We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Statutory Framework (2023, DfE) alongside the Development Matters Non-Statutory Guidance (2020, DfE) to ensure our curriculum meets the needs of all our learners and offers the best possible opportunities for all. In addition to this, we follow The DfE accredited Phonics Scheme ‘Super Sonic Phonics Friends’ to ensure that all our children have the best opportunity to become confident, independent readers and writers.

Staff have developed a broad and balance curriculum which focusses on child development and ensures children build on skills and knowledge that they already know. Each area of the curriculum is implemented through a balance of child-initiated, adults directed activities and guided play. The Characteristics of Effective Learning underpin the children’s learning and development across the seven areas. Highly trained staff ensure the children’s needs are met through continuous provision and enhanced provision linked to topics. Staff will follow the interests of learners and use opportunities to use these in provision and guided learning tasks.

Staff identify and recognise the differing needs and abilities of learners across the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide suitable provision and adaptions to learner where needed. Staff work alongside and seek support from our school SENDCO and other appropriate outside agencies to ensure all learners have the opportunity to meet their full potential.

Each child’s journey through the Early Year Foundation Stage at Crescent Primary School begins with us developing strong, mutual relationships with the children and their families. Our strong relationships ensures that staff know the children really well and enables us to provide opportunities and learning experiences for the children to build on their existing knowledge, skills and understanding. Our staff use opportunities through playing alongside and observing the children, to gather a clear understanding of where the children are in their learning and any gaps they may have. Staff then work as a team to discuss all of the learners and devise individual, personised next steps for each child. On-going assessment is at the heart of good quality, effective EYFS provision. We provide effective and focussed intervention for those children who are finding learning challenging and are not on track to meet the expectations at the end of the year. This will ensure that all children have every chance to achieve the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Reception year.

We measure progress and children’s learning across the year through formative and summative assessments.

We use the Tapestry online learning Journal to record observations and share the children’s learning with parents and carers. Staff create weekly posts to summarise the week’s learning and activities to ensure parents are continually informed and best able to support out of school.