EYFS Policy

2023-2025

'Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.'

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

• Quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind.
• A secure foundation through planning for the learning and development of each individual child, and assessing and reviewing what they have learned regularly
• Building strong partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers; including helping families to support their children at home
• Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported

(Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, DfE, March 2021)

This policy is based on requirements as set out in the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage

 (EYFS) that has applied since September 2021 (due to be updated in 2024)

1. Aims

 2.Principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage

3. Role of the ‘Key Worker’

4. Curriculum

5. Provision - The learning Environment and outdoor spaces

 6. Strategies for Planning and Teaching

7. Assessment including strategies for Ensuring Continuity and Progression

8. Equal opportunities

 9. Parental involvement and Home School Links

10. Safeguarding and Welfare Procedures

11.Health and Safety

Appendix 1. List of Statutory policies and procedures for the EYFS

Aims and Objectives:

Each child is valued as an individual and learning and teaching is based on the understanding that children develop at different rates. At Medlock, we aim to:

• provide a safe, challenging, stimulating and caring environment which is sensitive to the needs of the child including children with additional needs;
• provide a broad, balanced, relevant and creative curriculum that will set in place firm foundations for future learning and development;
• provide opportunities for children to learn through planned, purposeful play in all areas of learning and development in the indoor and outdoor environment;
• use and value what each child can do, assessing their individual needs and helping each child to progress;
• enable choice and decision making, fostering independence and self-confidence;
• work in partnership with parents/guardians and value their contributions;

Principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage

The EYFS principles, which guide the effective work of all practitioners, are grouped into four distinct but complementary themes:

• A unique child – developing resilient, capable, confident and self-assured individuals.
• Positive relationships – supporting the children in becoming strong and independent.
• Enabling environments – where opportunities and experiences respond to the individual needs of the child by developing a strong partnership between practitioners, parents/carers and the child.
• Learning and developing – An acknowledgement that children learn in different ways and at different rate.

2.1 A Unique Child:

At Medlock we recognise that every child is a competent learner who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. We recognise that children develop in individual ways, at varying rates. Children’s attitudes and dispositions to learning are influenced by feedback from others; we use praise and encouragement, as well as celebration and rewards, to encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning.

2.2. Positive Relationships:

At Medlock, we recognise that children learn to be strong, confident and independent from being in secure relationships. We aim to develop caring, respectful, professional relationships with the children and their families.

2.3 Enabling Environments:

The learning and play environments are vital for supporting and extending a child’s development. In the ‘classroom’ and outdoor environment, we observe and assess the childrens’ development and interests. Based on these observations, suitably challenging and engaging activities are planned to extend their learning and achievement.

2.4 Learning and development:

Medlock is organised in a way that encourages children to explore and learn safely. There are areas for activities and play and others for quiet time and rest. All three rooms within the setting are designed to enable children to learn and play at an appropriate level independently with opportunities to explore similar interests both inside and outside.

3. Role of the Key Worker

Young children need to develop relationships to support their emotional well-being and learning. A key worker approach provides the child with a special adult to enable him/her to develop secure attachment, the opportunity for the practitioner to develop a supportive relationship with the parents/guardians and share the child’s process and development. Every child in both Nursery classes has a Key worker who works closely with families to ensure that children feel secure, settled and ready to learn.

 In Reception, children are in classes of up to 30 with one teacher supported by teaching assistants. Children will be given appropriate support and transition at each stage to ensure that they feel confident in the setting

At all stages Key workers and Class teachers will work together with families to ensure that children are given the support they need. For further information please see the Early Years

4. Curriculum:

Our Early Years setting follows the curriculum as outline in the 2021 Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The EYFS Framework outlines the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning and the 7 areas of development (CoETL)

The CoETL are organised into three strands and are essential components towards children becoming self-regulated learners.

These are:

• Playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
• Active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
• Creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things

There are 17 aspect areas (early learning goals) within 7 broader curriculum areas of development. These are divided into Prime and Specific areas of learning.

The ‘prime’ areas of learning and development are:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, social and emotional development

Communication and language underpins all areas of learning within our early years curriculum and continues to be developed within our provision, teaching, intervention and planning methods. All the prime areas are seen as particularly important for igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building children’s capacity and confidence to learn, for relationships and to thrive. Planned learning supports the progress and development of listening and speaking, enabling children to process information into thinking and understanding. Children practise their physical skills alongside developing social skills, which supports greater independence and higher levels of confidence

The ‘specific’ areas of learning and development are:

• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding the World
• Expressive arts and design

The 4 specific areas of learning provide a context for development and reflect cultural knowledge and accumulated understanding. They are dependent on strong learning in the Prime areas. Our discrete teaching and  continuous provision demonstrates a strong emphasis upon supporting children’s understanding of the world along with enabling them to express themselves imaginatively and creatively, using art and design, music and movement. New learning and ‘themes’ provide rich opportunities for children to be explicitly taught new knowledge but are adapted to reflect the needs of the children and their individual strengths and interests.

