The Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) starts in Nursery and continues until the end of Reception Class. Phase 1 includes all Reception and Year One children.
Children enter the Phase in the September before their fifth birthday and then stay in Phase 1 until they are seven.
During the Reception Class year, the children experience teacher input on a daily basis and access continuous provision through the day to stimulate, develop and enhance their play and development. The principles are very much based on learning through play and developing independence, through the Prime and Specific areas of the EYFS curriculum. Children are provided with a stimulus taken from their own interests and encouraged to complete activities and challenges each week based on this. The development of each child as an individual is significant and tasks and activities are planned accordingly and extended where possible. There are dedicated Phonics, Guided Reading and Maths input sessions that fill the children's very busy days. Children have access to the outdoors on a daily basis and our work involves parents as partners in as many ways as possible to develop the children’s education and characteristics of learning. We offer Parents’ Evenings and drop in sessions for parents to visit and work alongside their children and share as many experiences as possible to enhance their learning journey.
Transition into Year 1 is very important and an element of continuous provision is evident for the first term and builds towards full class based learning by the end of the first term in Year 1 and when children are ready. The curriculum is developed and enters the National Curriculum where teaching becomes more formal and covers a wide range topics based on interests where possible. In the Summer Term, Year 1 children will take the National Phonics Screening Test to establish their phonic scores.
In Key Stage One, the Read Write Inc. phonics scheme is followed alongside the accelerated reader programme.
As part of our through school, some of the children in EYFS are taught by secondary colleagues for PE, Music and Dance but remain with their class teachers for all others subjects. Our modern classrooms create a light and airy atmosphere providing an ideal learning environment for the children of this stage. The children work with a team of excellent, dedicated teachers and teaching assistants ensuring a happy, hardworking, enthusiastic part of the school.
Our Phase One long term plans can be viewed by clicking the corresponding links below:
Give your child a head-start in their KS1 SATs preparation with a great range of resources by following the link below: