Early Years Foundation Stage

At Nettleham Infant School we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.

Building a Foundation

We continually deliver a broad and balanced curriculum which excites and motivates young learners. We believe in the importance of building a secure foundation for future learners, helping them to develop a broad range of knowledge and skills. We respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests.

Every day we provide...

• planned purposeful play
• opportunities for our children to explore, to solve problems and relate to others
• the right balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities

Learning

Children learn in different ways and we reflect this in our practice. Each

Characteristic of Effective Learning (CoEL) is carefully woven throughout our curriculum. The characteristics 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

Learning in the early years is divided into seven areas, three prime and four specific. The three prime areas reflect the key skills all children need to develop and learn effectively.

Prime Areas

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

Specific Areas

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

Play

We value the importance of play as the medium through which a child learns and grows. Play motivates children and helps them make sense of the world through direct experience. Through careful planning we ensure that the children have a wide range of challenging and stimulating experiences which excite their curiosity, interest and motivation. Planning includes outdoor play, which promotes and enables physical activities, encourages social and moral development and self-esteem and confidence.