Children begin their journey to become fluent readers as soon as they enter our nursery.  We begin with Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics moving on to the Reception programme from the beginning of September each year. (More information can be found in our Reading and Phonics policies)

All learning within the EYFS is seen as vital to support children’s readiness for the next stages of their learning journey and curriculum leaders work alongside EYFS practitioners to ensure that the curriculum offer is giving children secure foundations for their learning in KS1 and beyond.

5. Provision:

At Medlock, we recognise that both the indoor and outdoor environment plays a key role in supporting and extending the children’s development.  We aim to create an attractive, welcoming and stimulating environment which will encourage children to explore, investigate and learn through first-hand experience. We also aim to make it into a place where children feel secure and confident, and are challenged to develop their independence. Adult focus activities are planned for both the indoor and outdoor environment and children have the freedom to move between the indoor and outdoor environments throughout the school day. Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. It offers the children the ability to explore, use their senses and be physically active and exuberant.

6. Strategies for Teaching

In the beginning, the main emphasis is placed upon developing the basic skills of socialising and developing linguistic and when appropriate mathematical attributes and concepts.

We ensure that there is an age appropriate balance of adult led and child initiated activities across the day. Although much of the time is spent with children self-selecting tasks, the interaction between the adult and child is essential as the adult’s response to children builds understanding and as a result guides new learning. The adult’s role is to continually model, demonstrate and question what the child is doing. In some cases the adult will ask a children to come and complete a task with them; at other times they will participate in a child’s play, extending it where appropriate

We include direct, carefully planned adult instruction and adult led experiences in the form of class, group and 1-1. These are particularly important in helping children learn specific skills and knowledge and it is often later, through the children’s play or conversation that we can see how much of this learning children have understood or absorbed into their schema. Each day,  the children follow a timetable with set routines in place. This looks different at each stage, from Nursery 1 to Reception to reflect the age and stage of the children.

As the children grow older, and as their development allows, the balance gradually shifts towards more adult-led activities, to help prepare children for more formal learning as they move to Key Stage 1.

Staff interactions with children during planned and child-initiated activities provides rich opportunities for communicating and modelling language, showing, explaining, demonstrating, exploring ideas, encouraging, questioning, recalling, providing a narrative for what they are doing and facilitating and setting appropriate challenge

Staff understand that play is about much more than content but it helps to build more flexible thinking and harvest a spirit of enquiry. Staff respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, positive interactions. They think carefully about the equipment provided and the attention to the physical environment as well as the structure and routines of the day that establish expectations.

Staff recognise that ‘teaching’ is in every interaction provided within the learning environment. There are no opportunities  left to chance.

All those working within the EYFS work collaboratively as a team to ensure parity across the provision and to ensure that learning builds and deepens over time. The development of the long, medium and short term planning is undertaken, along with any relevant support for subject leaders, in collaboration and in response to the individual needs of children that have been identified by practitioners.

7. Assessment

At Medlock, ongoing formative assessment is regarded as an integral part of the learning and development process. We strive to make our assessment purposeful as this allows us to plan accurately, match the appropriate level of challenge or support and adapt teaching and provision accordingly. It is the responsibility of all members of the teaching team in EYFS to observe and assess children and provide information to support the teaching and learning.

More formal assessment takes the following forms:

• Baseline assessments in the first 4 weeks after a child joins the setting to help set targets for future learning
• Within the first 6 weeks that a child starts Reception, staff will administer the Government’s Reception Baseline Assessment
• Whole group/class observations for key objectives during focused and directed activities (using Trust Checkpoints)
• Weekly evaluations and professional discussions ½ termly cross phase moderation of judgements
• Phonics observations and assessments half-termly (which supports a staff coaching and intervention model)
• End of year and for Reception end of EYFS profile judgments, which summarise pupils’ progress against the Early Learning Goals

We ensure that the environment and the delivery of the curriculum in each of our settings incorporates the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning from the statutory framework for the EYFS, which are:

• Playing and exploring;
• Active learning;
• Creative and critical thinking

8. Equal Opportunities

We endeavour to give children equal access to all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage regardless of gender, race or disability. Whenever appropriate we present positive images of all cultures.

