“Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin                                          

Intent

Recent research used to inform practice: The recent Ofsted research and analysis: Best start in life part 3: the 4 specific areas of learning October 2024 suggests that learning in the specific areas should prioritise vocabulary and language comprehension. It should give children opportunities to develop their executive function. Moreover, in order to deliver a high-quality curriculum in settings, practitioners need to know how children develop and learn. They need to have a clear understanding of the possible next steps in children’s development and learning. The EEF Communication and Language toolkit states that communication and language approaches typically have a very high impact and increase young children’s learning by seven months. There are many communication and language approaches of which high quality provision is likely to include multiple strategies across vocabulary, language, talk and social communication skills. A 2016 randomised controlled trial found a positive impact of four months’ additional progress for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention – a programme designed to improve the spoken language ability of children during the transition from nursery to primary school. Additionally, the EEF toolkit on Personal Social and Emotional Development: approaches and practices to support personal, social and emotional development in the early years highlights the importance of improving the repertoire of language used by educators and practised by children which in turn improves children’s self-regulation, managing self and building positive relationships skills. When reading the EEF Self-Regulation and Executive Function approaches and practices to support self-regulation and executive function in the early years toolkit, it states that self-regulation involves a complex range of skills and abilities that enable children to monitor their emotions and thoughts and choose how to adapt their behaviour in different circumstances. Self-regulation supports children’s executive function. Executive function refers to a set of skills that are often used together. These require teaching and modelling, practice, and repetition to develop. Executive function can help children resist their impulses and control how they direct their attention- this is often referred to as cognitive flexibility. Executive function also helps children to hold information in mind so they can apply it, such as remembering the rules of a game while they play. Self-regulation and executive function are closely interrelated. They are typically applied together to help children gain greater control over their thoughts, actions, and emotional responses. Essentially, as stated in the EEF Preparing for literacy: Improving communication, language and literacy in the Early Years: Language provides the foundation of thinking and learning and should be prioritised. High quality adult-child interactions are important and sometimes described as talking with children rather than just talking to children. Adults have a vital role to play in modelling effective language and communication. This research underpins our desire to champion oracy at Parkfield and ensure all children, regardless of their starting points can effectively and confidently communicate.

The provision at Parkfield is centred around the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (Nov, 2024) which has four guiding principles that should shape practice in early years. These are:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
• Importance of learning and development.

The Senior Leadership Team and EYFS team are passionate about creating a high-quality play provision both inside and outside the class and one that is responsive to the individual needs of children. We champion equity and equality and have planned an ambitious, clearly sequenced curriculum which enables children to play and explore - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’; actively learn - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements and create and think critically - by having and developing their own ideas, making links between ideas and developing strategies for doing things.

Implementation

We follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure that we are fulfilling the requirements for learning and development.  It promotes teaching and learning to ensure that by the end of the academic year, ALL pupils are ‘Year 1 ready’. 

We ensure that our Curriculum develops the following seven areas:

Prime Areas:

Communication and Language

Physical Development

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas:

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Art and Design

The Development Matters, ‘Seven Key Features of Effective Practice’ underpins our implementation. All children deserve to have an equal chance of success. We understand that we need to nurture children, especially as they start school as this transition is a big step for small children. We have planned an ambitious, clearly-sequenced curriculum which covers the three prime areas and four specific areas of learning. We have used Development Matters and Birth to 5 matters to ensure our curriculum is progressive.  Our themes are driven through Understanding the World, where children explore the three prime and four specific areas of learning through this.  That said, we understand that young children’s learning is often driven by their interests, so our planning needs to be flexible and this can be seen through enhanced provision.

