The EYFS Curriculum

The EYFS Curriculum

 

In Reception (F2) we follow the EYFS 2020 Development Matters curriculum. We are taking part in the early trial scheme offered by the Government, so are no longer using the 2012 EYFS Development Matters curriculum. The 2020 curriculum will become compulsory for all schools and Nursery settings from September 2021.

 

 We focus on 7 different areas of learning; 3 prime and 4 specific. The areas of learning are:

 

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

 

All areas of learning are taught all the time and the children will have access to activities relating to each of these on a daily basis. The children will also do group lessons led by an adult, relating to all 7 of the areas of learning. We teach using a mixture of adult led whole class lessons, adult led group lessons, adult led activities and child initiated free choice activities. 

 

The curriculum is divided into stages; Birth to 3, 3-4 year olds (this is mainly what Nursery focus on), children in Reception (this is what we focus on, although we often dip back into the 3-4 year old's section to make sure knowledge and skills are secure) and finally the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Reception year.

 

The links to the statements for the Birth to Reception stages can be found here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/914443/Development_Matters_-_Non-statutory_curriculum_guidance_for_the_early_years_foundation_stage__1_.pdf

 

It is a long document but it is worth familiarising yourself with the statements so you understand what children at each stage of development are expected to be able to do. 

The Early Learning Goals

 

At the end of Reception (F2) we assess the children against the Early Learning Goals. This is the age related skills and knowledge the children should have in each of the 7 areas. Below are the Early Learning Goals and the statements the children need to achieve by the end of the year, to give you an understanding of what we are working towards.

 

Self Regulation

•Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.
•Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate.
•Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.

 

Managing Self

•Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.
•Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly.
•Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

 

Building Relationships

•Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.
•Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers.
•Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.

 

Listening, Attention and Understanding

•Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions.
•Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding.
•Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers.

 

Speaking

•Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary.
•Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate.
•Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher.

 

Gross Motor Skills

•Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others.
•Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing.
•Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

 

Fine Motor Skills

•Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases.
•Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paintbrushes and cutlery.
•Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.

 

Comprehension

•Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.
•Anticipate (where appropriate) key events in stories.
•Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role play.

 

Word Reading

•Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.
•Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending.
•Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

 

Writing

•Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
•Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.
•Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

 

Number

•Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number.
•Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.
•Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

 

Numerical Patterns

•Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system.
•Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity.
•Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

 

The ELG for Shape, Space and Measure has currently been removed but we will still be teaching this content as it is in the Birth-Reception statements and it is essential for children to know and understand this content, so that they can access further content in Year 1.

 

Past and Present

•Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.
•Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
•Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

 

People, Communities and Culture

•Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
•Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
•Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and (when appropriate) maps.

 

The Natural World

•Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
•Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
•Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

 

Creating with Materials

•Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
•Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
•Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

 

Being Imaginative and Expressive

•Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.
•Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
•Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.

 

The full Government rationale and explanation for choosing these Early Learning Goals, can be found here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896810/EYFS_Early_Adopter_Framework.pdf