Early Years Foundation Stage

At The Laurels Primary school, our main aim is to give children the best possible start to their learning journey and inspire a passion for life-long learning.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage we strive to give children a strong foundation to grow, explore and achieve as learners and we want them to feel happy, safe and secure, in an enabling environment where everyone is valued and respected.

We are committed to developing positive relationships, where children’s well-being is paramount. We want children to feel nurtured and that they have a voice. We also value Parents/Carers voice by working in close partnership with the families who know their child the best.  In the EYFS we ensure that the opportunities we provide are inclusive for all and we believe that every child has the right to achieve their full potential.

We believe that the curriculum we deliver should be interesting, relevant, creative, stimulating and motivational. We work hard to plan and deliver a curriculum that continues to enable children to achieve their next steps in all areas of learning but that also embraces curiosity, creativity and imagination. We ensure that the continuous provision and learning environment is engaging, challenging and provides children with opportunities to be independent as well as to collaborate with others. We value the importance of play to help children to learn and the need for first hand experiences. The outdoor environment is fully embraced and children have access to learning outdoors all year round. We provide stimulating and engaging outdoor experiences that link closely to the children’s interests, next steps in learning and the world around them.

We provide an objective-led curriculum that develops both children’s skills and knowledge and understanding in all areas of learning. We strive to have a balance between structured and child-initiated learning, alongside high-quality adult-child interactions in effective scaffolding and first teaching.

We have high aspirations for children and encourage them to have high expectations of themselves. We are passionate about children understanding how they learn through the characteristics of learning and mindfulness.

We believe that if children are inspired and enjoy learning then they will continue to thrive emotionally, socially, morally and academically.

We plan and deliver learning using the EYFS Framework. This covers the seven areas of learning:

Prime Areas (these underpin all areas of learning)

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication, Language and Literacy
• Physical Development

Specific Areas

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Our curriculum has been designed to meet the statutory requirements and educational programmes in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.