The three prime areas underpin the rest of the EYFS curriculum, so we ensure that these are embedded into all areas of the curriculum in addition to focussed sessions. We strongly feel that if a child is not happy, they will not learn. Self-regulation and executive function are both fundamental skills to develop in the EYFS. Executive function includes the child’s ability to hold information in mind, focus their attention, to think flexibly and inhibit impulsive behaviour. These abilities contribute to the child’s growing ability to self-regulate which involves: concentrating their thinking; to plan what to do next; monitor what they are doing and adapt; to regulate strong feelings; to be patient for what they want and to bounce back when things get difficult. Language development is central for self-regulation: children use language to guide their actions and plans. Pretend play gives many opportunities for children to focus their thinking, persist and plan ahead.

We value the importance of parent partnerships. We encourage clear communication with parents, giving them clear information about their children’s progress through initial school induction meetings, curriculum meetings, phonics sessions, parents’ evenings and mid-term and end of year school reports. We provide extra resources to support early reading skills and questioning at home.

How do children learn?

Effective pedagogy is a mix of different approaches. Children learn through play, by adults modelling, by observing each other and through guided learning and direct teaching.

We carefully organise enabling environments through implementing continuous provision that leads to high-quality play. As Alistair Brice Clegg states, Continuous Provision is to continue the provision for learning in the absence of an adult.’  We will sometimes make time and space available for children to invent their own play and sometimes we join in to sensitively support and extend children’s learning. Children in the early years also learn through group work, when practitioners guide their learning- this is known as adult directed. A well-planned learning environment, indoors and outside, is an important aspect of pedagogy.

Assessment

 The Reception Baseline Assessment became statutory in schools in September 2021. It is an activity-based assessment of pupils’ starting points in:

• language, communication and literacy
• mathematics

The RBA is a short, task-based assessment. It is not used to label or track individual pupils. Schools are required to carry out the assessment within the first 6 weeks of pupils starting reception. No numerical score is shared and the data will only be used at the end of year 6 to form the school-level progress measure.

Every child is assessed using the NELI Language Screen in the first half term. If a child has areas to develop, they will take part in a 20-week NELI programme, in addition to whole class NELI adult directed sessions taught three times a week.

We carry out ongoing assessment (also known as formative assessment) which is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners understanding children’s interests and what they know and can do, and then shaping teaching and learning experiences for each child reflecting that knowledge. In their interactions with children, practitioners should make and act on their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress and observations that parents and carers share. However, there is no requirement to keep written records in relation to this. We record adult directed and child initiated learning using Tapestry. We also create class floor books which showcases Expressive Arts and Design & Understanding the World and also ‘Understanding Ourselves and the Wider the World’ which covers ‘Personal, Social & Emotional Development’.

In the final term of the academic year in which the child reaches age five, and no later than 30 June in that term, the EYFS Profile must be completed for each child. The Profile provides parents and carers, practitioners and teachers with a well-rounded picture of a child’s knowledge, understanding and abilities, their attainment against expected levels, and their readiness for Year 1. Each child’s level of development must be assessed against the early learning goals. Practitioners must note whether children are meeting expected levels of development, or if they are not yet reaching expected levels (“emerging”).

Developing Cultural Capital

Before children start, EYFS practitioners talk to pre-school settings, offer home visits and spend time getting to know the children during their three induction sessions. When children initially start school, as well as completing Baseline and NELI assessment, EYFS practitioners spend time getting to know the children and their families. We champion equity and equality and ensure children have opportunities by providing a high quality indoor and outdoor learning environment and enrichment experiences, which include: a trip to Puxton Park, Space Dome workshop and Clive Pig Story telling workshops to name but a few.

SEND

We understand that all children have different needs and starting points. We have a strong pastoral team and early intervention is swift. Children may need adjustments within the class to help them learn, or they may take part in specific interventions if needed. We aim to provide an equitable experience for all.

Impact

By the end of reception, the children will be:

• Successful learners who can hold information in their minds, focus their attention, think flexibly and have a love and curiosity to learn. 
• Confident individuals who can communicate effectively and be able to think creatively and critically. 
• Responsible citizens who can self-regulate, manage themselves and build positive relationships.