Intent:
At Hanslope Primary School, our EYFS curriculum is designed to give every child the best possible start to their education and to lay strong foundations for lifelong learning. We recognise that every child is unique, with their own experiences, interests, strengths and starting points, and we are committed to ensuring that every child is valued, included and supported to achieve their potential.
Our curriculum is ambitious, purposeful and responsive to the children we teach. We aim to develop confident, curious and independent learners who are able to communicate effectively, build positive relationships, manage their emotions, solve problems, think creatively and develop a genuine love of learning.
We place communication and language at the heart of our curriculum. Through rich interactions, high-quality talk, stories, songs, rhymes and purposeful experiences, we aim to develop children's vocabulary, confidence and ability to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings. We recognise that strong communication skills provide the foundations for success across all areas of learning.
We believe that children learn through a balance of purposeful play, exploration, high-quality adult-led teaching and carefully planned continuous provision. Our curriculum provides opportunities for children to revisit, practise and apply their learning in meaningful contexts, enabling them to develop secure knowledge and skills over time. We value first-hand experiences and use our local community and environment to broaden children's understanding of the world and develop a strong sense of belonging.
We want our children to develop the characteristics and dispositions that will support them throughout their education. We nurture curiosity, resilience, creativity, independence and a willingness to have a go, make mistakes and learn from them. Children are encouraged to make choices, ask questions, investigate, make connections and increasingly take responsibility for their own learning.
Our curriculum is inclusive and responsive to individual needs. We use our understanding of children's starting points, ongoing assessment and knowledge of child development to adapt teaching, provision and support. We ensure that children with SEND, disadvantaged children and those who require additional support are provided with appropriate opportunities and targeted support to enable them to participate, progress and succeed.
By the end of Reception, we aim for every child to have developed strong foundations in communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. Most importantly, we want children to leave the EYFS as confident, capable and enthusiastic learners, ready to embrace the next stage of their education with the knowledge, skills, independence and positive attitudes they need to thrive.
Implementation:
Our implementation is underpinned by:
- Strong relationships – knowing each child well and using this knowledge to support their learning and well-being.
- Communication and language – developing vocabulary, oracy and children's ability to express themselves.
- Purposeful play – providing opportunities to explore, practise, apply and deepen learning.
- High-quality interactions – using effective questioning, modelling, scaffolding and sustained shared thinking.
- Adaptive teaching – responding to individual needs, interests, starting points and barriers to learning.
- First-hand experiences – connecting learning to real life, the local community and the children's wider world.
- Progression – ensuring knowledge and skills are revisited and developed over time.
- Assessment – using ongoing professional assessment to identify next steps and inform teaching and provision.
- Inclusion – ensuring all children, including those with SEND, can access ambitious learning and make meaningful progress.
At Hanslope Primary School, our EYFS curriculum is implemented through a carefully planned balance of high-quality adult-led teaching, purposeful play, continuous provision and meaningful first-hand experiences. Our curriculum is rooted in the seven areas of learning and development within the Early Years Foundation Stage and is designed to provide children with the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to build strong foundations for future learning.
Our seven areas of learning and development are:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
We recognise that young children learn best when they are actively engaged, interested and able to make meaningful connections. Our learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, is therefore carefully designed to encourage children to explore, investigate, communicate, create, problem-solve and apply their learning. Continuous provision provides opportunities for children to revisit, practise and deepen their knowledge and skills, while adults skilfully interact with children to extend their thinking, language and understanding.
Communication and language is central to our curriculum. We prioritise high-quality interactions, vocabulary development, stories, songs, rhymes and opportunities for sustained shared thinking. We model language, introduce new vocabulary and provide children with frequent opportunities to listen, respond, express their ideas and develop their confidence as communicators.
Our curriculum builds progressively on children's prior knowledge, experiences and individual starting points. We use assessment and our knowledge of child development to identify what children know and can do, what they need to learn next and how we can adapt our teaching and provision to support this. Children are given appropriate challenge, support and opportunities to revisit learning so that knowledge becomes increasingly secure.
We recognise that children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. Our approach is inclusive and responsive, with adaptations and targeted support provided where appropriate, including for children with SEND. We work closely with families and other professionals to understand each child and remove barriers to their participation and progress.
We value the importance of real-life and first-hand experiences in developing children's understanding of themselves, their community and the wider world. We make purposeful use of our local environment and community to develop children's sense of belonging, curiosity and understanding, while providing experiences that enrich and broaden their knowledge beyond their immediate experiences.
Our curriculum is designed to nurture curiosity, creativity, resilience, independence and a positive attitude towards learning. Children are encouraged to make choices, ask questions, take risks in their learning, solve problems, make connections and increasingly take responsibility for themselves and their learning.
Through this approach, we aim to ensure that every child experiences a rich, ambitious and inclusive EYFS curriculum that builds securely on what they already know, while providing the foundations, knowledge, skills and confidence they need to thrive throughout their education.
Impact:
At Hanslope Primary School, the impact of our EYFS curriculum is measured by the progress children make from their individual starting points and the knowledge, skills, understanding and dispositions they develop throughout their Reception year. We recognise that children enter school with varied experiences, backgrounds, strengths and needs, and we therefore consider both attainment and progress when evaluating the effectiveness of our curriculum.
The Early Learning Goals provide a clear summary of the knowledge, skills and understanding that children should have developed by the end of the Reception year. They support our end-of-year assessment and help us to understand children's readiness for the next stage of their education. We do not view the Early Learning Goals as a checklist or a limit to children's learning; rather, they form part of our wider assessment of children's development and progress.
Through high-quality interactions, purposeful play, adult-led teaching, continuous provision and meaningful first-hand experiences, we monitor children's learning across all seven areas of the EYFS. Assessment is ongoing and is used to identify what children know and can do, recognise gaps or misconceptions, and inform responsive teaching and provision. We use observations, professional knowledge, children's work and conversations with children to build a holistic picture of each child's learning rather than relying on excessive evidence collection.
Our assessment information is used to ensure that children revisit, practise and apply learning, while enabling staff to adapt teaching and provide appropriate challenge, support and targeted intervention where necessary. We closely monitor the progress of different groups of learners, including children with SEND and those who may require additional support, to ensure that barriers to learning are identified and addressed promptly.
The impact of our curriculum is reflected in children's growing confidence, independence, communication, vocabulary, resilience and ability to engage positively with others and their learning. Children increasingly demonstrate that they can apply what they have learned in new situations, make connections, solve problems and take greater responsibility for their learning.
By the end of Reception, we aim for children to have developed secure foundations across all areas of learning and to be confident, curious and increasingly independent learners. We use the Early Years Profile alongside our professional knowledge and wider assessment information to evaluate children's attainment and progress and to identify any areas requiring continued support.
Successful transition into Year 1 is an important measure of impact. We work closely with Year 1 staff to ensure that children's knowledge, skills, interests, strengths and areas for development are understood and built upon. Our ultimate aim is that every child leaves the EYFS with strong foundations for future learning, a positive attitude towards school, and the confidence and skills to continue to thrive as they move into Key Stage 1.
