Early Years Foundation Stage
At Wilden VA Primary School our EY unit includes Pre-school and Reception children. Early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives. We greatly value the importance that the Early Years Foundation Stage plays in laying secure foundations for future learning and development. It is important to view the EYFS as preparation for life and not simply preparation for the next stage of education.
We provide a broad and balanced curriculum that will enable each child to develop personally, socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, creatively and intellectually to their full potential. Each child is valued as an individual and teaching and learning is based on the understanding that children develop at different rates.To find out more about the provision in the Foundation Stage, please download the Early Years Policy below and the Curriculum Overviews which can be found on our curriculum pages of the website.
A Typical Early Years Day
- 8.35 – Registration (Focused activities, interventions and fine motor activities)
- 9.00 - Lesson 1 (Phonics activities)
- 10.00 - Snack/Exploring Time (Daily reading and guided reading)
- 11.00 - Lesson 2 (Maths or English) followed by Exploring Time.
- 12.00 - Lunch
- 12.45 – Mindfulness Activity
- 1.00 - Lesson 3 (English or Maths) (Every Wednesday we explore the local environment for Welly Wednesday)
- 1.30 - Specific Areas (Exploring Time, EAD, Music, PD, PSED)
- 3.00 - Story
- 3.20 – End of our school day
The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development.
Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:
Communication and language; Physical development; and Personal, social and emotional development.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:
Literacy; Mathematics; Understanding the world; and Expressive arts and design.
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it’s suitable for very young children, and it’s designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child’s unique needs and interests.
