Early Years Foundation Stage

Our EYFS is designed so that every single child can build a solid foundation and develop the skills and knowledge needed to be ready for their next stage in education.

Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning 

We understand the importance of the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning and these are weaved into our curriculum. These underpin everything that we do at St Joseph’s.

Intent

Our Foundation Stage curriculum is designed to reflect the interests and needs of our children and immerse our children in a language rich environment. We prioritise high quality interactions punctuated with adult focussed activities where appropriate.

Our curriculum is developed to be sequential, progressional learning, where pupils know more and can do more, building on what they have been previously taught. It is also designed to be responsive to the needs of our children, families and community.

Our EYFS curriculum is also in line with our core values as a school:

Love, Joy, Peace, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Justice, Respect

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that every child is a unique child, and we are committed in providing a high-quality early year’s education which gives children a secure and confident start to their school life and nurtures a lifelong love of learning where children will be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

We aim to:

• Create a happy, secure and fun environment in which all children feel safe and cared for.
• Provide a rich and stimulating environment both within the indoor and outdoor setting in which all children can meet their full potential and grow as confident, keen, independent learners.
• Focus on the development of every child as an individual, valuing and building on their previous experiences and responding to their individual needs by planning learning activities, which are challenging and enjoyable experiences for each child in all areas of learning and development both within our indoor and outdoor setting.
• Provide stimulating activities for the children, as well as planning activities to match children’s interests.
• Prepare, enhance and offer opportunities for all children including the disadvantaged to develop their cultural capital in order for them to develop the knowledge they will need to prepare them for their future success.
• Ensure that children experience the awe and wonder of the world in which they live, through the seven areas of learning.
• Encourage good social relationships, developing self-esteem and respect for others
• Ensure that every child is included and supported in order to ensure that all children make good progress and that their achievements are celebrated.
• Ensure that every child has a language rich environment which promotes language strengthening and development.

Implementation- the how we do it

At St Joseph’’s, we ensure that the four guiding principles of the EYFS are fully embedded. These are:

• A unique child.
• Positive relationships.
• Enabling environments with teaching and support from adults.
• Learning and development.

1.Unique Child

‘Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient,
capable, confident and self-assured’ (Statutory Framework for the EYFS 2024)

At St Joseph’s we:
● Perceive every child as an individual and therefore we adapt our teaching in
order to develop each child’s learning.
● Ensure that activities are catered and planned towards each child’s individual
needs.
● Plan activities following children’s interests and prior learning.
● Carry out regular assessment and use informal observations in order to plan next
steps for children.
● Celebrate children’s achievements using house points, stickers, MM’s,
certificates and allow the children to share examples of good work during
carpet sessions and through our Facebook page.
● Plan activities in the areas for the children to apply their learning.
● Promote a positive attitude to learning by setting high expectations and ensuring
that staff model what is expected within the areas.
● Develop children’s skills in order for children to become resilient and to have a
positive attitude towards their learning.

2.Positive relationships

‘Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships’
(Statutory Framework for the EYFS 2024)

At St Joseph’s we…
● Build excellent relationships with parents at the very start of their child’s
education.
● Offer a welcome visit within school before their child starts, in order to get to
meet their child and to find out about their child’s interests.
● Provide welcome packs for our new starters which provides parents/carers with
essential information.
● We encourage our parents to attend ‘Stay and Play’ sessions as least once every
term in order for parents to work alongside their child in activities to support
their learning.
● Have an open-door policy, where parents/carers can share any concerns/ queries
with staff at the start or end of the session. We listen to parents, answer
questions and offer support where necessary.
● We write termly reports, which share children’s achievements/ progress as well
as identifying next steps in order for children to develop their skills.
● We have provided support sessions for parents/ carers in order to support the
teaching of phonics, reading and writing.
● Keep parents up to date with regular events and achievements by sending MM’s
and updating our schools Facebook page.
● Provide structured conversation events where we encourage parents/carers to
reflect on their child’s learning and to identify next steps for their child.
● Actively encourage parents/carers to be involved in their child’s learning by
setting home learning challenges each half term. Work completed is then
shared in school and displayed on our Learning Journey boards in class.

3.Enabling environments

‘Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support
from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to
build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between
practitioners and parents and/or carers’ (Statutory Framework for the EYFS
2024)

At St Joseph’s we…
● Work hard in providing a rich and stimulating environment both within the indoor
and outdoor environment, which engages our children, promotes learning,
independent skills, and offers challenge for all children to achieve their full
potential.
● Observe the children and listen to the feedback from parents/ carers and
children in order to find out about their interests and their development before
planning achievable activities and experiences.
● Monitor the use of our setting regularly as a team, and assess the impact the
environment has on the children’s learning. Activities are planned within the
areas and are changed regularly to ensure that our environment remains exciting
and stimulating,
● Share our outdoor area with Little Joey’s, FS1 and FS2. There are times when
the outdoor area is planned for a specific group, as well as times when we all
work together in the setting, which provides an opportunity for the older
children to support the younger children’s development.
● Use our local environment on a regular basis in order to provide children with
practical experiences. The children regularly visit the shops, the duck pond, the
café, the woodland area and the many parks in Loftus.
● Visit the library on a regular basis in order to support and develop a love or
reading, as well as developing the children’s vocabulary and knowledge of stories.

4.Learning & Development

The importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at
different rates. (Statutory Framework for the EYFS 2024)

At St Joseph’s we plan and guide what children learn, we also must reflect on the
different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice
appropriately.

Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:
• 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.

The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning run through our whole curriculum. 

The characteristics are split into three categories:

• Playing and Exploring – engagement
• Active Learning – motivation
• Creating and Thinking Critically – thinking

The Seven Areas of Learning

At St. Joseph’s, the learning environments are carefully set up so they are enabling, challenging and stimulating. Through purposeful play, high-quality adult interactions, enhancements and adult-led activities, all children, regardless of background, barrier or need succeed in our setting.

To enhance our child-led approach, we have highly skilled, enthusiastic staff who see every moment as a learning opportunity and ensure that all our children are given an ambitious curriculum across all seven areas of learning.

The Prime areas are:

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

The specific areas are:

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

The EYFS is all about developing key skills – speaking and listening (Communication and Language), playing and taking turns (PSED) and learning to control their bodies (Physical Development). Alongside these Prime Areas of Learning, children develop early skills in Reading and Writing. They explore and find out about the world around them. They discover and enjoy different ways of showing their learning in creative ways. We provide them with a rich variety of activities, both indoors and out, that match their needs and interests. Learning is linked to termly topics but the children’s own ideas and thoughts ideas often direct where the topic leads.

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that every child is a unique child, and we are committed in providing a high-quality early year’s education which gives children a secure and confident start to their school life and nurtures a lifelong love of learning where children will be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

30 Hours Funding

If you think that you may be entitled to 30 hours funding, please follow the link below where you can find out more information. Please do not hesitate to speak to a member of our EYFS team if you have any questions.

https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare