Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. It is essential that early year’s provision will keep children safe and help them to thrive. The EYFS is the framework that provides that assurance.
The overall aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. The EYFS principles are grouped into four themes: A Unique Child; Positive Relationships; Enabling Environments and Learning & Development, the latter recognising that children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and that all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected.
The six areas of Learning and Development covered by the early learning goals are:
1) Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
Children are provided with experiences and support which will help them to become independent and confident children. They develop a positive sense of themselves and of others. They learn to respect others, develop their social skills and develop a positive disposition to learn.
2) Communication, Language and Literacy (CLL)
Children are encouraged to develop and extend their language and communication skills in small and large group activities. Story time, role play, and circle time help the children to develop a positive attitude to becoming competent communicators, through speaking and listening.
3) Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy (PSRN)
Children are supported in developing their understanding of numbers and simple mathematical problems through a wide range of activities, where they can explore, enjoy, learn, practise and talk about their developing understanding. Children are provided with opportunities to investigate number, shape, space and measures using a range of resources. They use a variety of objects to sort, order, classify and count; play games and puzzles to explore pattern and shape.
4) Knowledge and Understanding of the World (KUW)
Our pre-school provides a safe and stimulating environment which enables children to develop their understanding of the world around them. Visitors from the community, including the fire service, police and the dentist, have reinforced their understanding of their local surroundings and those who live in it. We also make trips to the local post office, duck pond, school and church.
Children are offered opportunities to encounter creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments and in real life situations.
Children begin to learn about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people e.g. Diwali, the Chinese New Year, St David’s Day, etc.
5) Physical Development (PD)
Children are encouraged to be active and interactive and improve their skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement. Plenty of opportunity is available within the setting to enable children to achieve in this area of development. Slides, climbing frames, bikes, trampoline and large soft play shapes are some of the many pieces of equipment available.
Children are encouraged to develop their fine motor skills through a variety ways including threading, beading, scissor and pencil control. They are supported in using all of their senses to learn about the world around them, and developing an understanding of the importance of physical activity and eating a healthy diet.
6) Creative Development (CD)
Children are encouraged to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings and develop their imagination through art, music, dance, stories and role-play.
There are permanent displays of the children’s creative work within the pre-school. Parents and carers can become involved in their children’s learning by bringing recycled materials from home for junk modelling.