Priestley Primary School
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Our aim is to provide our children with an engaging, exciting and empowering curriculum that equips them for today and tomorrow. At Priestley Primary School, the curriculum is designed to: recognise children’s prior learning, provide first-hand learning experiences, allow the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become aspirational, creative, critical thinkers. Every child is recognised as a unique individual. We celebrate and welcome differences within our school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values with a vision to prepare them for life beyond primary school. We constantly provide enrichment opportunities to engage learning. We believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time in our lives, where there are no limits to curiosity and there is a thirst for new experiences and knowledge. We use our Priestley Values in order to learn like Spikey (Respect for All, Give it a Go, Cooperate, Take Responsibility, Share Great Ideas, Stay Focused, Think Things Through) to promote positive attitudes to learning which reflect the values and skills needed to promote responsibility for learning and future success. Children leave Priestley with a sense of belonging to a community where they have the skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners with the confidence to explore life in modern Britain.
The EYFS is based upon four principles:
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A Unique Child
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Positive Relationships
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Enabling Environments
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Learning and Development
We also work towards the outcomes of Ever Child Matters. This is made up of seven areas of learning
Three Prime Areas:
Personal, Emotional and Social Development. (PSED)
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Making relationships
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Self-confidence and self-awareness
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Managing feelings and behaviour
Communication and Language. (CL)
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Listening and attention
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Understanding
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Speaking
Physical development
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Moving and handling
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Health and self-care
Four Specific Areas:
Mathematics.
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Numbers
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Shape, space and measure
Literacy
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Reading
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Writing
Understanding the World
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People and communities
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The world
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Technology
Expressive Art and Design
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Exploring and using media and materials
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Being imaginative
In our classes, we offer a balance of Independent Learning (child-initiated exploration) and adult-led learning during the school day.
Children are expected to complete ‘jobs’ with adults throughout the day. This could be reading, writing, phonics, maths, understanding the world, art or music. However, we know children learn best through play and the open ended, child led approach is one we follow very much at Priestley so enable our children to be as successful as they can be with their learning. As much as possible, we try to direct the learning to an individual interest expressed by the child.
The adults at Priestley are skilled to manage and lead play so that the children are getting the most learning possible from it. If you visit our classrooms you will see adults involving themselves in play with the children be it in the role play area or using the trains. The children love the adult company and this prepares and scaffolds them to be able to effectively play independently with their peers.
The adults may use choosing time as 1:1 reading time when the children are settled. Independent Learning is guaranteed to be the part of the day that children will talk about most when they return home from school each afternoon! It is a privilege for us to see those wonderful new learning moments in action and to have this time to truly understand each child. We document this learning using photographs and annotations of conversations/ statements made by the children like below.
Useful Information
Physical Development Factsheet
Useful Websites:
PACEY Being school-ready | PACEY
BBC Bitesize https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/collections/starting-primary-school/1