.
• The new starters receive a ‘Tiggs’ Tiger Cub toy with parental login details for the new classes Dojo. We encourage parents to send photos and messages of their child with ‘Tiggs’ and the adventures he has over the summer holidays.
• A gradual introduction to the school day. Children do a week of just mornings or afternoons some lunchtimes. This introduces the children to their new routines gradually and this enables children to be less over whelmed.

Transition into KS1

When children transition into year 1 the teacher has time with the year 1 teacher to give them all the relevant welfare, academic and general information about all the children leaving the EYFS. The year 1 teacher visits the class to share stories and meet the children and teaches the Reception children for a day in the year 1 classroom so that the children see their new classroom before the summer holidays.