Early Years

Our Early Years curriculum

Early Years education is the foundation upon which children build the rest of their lives and every child deserves the best possible start in life. At Endon Hall Primary & Nursery School, we are passionate about our early years offer and provision.

Across Nursery and Reception, we plan for learning and development in accordance with the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, both indoors and outdoors, encouraging the development of positive attitudes to learning and reflecting the individual’s interests, passions and abilities.

We are currently developing our outdoor learning offer to include Forest Schools, with our Nursery lead (who has EY teacher status) working towards this qualification.

There are seven areas of learning and development that provide a framework for planning, teaching and assessing in early years’ settings. All areas of learning and development are inter-connected.

The three prime areas, which are prioritised in Nursery, are:

    • Communication and Language – children will be given lots of opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; to speak and listen in a range of situations.
    • Physical Development – children will be provided with opportunities to be active and interactive; to develop their co-ordination, control and movement. Children will be taught the importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
    • Personal, Social and Emotional Development – children will  develop a positive sense of themselves and others; forming positive relationships and developing respect for others; developing social skills and learning how to manage their feelings; understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and have confidence in their own abilities.

There are also four specific areas through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. These are prioritised in the Summer Term of our main Nursery, and in Reception:

    • Literacy – children will be taught to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children will be given access to a wide range of reading materials to ignite their interest
    • Mathematics – children will be provided with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces and measures.
    • Understanding the World – Children will make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
    • Expressive Arts and Design – Children will explore and play with a range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

    When planning the early years curriculum we:

      • Consider the individual needs, interests, and development of each child in our care, and use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all areas of learning and development.
      • Stimulate children’s interests, responding to each child’s emerging needs and guiding their development through warm, positive interactions coupled with secure routines for play and learning.
      • Reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately.

    Teaching in the EYFS also encourages three characteristics of effective learning, which underpin the learning and development in all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

    The characteristics of effective learning are:

    Playing and exploring – engagement

      • Finding out and exploring
      • Playing with what they know
      • Being willing to “have a go”

    Active learning – motivation

      • Being involved and concentrating
      • Keeping trying
      • Enjoying achieving what they set out to do

    Creating and critically – thinking

      • Having their own ideas
      • Making links
      • Choosing ways to do things

    The curriculum is planned through a series of topics that reflect and respond to children’s interests, offering experiences in all areas of the curriculum, and which carry equal importance, to provide a broad and balanced curriculum with opportunities for play and child-initiated activities.

    Click below to see our EYFS curriculum coverage and progression maps, showing how knowledge and skills build across each Early Years class:

    – Satellite Nursery – Age 2 to 3 – Termly curriculum maps

    – Main Nursery – Age 3 to 4 – Half termly curriculum maps

    – Reception – Age 4 to 5 – Half termly curriculum maps

    We have also sequenced the Nursery Rhymes that are taught, as part of our Little Wandle rhyme time and to complement our focus on communication & language.
    Click below to see these overviews: 

    – Nursery rhyme coverage and progression – Satellite Nursery (Age 2) & Main Nursery (Age 3-4)

    – Nursery Rhyme coverage and progression – Reception (Age 4-5)

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