Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Statement
At Fairfield Primary we strongly believe that parents are the first educators of their children and we will be building upon the strengths and skills which each child brings with them when they start school. As a result of this we strongly encourage the children to share their interests, enthusiasms and knowledge which will reflect each child’s individual communities and cultures.
Our carefully planned Curriculum Overviews encourage children to build upon their unique starting points, continually feeding their new ideas and discoveries back into the curriculum. Our curriculum is based on the essential skills and knowledge for their future learning, however the themes and contents may branch out to reflect each unique group of children. This approach is possible through the highly positive relationships children build with staff and peers.
This approach has been further strengthened by the introduction of The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (which became effective in September 2021). Our careful teaching, observation and assessment cycle is also linked closely to Development Matters guidance throughout the Early Years at Fairfield. For our youngest Nursery children guidance is also taken from Birth to 5 Matters. Both these documents are in new 2021 formats and copies are on our webpage if you would like to refer to them.
At Fairfield Primary, we understand that learning to read is a key life skill and is the foundation for children’s future educational success. This is why our early years curriculum is built around popular rhymes, songs, stories and non-fiction texts which link into all the Areas of Learning and Development. This ensures a rich and varied vocabulary is a fundamental component which is taught alongside the skills and knowledge we plan for our children to learn.
Our early years staff have a secure understanding of the Characteristics of Effective Learning and have the experience to skilfully develop and adjust their practice to match each child’s rate of development and learning. All early years’ staff are involved in on-going assessment (also known as formative assessment), viewing how well the children are able to engage with the environment and the immediate curriculum. This further enables staff to be part of the process of reporting to the lead staff members and in turn to parents and carers, who can then all work together to shape the future teaching and learning experiences for each individual child.
Lead staff are also responsible for completing government required Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) by mid-October each year and completing a final report, The Profile, which indicates children’s readiness for Year 1, against the Early Learning Goals for the end of the Reception year. At Fairfield Primary, we have systems in place to regularly interact with parents and carers, to always make fully informed judgements. throughout the Early Years.
