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Early Years Foundation Stage

Early Years Foundation Stage

Welcome to EYFS

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – Bumblebee and Ladybird classes

At Moorlands we have two EYFS classes which operate from a large shared unit, including our spacious outdoor area. Each week we make great use of our wider school’s grounds by having weekly welly walks, igniting a love for the outdoors. in addition to our welly walks, EYFS participate in weekly outdoor learning sessions. During each session, EYFS pupils benefit from a range of opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement; prompting wee-being and self-confidence.

Through purposeful play and real life learning opportunities, EYFS pupils learn from progressive Early Years curriculum. This is delivered by having a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning challenges. Throughout the academic year, our curriculum is tailored to individual needs and interests, whilst also providing a smooth progression to support pupils transition into the next stage of their school life, Year 1.

Our EYFS curriculum (Under review)

Our EYFS ethos wholeheartedly encompasses the integral part of learning through play. Each day EYFS pupils have the opportunity to think creatively alongside other children as well as on their own. Their play opens the opportunity to communicate with others as they investigate and solve problems. Teachers and Teaching Assistants use observations of children’s play and a range of other assessments to inform their planning and practice. We thoroughly enjoy playing alongside our pupils, modelling, scaffolding and motivating them to learn more, do more and remember more. By being closely involved in each child’s play, we are able to celebrate their strengths and achievements and also address misconceptions, supporting their understanding and development.

Alongside learning through play, EYFS pupils are also taught essential skills and knowledge through direct lessons. These lessons develop throughout the school year, building on children’s stamina for learning.

At Moorlands, we follow the Read, Write, Inc. phonics scheme. All teachers and teaching assistants have taken part in high quality training in order to deliver effective Phonics lessons, supporting children’s development with reading and writing. EYFS pupils benefit from taking home well matched phonetically decodable reading books, helping families to support their child’s development at home, whilst keeping in line with our Phonics scheme. EYFS pupils also love to choose from our range of ‘reading for pleasure’ books, instilling a love for reading. To support families ​understanding of Phonics, EYFS teachers provide Phonics workshops throughout the year that help teach the structure and skills involved in teaching children to read and write. Please use this website for further information regarding Read, Write Inc. https://www.ruthmiskin.com/

There is also a specific page dedicated to families: https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parentsandcarers/ 

Through Universal Infant Free School Meals, all our infant children enjoy a hot meal cooked on our premises. Children share their lunchtime play with the whole school after the Easter half term holidays, which means that they get to see their friends from other classes. All children in EYFS have a buddy from Key Stage Two who helps them get to know the schools and playgrounds and to feel part of the Moorlands community.

We thoroughly enjoy inviting parents and carers into school throughout various times of the year. This gives EYFS pupils the opportunity to share their learning and celebrate their achievements. Alongside our Phonics workshops, we also provide numerous opportunities to support families understanding of learning key concepts within areas of the EYFS curriculum.

Further information regarding EYFS at Moorlands can be found here in the documents at the bottom of this page.

Expectations for EYFS, end of year goals:

EYFS Curriculum Statutory Requirement

EYFS Curriculum Progression documents:

Development Matters Report

Birth to 5 Matters

The following hyperlinks are useful learning resources linking to how we teach letter formation and number formation at Moorlands:

Writing – Letter formation and Read, Write Inc. rhymes

Number – Number formation and number songs