Early Years

EARLY YEARS

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the statutory framework that all early years settings must meet to ensure that children learn and develop. In school this refers to both the Nursery (Pixie class) and Reception (Unicorns and Sprites classes).  It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children are ready for school and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

The framework can be found here Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) - Schools.  

EARLY YEARS PRINCIPLES

To ensure all pupils have the best start in their education, Roydon Primary Academy has six Early Years Principles:

To ensure all pupils have the best start in their education, Roydon Primary has six Early Years Principles:

1. Settling in

Children are more likely to settle when they feel safe, secure and have a strong relationship with staff members. We understand that settling in can be one of the most challenging aspects of school for young children. In order to ensure children settle, we will; conduct home visits so pupils and families have the chance to meet their key workers and class teachers; children will be invited to visit the school and classrooms prior to starting during our 'stay and play' sessions; children will have a settling in week of partial timetable to get used to the daily routines at school, and finally; learning environments are made to be interesting, welcoming and fun.     

2. Learning through play

Play is the work of the child'  - Maria Montessori

Play and exploration gives children opportunities to develop a range of valuable skills. We will provide children with opportunities to play that are satisfying and successful, helping children to remain engaged. Staff will plan to support the children in making their own choices and the learning environments have easy access to toys, books and other resources. 

3. Behaviour expectations

Children will be happy and emotionally secure when they are supported in managing their feelings and behaviour. The roles of the class teacher and support staff are critical in supporting the management of children's' feelings and behaviour. Clear expectations of behaviour are shared and modelled with all children on their first day. Teachers and staff will carefully observe interactions and behaviour to ensure we support children to manage their feelings. 

4. Language and communication

Children are more likely to succeed if they are able to listen, understand and share their thoughts and feelings. Children's communication and language skills will develop rapidly during the Early Years stage of education. Our learning environment is designed to support this. Children will learn to communicate at various phases of the day for example whilst playing or through structured 'carpet time'. Children's communication skills will also be developed through interactions with teachers and support staff. 

5. Physical development

We believe that children will have more opportunities to learn when their movement and coordination is allowed to flourish. Being able to run, climb, jump and balance is important to children's overall development including their health and well-being. Roydon’s learning environments provide ample opportunities for children to develop fine and gross motor skills.

6. Understanding learning

Children are more likely to gain an understanding of learning when they develop a growth mind set. We encourage children to see mistakes as valuable learning opportunities.