Statement of Intent
Within the Early Years Foundation Stage at St Minver School, we intend to provide ALL children with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to develop into independent, well-rounded, informed individuals who are able to access and build on the learning opportunities that are provided for them later on in their school career.
Our school motto is ‘Be brave, be kind, belong’. We remind children of this daily and encourage teamwork and respect for all other members of team St Minver.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) which has seven main areas of learning. These are divided into Prime Areas (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development) and Specific Areas (Literacy and Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design).
We teach children individually, in small groups and as a whole class. Through a combination of teacher input and continuous provision opportunities, learning is planned to encourage children to develop their learning independently through exploration and challenge.
The “Characteristics of Effective Learning” are at the heart of the Early Years Curriculum and explore the different ways in which children learn. They highlight the importance of playing and learning, active learning and thinking critically. All the learning experiences we plan for the children allow them to utilise and develop these skills. We believe that to access all areas of school life the children should be encouraged to persevere, be resilient, try new things and challenge themselves.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out the standards that all Early Years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
There are four guiding principles shaping practice in Early Years settings:
Unique Child
Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
Positive Relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Enabling Environments
Children learn well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents/carers.
Learning and Development
Children learn and develop in different ways and at different rates.
The framework that was updated in September 2023 covers the education and care of all children in early years settings, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
For further information, or to read the EYFS statutory framework in full, please click the link below:
