EYFS
Welcome to Early Years!
Our learning is based around seven areas of learning and development, all are important and inter-connected.
These seven areas consist of:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Through carefully planned provision, children will develop an interest and excitement in their own learning. It is important for them to make good working relationships with others and to understand and respect their own needs, views, cultures and beliefs and those of others. The children will work together to develop independence and understand the difference between right and wrong.
Physical Development
Children develop an understanding of the importance of physical activity and making healthy choices in relation to food. They need to be active to improve their skills of coordination, control, movement and manipulation.
Communication and Language
As the children interact with their friends and other adults, their listening skills will develop and their vocabulary will grow as they hear songs, stories, poems and rhymes. Through stories and books they begin to learn that print carries meaning and their random marks, lines and drawings will begin to form the basis of recognisable letters, which, in turn will allow them to write for many different purposes.
Literacy
We are passionate about ensuring that our children become successful and confident readers and writers. Every day our children have many opportunities to read and write for different purposes.
The teaching of phonics primarily takes place in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One. The children are taught using the RML (Read Write Inc) scheme which provides speed sound cards, posters and wall friezes to display in the classroom as memory aides.
Mathematics
Children’s mathematical development occurs as they seek patterns, make connections and recognise relationships through finding out about and working with numbers and counting, with sorting and matching and with shape, space and measures.
Understanding the World
Children develop the knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of the world around them. The children in Early Years will be able to choose from activities that let them discover creatures, investigate plants and animals in their natural habitats, use tools safely, handle different materials, and encounter different cultures.
Expressive Arts and Design
Inside or out, activities will allow children to explore and play. They will be encouraged to share their thoughts, creativity, ideas and feelings through art, music, movement, dance, imaginative and role-play activities, mathematics and design technology.
Making laptop computers!!!
The characteristics of effective learning
The characteristics of effective learning describe factors which play a central role in a pupil’s learning and in becoming an effective learner. The characteristics of effective learning run through and underpin all 7 areas of learning and development.
The characteristics of effective learning are:
- playing and exploring
- active learning
- creating and thinking critically
Free Flow
There are times during the day when the children in Nursery and Reception are able to learn together. Each child can choose where and how their learning is going to take place. We have a very large, well resourced outdoor area where children can pond dip, climb, run, play musical instruments, build sandcastles, read stories and investigate the world around them.
Assessment
In both Nursery and Reception evidence of children’s achievements are collected everyday through conversation and photographs.
The children's voice is very important to us at Millfield. Each child is given opportunities to express their own interests. All learning is based around their interests. This makes learning more personal and exciting!