Intent

At Betty Layward we aim to use our key values of Curiosity, Creativity, Ambitiousness, Respectfulness and Happiness to create an engaging and full curriculum for our EYFS children. Wellbeing is a priority and everyone is valued, with our teaching and learning adapting to meet the needs and interests of the children we care for. We believe that every child is unique, is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. We work to create strong relationships with children, provide them with opportunities to become resilient and independent, and foster a growth mindset in a secure, enabling environment. We seek to promote academic achievement by providing a curriculum that encourages pupils to take responsibility for their learning, whilst maintaining a close partnership with parents.

Curriculum drivers

At Betty Layward we believe our curriculum should offer children skills, experiences and aspirations that can carry into later stages of schooling. Our EYFS Curriculum drivers represent our school values. These underpin the learning and ensure the enrichment of our children. These key drivers reflect the cultural capital and social and academic needs of our local areas and communities. Our three key drivers are Culture, Well-being and Growth.

Culture

Community is an essential aspect of Betty Layward and we are proud of the way we work together to create a vibrant and welcoming place to learn and grow. We know that our school community has the potential to change and enhance lives. Our culture of Curiosity, Creativity, Ambitiousness, Respectfulness and Happiness is explored throughout the curriculum in art, music, stories, dance and science. On the broader sense, we understand that we are part of the global community and know the importance of understanding communities beyond our immediate doorstep. We offer opportunities to experience diversity and to broaden our children's horizons by celebrating the various cultures that make up our world.

Well- being

As well as caring for children’s education, we are also dedicated to nurturing children’s mental health and wellbeing. We recognise that these are key to fostering relationships and building self-confidence. We believe that children need to have highly developed emotional literacy to be resilient in the face of challenge. Betty Layward's children are confident, enthusiastic, and recognise school as a safe and secure place for them to learn. In supporting their well-being and an overall recognition of mindfulness, we can enable children to make lifelong, well-informed decisions about themselves and cultivate their autonomy for growth.

Growth

Growth comes in many forms. We want children to be the best they can be and flourish, no matter what their aptitude, need, circumstances or background. We foster a growth mindset at Betty Layward, encouraging children to be independent, inquisitive, and to use their own initiative to solve problems and find creative solutions to complex issues. In stretching to meet their full potential, we encourage our children to use their imagination, take initiative, and develop an inquiring mind. We link our learning to real-life contexts and expand their knowledge of the wider world.

We recognise that the Early Years are key to children developing a love of learning and a confidence in approaching future challenges.  Early child development provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible behaviour, lifelong health, and strong communities. We aim to prepare children by exposing them to different cultures and experiences, providing them with a broad and balanced view of the world and fostering links and connections. We strive to develop an awareness of the world in which our pupils live, encouraging a sense of responsibility through high standards of personal conduct based on respect for oneself and others.  Our curriculum covers a variety of topics to ensure this, including both child-initiated and adult-led activities. Planning is grounded in the EYFS Framework to support learning and development; we ensure that the areas of learning are accessed through both direct and indirect teaching, as well as a stimulating environment. A mix of free play, supported play, direct teaching, and adult-guided learning will ensure that children are given time to apply their new knowledge and skills in a range of different contexts.

Our EYFS curriculum aims to allow children:

To explore and be inquisitive about the world around them

To develop the essential skills and knowledge that will underpin future learning

To be creative and problem-solve

To have a growth mindset and bounce back from challenges

To speak with confidence and clarity

To care about others and compromise when problems arise

To respect differences and be accepting of others

To develop a sense of confidence in themselves and their own abilities

Implementation

Transition through Reception:

In Reception, we develop our expectations as the year progresses, and aim to meet the needs of the children as their skills and knowledge blossom. We recognise that children start their journey with us at a variety of starting points. We ensure we consider these starting points so that each child has access to a wide-ranging, balanced, and differentiated curriculum that takes into account where they have been and where they will go in the future. The transition process is carefully planned throughout the academic year to ensure children and their families are supported as they move through the next chapter of school life. In Reception, the focus will shift to the Early Learning Goals and end-of-year outcomes, and planning is designed to ensure all children effectively meet these.

Before school begins, we have a variety of events to allow for a smooth transition. These include visits to the classroom, meeting the teacher, stay and plays, story times, culminating in our ‘EYFS Woodlands Festival’.  Parents are also allowed to ask questions and explore our community through welcome meetings and visits. We also do a home visit before the children start to give them a chance to meet their classroom staff and to get to know them in their own familiar and safe home environment.

At the beginning of the year, our focus is on building strong relationships with the children and creating a secure and supportive environment in which each child feels valued. We introduce routines and rules slowly, building these in line with children’s understanding and ability to settle. Structured activities are also gradually introduced. We begin with short phonics sessions following our ‘Little Wandle’ phonics scheme, with a focus on blending and games. We develop children’s fine and gross motor skills through ‘Write Dance’ sessions, an exciting music and dance approach that enhances the skills needed for writing. The majority of the day is structured around ‘independent learning’ where children’s interests lead their play and learning. Chosen texts and topics provide some planned tabletop activities and are supported by high-quality continuous provision. High-quality adult interaction, with less time spent observing from a distance, ensures that classroom adults know the children very well, and they can plan for their next steps effectively.

As the year progresses, structured activity does become a part of the daily routine. Once children are confident with blending, we introduce reading sessions with children in small groups of six. These sessions happen 3 times a week for each group and are designed to encourage a love of reading. The sessions focus on decoding, prosody (reading with expression) and comprehension. Once the book has been read 3 times,  the book read with an adult will be sent home for parents to use with their child. Activities are designed to build on children’s literacy or maths skills and allow open-ended exploration. During ‘Independent learning’ and self-directed activity, children are able to make their own choices about where they learn best and our EYFS team make sure that there are both inside and outside opportunities for children to access all areas of learning. Our skilled practitioners, the EYFS team, engage with the children to scaffold, challenge, model and extend their learning. This may be modelling sentence structure (Child: “Lion... furry...roar!” Adult: “Wow, a furry lion. He is roaring very loudly!”), to developing children’s ideas for self-initiated activities (“Wow. Those cars are rolling very fast. I wonder how we could get them to go even faster? Could we find a way of using this plank?”). They know when to intervene and when to step back and observe. Observations of children’s independent learning are documented.