Giving Your Child A Head Start
Our quality curriculum enables our children to achieve their true potential. Play and activities are developed through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which builds a coherent and flexible approach to care and learning. They provide essential underpinnings of good practice with our emphasis on learning through play.
What is EYFS?
The EYFS is the framework for children from birth to five years, introduced in 2008 by the Government and revised in 2014. The EYFS covers the 7 key areas of learning and development
The Prime Areas
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development
The Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
Together with these areas of development there is also the Characteristics of Effective Learning which describe how your child learns best.
The 3 Characteristics of Effective Learning are:
- Playing and Exploring – Engagement – Finding out and exploring, playing with what they know and being willing to ‘have a go’.
- Active Learning – Motivation – Being involved and concentrating, keep trying, enjoying achieving what they set out to do.
- Creating and Thinking Critically – Thinking – Having their own ideas, making links, choosing ways to do things.
By implementing these, the 7 areas of learning and development are delivered through stimulating environments, strong relationships with parents and outside agencies, individual observations, and individually planned, purposeful play, with a balance of child-led initiatives.
The EYFS framework also covers the welfare of children:
- The facilities and all the equipment are safe for children to use
- Children are protected against abuse- providers must attend safeguarding training and follow “Working together to safeguard children”
- Children have access to a good quality environment (eg outdoor space)
- Staff are properly trained to care for children
- Information is kept confidential
- Complaints are dealt with appropriately
- Staff have undergone the proper checks before working with children
Your child’s Learning Journey will be created to celebrate his or her experiences of learning, and to honour the creations they make. Your child’s key person will work with you to build a very precious record of your child’s time at the nursery. The Learning Journey will include photographs to capture moments and observations to record significant moments
Where does the EYFS apply?
All childcare providers except mother and toddler groups, nannies and short-term crèches have to be registered and inspected by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education.
Head over to the official government website for EYFS to find out more: https://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage
How will I know how my child is doing?
EYFS guidelines state that your child should have a ‘key person’ at nursery, pre-school or reception class, who is responsible for putting together information on how your child is developing. You can ask to see this information, share your own impressions and build on what your child is learning at home.
Testimonials
Our Happy Parents!
To all you lovely Bizzie bee keepers, thank you for making Jess’s first week so enjoyable-you have made her (and me) feel so welcome. Lots of love!
Jen