Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born, they develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives years than at any other time. That’s why they are called the foundations years – the building blocks for life!
We believe children learn the most effectively when they are actively involved in their learning. The role of the adult is to provide a stimulating curriculum which is based upon the children’s experiences and interests but which also provides challenges to push their learning forward and foster confident and independant lifelong learners.
The care and education we offer at James Farm helps children to continue to do this by providing them a varied Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum which divides the learning and development into seven areas.
The prime areas are:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Developing confidence and independence whilst learning to concentrate and enjoy learning as part as a group.
Physical Development
Improving control and co-ordination of their bodies whilst learning to move and handle equipment.
Communication & Language Development
Improving control and co-ordination of their bodies whilst learning to move and handle equipment.
The specific areas are:
Literacy
Linking sounds and letters and to begin to read and write and have access to a wide range of reading material to ignite their interest.
Mathematics
Using ideas about numbers, quantity, measurement, shapes, and space.
Understanding the World
Investigating and beginning to understand the things, places, and people around them.
Expressive Arts & Design
Finding ways to communicate by using creative projects.
Each of the 7 areas are organised into age ranges which are called ‘early learning goals’, they show us what a child should be able to do at their age.
Every child is different and develops in a unique way, so we carry out observations to see if there are any areas in the child’s development that we need to improve using help & encouragement and the careful planning of activities. Further reading on EYFS can be found online: The Department of Education – Early Learning and Childcare
At James Farm we evaulate our teaching and reflect on the learning of the children on a daily, weekly and monthly baisis and this forms part of the content of our curriculum on offer.
Additionally as practitioners we are responsive to the interests, needs and fascinations of the children we work with and this will influence and direct the curriculum on offer.
