EYFS is the foundation blocks of our whole curriculum and we have a fantastic team of staff who are passionate about ensuring that children have a strong start to their time in Nursery or Reception and in school!

All progression documents and planning is sequential in our EYFS and the seven areas of learning act as the bedrock to our curriculum.

• Communication & Language
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Art and Design

The statutory framework for EYFS, Development Matters and Strong Foundations are used as key documents. Our curriculum in EYFS is underpinned by our LIFE (L=Language Driven, I=Inclusive & Diverse, F=Fuelling Ambition, E=Empowered by Knowledge) principles.

Language Driven: High quality interactions - ShREC and STAIRS approach, dual coding in our environments and lessons, narrative play, familiar text (story of the week), repeating back, peer talk, provocation boards and intentionally planned language in direct teaching.

Inclusive and Diverse: Creating a sense of safety and belonging, positive relationships, modelling, direct teaching, diverse stories, encouraging curiosity, enabling environments, dual coding, supporting SEND.

Fuelling Ambition: Open-ended resources, the environment is used as the third teacher, creating engaging and inspiring opportunities that encourage children to explore, investigate and learn independently, encouraging questioning, critical thinking, and problem-solving, hands on experiences, adults as facilitators (I wonder...)

Empowered by Knowledge: See KKPD statements for EYFS.

We use a Long Term Plan and Flying High KKPD’s to ensure progression through our Stanhope EYFS curriculum. The KKPD statements are organised sequentially and progressively in curriculum subject maps - these are captured in our EYFS KKPD documents.

Enquiry MTP’s: ensure children have an ambitious curriculum which covers Understanding the World (through history and geography) and Expressive Arts and Design (through art and DT).

Discrete MTP’s: ensure children have an ambitious curriculum which covers Physical Development (through PE), Understanding The World (through science and RE) and Expressive Art and Design (through music). We also follow the One Life Personal Development programme.

Maths MTP: We use Mastering Number to teach number and number patterns and White Rose to teach shape, space and measure.

Literacy: We learn to write using a three-week writing sequence (immersion, skills, write and review) and focus on transcriptional fluency to teach the skills foundations of writing. We use the Nelson Handwriting to teach handwriting daily. Children in EYFS learn to read using a DfE validated systematic phonics programme - Little Wandle Letters & Sounds. This consists of a daily phonics lesson and three weekly reads of decodable books relating to the children’s phonic knowledge.

Enhancements: Our environments have two types of enhancements: reactive which are planned to target gaps in learning, and pre-determined which support current learning and allow repeated practice.

Outdoor enhancements and interactions are promoted through the use of "pavement" style provocation boards which identify key learning outcomes and language. Indoor enhancements are similarly identified using table top boards supporting the consistency of approach throughout our EYFS unit. 

Continuous Provision: Our continuous provision is intentionally planned to allow children to explore and play with resources and games from previous learning.