All children will be offered equal opportunities in terms of access to the curriculum. The needs of any children from other religious denominations and cultures are catered for appropriately in consultation with their parents.

• Materials will be chosen to meet the interests of  both boys and girls to counteract stereotypical images, enabling all children to demonstrate equal worth and capability
• It is essential that all children have equal access to materials, time and adult support

All children and their families are valued within our school. We believe that children should be treated as individuals but they all should have equal access to the EYFS curriculum. We give our children every opportunity to achieve their best. We help them to do this by planning to meet the needs of both boys, girls, children with special educational needs, children who are more able, children with disabilities, children from all social and cultural backgrounds, children from different ethnic groups, and those from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

We strongly believe that early identification of special needs is crucial in enabling practitioners to support the development of each child and fully meet their needs. Concerns are always discussed with parents/carers at an early stage in an open, honest and sensitive manner and we will always seek their support and involvement.

Adaptations will be provided to support all children to access a full EYFS curriculum but particularly for those with Special Educational Needs this assistance will be provided in a variety of ways including:

• Using children’s ideas and motivations as starting point for learning
• Adjusting the conceptual or physical demand of the task as appropriate for the child.  
• All staff in our EYFS receive professional development at least every half-term in working with pupils and their families with SEND (See our SEND policy for more detailed information).

The school’s SENDco is responsible for providing additional information and advice to practitioners and parents, and for arranging external intervention and support where necessary. For further information, see our SEND policy.

9.  Parental involvement and Home School Links

We recognise that parents are children’s first and most enduring educators and we value the contribution they make.

When parents/guardians and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on the child’s development. We feel successful partnership needs to be a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise and so aim to provide a variety of opportunities to support this. We do this by;

• Providing parents with a Welcome booklet detailing staffing, daily routines and information on the setting.
• Visiting the child and parent/guardian in their home setting or current nursery or in school in the term before the child enters our Nursery classes setting to discuss needs, interests and development.
• Asking parents to complete admissions forms, medical forms and complete ‘All About Me’ booklets about and with their child to help us understand their interests, strengths, character and challenges and completing ‘home visits’ for all pupils new to setting.
• Encouraging parents to follow their child’s learning through the Class Dojo app, where photographs, videos, notes and messages can be sent to parents to keep them updated on learning.
• Offering “Stay and Play” sessions in both Nursery Year and Reception for the child to come and visit with their parent/guardian before they start and delivering induction meetings for parents/guardians of children starting both Nursery and Reception.
• Operating an ‘open door policy’ before and after school for parents/guardians with any queries
• Informing parents/guardians of their child’s progress at parents’ evenings which are held twice/three times a year.
• Annual reports to parents sharing the child’s development and achievements through the year and an invitation in the summer term to discuss the report in more detail
• Delivering workshops which encourage and support parents/guardians understanding of the EYFS and how they can contribute to their child’s learning and school life.
• Providing meaningful opportunities for parents and guardians to come in and share their own skills and knowledge with the children and enrich the learning in setting.

10. Safeguarding and Welfare Procedures

We promote good oral health, as well as good health in general in the early years providing structured opportunities for children to learn about (if you would like further information this can be found in our PSHE curriculum):

• The importance of brushing your teeth, working alongside the Manchester dental team to promote the regular attendance of dental appointments and looking after teeth and gums
• The importance of regular physical exercise to promote healthy bodies and minds
• The importance of a healthy balanced diet, teaching children about different food groups, including daily healthy snacks, milk and constant access to clean fresh drinking water
• Safe spaces in school and key adults in school who they can talk to about any worries

Further more detailed information is outlined in our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

11. Health and Safety

The following general Health and Safety safeguards are in place:

• All children have a safe and secure learning environment.
• In each room we are free-flowing, and as such there is always a member of the staff team outside to support children’s learning.
• A supply of fresh drinking water is available on the premises at all times and space for children’s own drinks bottles is clearly signposted
• Children’s dietary needs are acted upon and all staff have had all appropriate food hygiene training
• A (supervised) rolling snack table is available throughout the day for children to choose when they would like access to snack in N2 and Reception and as a communal activity in N1(our 2-3 year-old provision)
• A paediatric first aid trained member of staff is accessible at all times and those trained a clearly signposted to children, parents and staff
• Accidents and injuries are recorded on Arbor and messages sent home to inform parents as well as passing on information verbally
• Arrival and departure arrangements for all children are carefully noted and children are sent home with their parent/carer one at a time. Any change from this routine should be reported to the key worker and the password agreed on induction shared.
• A fire and emergency evacuation procedure and policy are in place.

Appendix 1 - List of supplementary policies and procedures for the EYFS: