Early Years Foundation Stage
"Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential."
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework
Intent
At Wessex Gardens, we believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life. We are committed to nurturing confident, curious, and independent learners who are well-prepared for the transition into Key Stage 1 and beyond. Our EYFS curriculum is designed to build strong foundations in both academic success and emotional well-being, ensuring children develop a lifelong love of learning.
Our curriculum aims to:
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Provide a broad and balanced curriculum, ensuring children develop the knowledge and skills needed for good progress through school and life.
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Foster a secure, engaging, and inclusive environment where children thrive through exploration and play.
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Develop key skills, knowledge, and understanding that support future learning and personal growth.
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Promote positive learning behaviours through the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning: Play and Exploration, Active Learning, and Creative and Critical Thinking.
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Build strong relationships with families to support children's development both at school and at home.
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Encourage high aspirations, a love of reading, writing, and mathematics, and a creative approach to problem-solving and thinking.
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Ensure quality and consistency in teaching and learning, so every child makes good progress and no child is left behind.
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Enrich children’s experiences through outings, visitors, and hands-on learning opportunities.
Implementation
Our EYFS curriculum is delivered through a carefully structured yet flexible approach that meets the needs and interests of our children. We ensure:
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A stimulating and challenging environment that encourages learning through play and hands-on experiences.
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Planning based on children's interests, ensuring engagement and motivation in all areas of learning.
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A balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities to provide appropriate challenge and differentiation.
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Strong partnerships with parents, including home visits, regular workshops, newsletters, and shared reading records.
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High-quality phonics teaching through Pearson’s Bug Club to ensure strong early reading outcomes.
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A focus on Early Mathematical Understanding using White Rose Maths guidance, encouraging number sense, problem-solving, and the development of mathematical language.
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Daily Maths Input in Nursery to establish counting principles and key mathematical skills through songs, rhymes, and play.
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Additional interventions such as Early Talk Boost, targeted Phonics, Fine Motor, and Gross Motor support to ensure every child reaches their potential.
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A play-based curriculum that allows children to explore real, hands-on activities and process information in meaningful ways.
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Inclusion and support for all children, ensuring equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
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Learning outside the classroom, offering opportunities for physical activity, freedom, and movement, as well as contact with the natural world to enhance creativity, problem-solving, and overall well-being.
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All EYFS staff meet the latest EYFS staffing and qualification requirements, ensuring that practitioners have the necessary expertise to provide high-quality early years education.
Assessment
At Wessex Gardens, ongoing assessment is an integral part of the learning and development processes. Staff:
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Observe pupils to identify their level of achievement, interests, and learning styles to shape future planning.
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Administer the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) within the first six weeks of Reception.
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Complete the EYFS Profile at the end of the stage, assessing against the 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs).
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Provide assessment data that is moderated internally and in partnership with other schools to ensure consistency.
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Share assessment results with parents, giving them a well-rounded picture of their child's knowledge, understanding, and abilities.
Impact
Our inclusive approach ensures all children, regardless of background or need, have equal opportunities to thrive and succeed.
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Phonics assessments indicate that the majority of children use their phonics knowledge effectively in reading and writing.
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By the end of Reception, children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals (ELGs), and in 2024, our Good Level of Development (GLD) was 70%, surpassing both the National (65%) and Barnet (63%) averages.
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Children leave EYFS with strong foundations in key areas, ready to transition successfully into Key Stage 1 as confident readers, writers, mathematicians, and inquisitive learners.
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Staff have a strong understanding of how EYFS learning links to the National Curriculum, ensuring a smooth progression in all subjects.
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Pupils develop resilience, perseverance, and self-belief, supported by positive learning behaviours and recognition through initiatives such as Star of the Week assemblies.
