At Kilham CE Primary, pupils in our Nursery and Reception Class follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. Our curriculum planning focuses on the Early Learning Goals and on developing children’s skills and experiences, as set out in this document.
This curriculum is play based, and involves a balance of children self-selecting activities, whole class, small group and individual activities which are adult led by the teachers and support staff. Adults very carefully observe the children and plan progress for each of them by intervening in play and also planning targeted teaching to move learning forward. 'Next Steps' are identified to help the children with their learning and development. A document which explains this planning cycle in more detail is available to view below, together with our latest EYFS Policy.
Long-term planning in the Foundation Stage is based upon a rolling programme, where ‘themes’ are identified and developed according to the children’s interests and also considering the need to ensure coverage of the EYFS framework. Medium-term planning, based on these themes, is then produced and includes ideas for activities, visits etc. while taking the need to encourage children’s development through ‘Development Matters’ objectives. Short-term planning then specifies objectives and activities for phonics sessions, number-time, writing activities and other adult-led activities in addition to free-flow and child initiated activities.
During the Foundation Stage, all staff make continual observations to record the children’s progress. These assessments form an important part of the future curriculum planning for each child and are shared with staff, parents and carers and the Governing Body.
In Nursery we begin to teach the building blocks of reading through early exposure to texts, language and through sound discrimination activities. We use Government guidance called Letters and Sounds to help teachers plan progression in phonic skills throughout Nursery, Reception and Key Stage 1. It aims to build children’s speaking and listening skills in their own right as well as to prepare children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills. It sets out a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonic skills for children starting by the age of five, with the aim of them becoming fluent readers by age seven.
We use a document called 'Development Matters', which identifies learning objectives for children at different stages of development. Learning activities to meet these objectives are planned into the EYFS curriculum at different points in the year - as specified in the example planning document below.