Early Years Curriculum

Intent 

At Weeke, we aim to provide an exciting and motivating learning experience where children are always ‘thinking, talking, doing’. We believe these active, first-hand experiences encourage children to build resilience, ambition, and a lifelong love of learning. Our carefully organised learning environment provides children with familiarity, giving them the tools and independence to be the leaders of their own learning. We recognise these first years of education are crucial in laying the foundations and language for their future learning, giving them opportunity to explore, create and think critically alongside their peers. We recognise that all children are unique and will join us with their own set of life experiences, we celebrate and welcome these.

Implementation

We have designed our curriculum with these aims in mind to create a happy and productive learning experience for our all children. From the warm welcome on the door, the calm routines, the beautiful indoor and outdoor environment, to the inspiring experiences organised to link in with our learning, we are passionate about making the most of every opportunity!

Our curriculum involves half-termly themes, such as ‘Who do you think you are?’ or ‘Down on the Farm’. We carefully structure our day to balance short adult-led learning, with longer child-led learning sessions. We call the latter ‘choose your learning’, and this is where children can challenge themselves and follow their curiosity as they play and explore. Our staff team continually interact with children during these times to extend learning and maximise developmental progress.

Our children make great gains during EYFS, consistently showing high levels of well-being and engagement, demonstrating our school values of kindness, respect, responsibility and excellence.

Impact

The Early Years curriculum at Weeke is reflected by having well rounded, happy and confident children transitioning into Year 1. Our children are often role models for others in the school. We measure children’s learning and progress across the year through formative and summative assessment, which is based on the teachers’ knowledge of the child and their learning journeys.

We want you and your child(ren) to have an engaging and interesting learning experience as they go through Early Years. To achieve this we have produced a range of resources, activities, videos and support guidance to help you be part of that learning journey. Please use the information and links within the page both with your child and as a guide to help you understand more about our curriculum.

EYFS Curriculum Documents

Below are a number of school and nationally recognised documents that will help you as a parent understand more about the Early Years Foundation Stage and our curriculum. 

Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

Development Matters - non-statutory curriculum guidance for Early Years Foundation Stage 

Below is a link to a video that explains the areas of development in Early Years.

EYFS Areas of Development Explained

What to expect in Early Years - A guide for Parents

Learning Themes 

SUMMER 2 – Where would you like to go on holiday?

Our theme for this half term is ‘Where would you like to go on holiday?’ During this half term our focus is where children may have been on holiday before or special day trips they may have made as well as different places around the world. We talk about weather and how you might travel to the various destinations.

We have put together a Pinterest page with some suggestions of how you might support learning at home through this theme. Scan the QR code below on your phone or tablet and it will take you to the Pinterest page or click on the following link https://www.pinterest.co.uk/user_ctnmareshm/

Communication and language

In school, our main focus will be on encouraging the children to hold meaningful conversations when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with adults and other children. We will be asking children questions to extend their conversations further and encouraging them to ask questions themselves to develop deeper knowledge.

At home, hold conversations with your child, encouraging them to include as much information as possible. Begin questions with key words such as ‘when, where, what and how’, e.g. What was your favourite part of sports day? Why?

Personal, social and emotional development 

In school, we continue to follow the SCARF programme and this half term our focus will be:

• Looking after my special people
• Looking after my friends
• Being helpful at home and caring for our classroom
• Caring for our world

We will also start to talk about the transition to Year 1 and how the children are feeling about this. We will send out a transition book, similar to last year, about Year 1 and their new teachers. 

At home, you can follow the link below that SCARF have set up for parents to use with their children.

Physical development (Gross Motor)

In school, we are preparing for spots day, practising skills with a football and learning about sportsmanship. We are going on a trip to the Leisure Centre which will help to develop children’s confidence in trying new things as well as gaining new skills. We will also be coming to the end of our balance bike training, where the children will test their skills on an obstacle course.

Any physical activities you can do at home with your child will help to keep improving their gross motor skills and build strength. This could be a game of football, tennis or cricket, getting out for a bike ride or swimming.

Physical development (Fine Motor)

We are still working on accurate letter formation this half term as well as looking at capital versions. The children’s handwriting is really improving! Any extra practise you can do at home would really benefit your child.

The part they are still finding tricky is to complete the letter without taking the pencil off the page.

Here is a reminder of the tripod grid which we encourage all children to use.

- Right handed

- Left handed

At home, you could practise these letters with your child by:

- getting them to trace over the letters with paint, crayons or chalk

- follow the letters outline by sticking on stickers or gluing on pasta or beads

- rainbow writing – trace over the letters in several different colours

- make the letters with pipe cleaners, playdough or on pegboards.

However you practise, try to make it as fun as possible

Phonics and rich texts

We follow Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to teach phonics and reading. Follow the link for further help on the Little Wandle parent support page.

Phase 4 graphemes:

• Phase 3 long vowel graphemes with adjacent consonants

• CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC, CCCVC, CCCVCC words
• Words ending in suffixes: -ing, -ed,/t/, -ed/id/ed, -ed/d/ -er, -est
• Longer words

(See attached document below that gives examples of all of the above)

Tricky words: Review all taught so far (see attached document below that shows all words covered this year)

(Children really do find the tricky words tricky, so any extra practise you can do will really support them. You could play snap, pairs or perhaps hunt for the tricky word at home.)

These will be our key texts during Summer 2 . Click on the books to listen to the story.

Using this text as inspiration the children will be writing lists, simple instructions and a postcard.

We will use this book to start talking about transition into Year 1 with the children. They will write notes to their new teachers.

Maths

This half term the children will spend time reviewing and consolidating their learning from the year. They will revisit:

• Subitising (recognise quantities without counting) on a rekenrek (a counting frame, similar to an abacus)
• Counting beyond 20
• Patterns within number to 10, e.g. odds, evens, double facts and distributing quantities evenly
• Quick recall with number bonds within 5 and some bonds to 10
• Comparison with quantities up to 10 – recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other

Visit the Maths Video page for some short videos to explain some of the key concepts. 

We have found the 1-minute maths app created by White Rose Maths to be highly beneficial. Download the app from your app store on your tablet or phone. We recommend using the whole Subitising section and Addition - Games 1, 2 and 3. 

Understanding the World

In school, we will be learning about floating and sinking, creating our own boats and testing them out. We will also be learning all about changing matters - water to ice. We will be experimenting with ice lollies and how quickly they melt in various locations.

At home, you could make your own ice lollies? Find objects around the house that will float in the bath?

Expressive arts and design

In school, we will be exploring a variety of activities using the key skills taught throughout the year. We will be building on our fine motor skills whilst using scissors, joining a variety of materials together using different methods and designing and making 3D models of our own choice. At home, you can raid your recycling bin for boxes and containers to be used to create models. Ask children to design what they want to make first before finding the materials they need. Once their model is complete, can they think of ways they might improve it.

If you would like to revisit the learning theme information from previous half terms, please click on the links below.