Early Years Foundation Stage

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Foundation Stage is the name given to the phase of learning from 0 to 5.  By the end of the Foundation Stage (the end of Reception) most children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals and where appropriate go beyond them.

Our aim is to create a warm, welcoming stimulating environment where your child will feel secure, happy and develop an awareness of caring and sharing.  We are aware of their need for active involvement in learning and encourage exploring.

We acknowledge the need for children to find their own identity and to develop a good self image which will enable them to build up good relationships with other young children. We encourage children to gradually gain independence.

Children learn through play.  They learn to create, construct and discover, to observe behaviour and form relationships, to act out situations, to develop skills and adjust to new experiences.  They learn to talk freely and listen to others.

We aim to create an environment where opportunities are structured to encourage children's development.

The Foundation Stage curriculum is organised into prime areas and specific areas

The prime areas include:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development

The specific areas include:

• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design

The Early Learning Goals establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage.  They are not age but developmentally related as we fully realise children at this stage can develop at an uneven rate within different areas.​