EYFS CURRICULUM STATEMENT
At Alfriston School, we provide a high-quality EYFS education to ensure all children have a happy and secure start to their school life. We aim for all our children to know more, remember more and be able to do more. Using the aims of the EYFS Statutory Framework, we are committed to ensuring that all children within our care have high quality early education and experiences.
We strive to nurture a lifelong love of learning by providing an inviting and stimulating learning environment both indoors and outdoors. This, alongside the high-quality interactions we provide, engage children in developing the three ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ set out in the EYFS.
The EYFS encompasses our school values: collaboration, independence, curiosity, creativity and determination as well as fostering resilience.
We recognise the EYFS is the start of our Alfriston School curriculum and we aim to provide children with the essential knowledge they need to continue their journey through our school and prepare them for future success.
OUR CURRICULUM INTENT FOR EYFS
We have a culture of high expectations of our pupils and strive to make our EYFS curriculum engaging and accessible for all. We recognise that all children need to develop firm foundations. To achieve this, we:
- ensure the curriculum is personalised, purposeful and deliberately relevant for our children and community
- ensure small steps in progression and careful planning which is built upon children’s interests
- ensure quality-first teaching across all areas of the curriculum
- provide stimulating and challenging learning environments
- plan and organise continuous provision which allows children to learn through play
- provide high-quality interactions between adults and children to challenge and progress learning and thinking
- plan a careful balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities
- provide real-life experiences and opportunities to build upon prior learning
- build strong partnerships with parents and carers to support and encourage effective learning at home
- have close links with local providers, parents and carers to support a smooth transition
- plan story times and use books to enhance learning, build upon children’s vocabulary and develop a love of reading
- teach phonics, using ‘Little Wandle’, a systematic synthetic phonics scheme to ensure all children learn to read
- teach mathematics, using the mastery approach to develop a deep understanding
- provide planned opportunities for outdoor learning.
