Our Intent

At Roselands Primary School we strive to embed the Characteristics of Effective Learning which are closely linked to our four school values and develop independent, collaborative, resilient and ambitious learners.   We aim to build on the knowledge and skills children already have when they arrive, drawing on the transition from feeder settings.  We recognise that all children are unique, celebrating and welcoming differences within our school community.  Therefore, our curriculum is a balance of adult-led learning opportunities, based around the long term curriculum plans, and child-led learning opportunities. We strive to use the interests and fascinations of the children as a vehicle to deliver the curriculum outcomes.  We are passionate about children immersing  themselves in their learning and believe that a child’s first experience of school should be happy and positive, developing a lifelong love of learning. This is underpinned by strong, effective relationships where children feel safe and secure at school.

Implementation

Our curriculum follows the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.  This document specifies the requirements for learning and development in the EYFS and provides the prime and specific areas of learning we must cover in our curriculum. There is a significant focus on early reading and phonics throughout the provision and teaching. Through our knowledge of each child and formative assessments, the EYFS team plans exciting and engaging activities that will motivate and interest the children and move their learning forward.  This may involve following a class theme where we develop a wide range of skills with an emphasis on  vocabulary. Units of learning may also include incorporating individual children’s interests and using this to increase engagement in the curriculum.  We offer our own unique blend of whole class, guided, adult-directed play and child-initiated play activities dependent on the nature and needs of the class of individuals.  All areas of the EYFS curriculum are followed and planned for to ensure there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum. Thought is also given to planning opportunities for children to develop skills that will enable them to access the wider national curriculum subjects when they move on from their Reception year.

The children will learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum:

• Communication and Language
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

These 7 areas are used to plan children’s learning and activities.  Daily guided activities are planned to cover different areas of the EYFS curriculum and allow children to develop their next steps in learning. A vital aspect in the development of essential knowledge and skills is the use of continuous provision.  This means that children are using and developing taught skills throughout the year on a daily basis. Continuous provision practice and principles begin in EYFS and support children to develop key life skills such as independence, collaboration, resilience and ambition for those around them and the environment. In planning and guiding children’s activities we consider the different ways that children learn and reflect these in our practice, ensuring our planning, adult interaction and learning environment, including continuous provision, support children to reach their next steps, so good progress is made.

We provide effective and focused intervention for those children who are finding learning challenging and are not on track to meet expectations at the end of the year.  This will be provided in an inclusive way and support from parents is also encouraged at an early stage to ensure that the children have every chance to achieve the Early Learning Goals and can be successful as they transition into Year One. 

We love to provide children with opportunities that lots of them have not experienced before or that enhance their learning in school.  We go on visits to support this; for example a trip to Paignton Zoo to learn about growth or arranging for the local emergency services to come into school to talk to children about their jobs during a focus on people who help us.  We ensure that all of our visits are learning related and will provide the spark for further immersion in a theme or project. We feel it is important for us to consider the cultural capital for each cohort and the opportunities we can provide them to ensure they have access to beneficial experiences no matter their starting point in life. 

By the end of the year we provide opportunities for children to increase their independence in recording their work to ensure they are well prepared for the move to Year 1.  We also ensure that the pedagogy in Year 1 reflects the independent learning skills children have gained in their Reception year. Transition in Year One is enhanced further by the introduction of COOL Challenges to allow Year One children to explore learning objectives through play based activities. EYFS teachers also work alongside KS1 colleagues at the end of the year to help moderate end of year judgements. 

Staff work to ensure that children are surrounded by a kind, caring and happy environment which helps them develop the same skills in their journey through school.  It is a positive place to be where resilience, perseverance and successes are celebrated and every child feels valued and respected.

Impact

The impact of the EYFS curriculum is reflected in having well rounded, happy and confident children, who embody our values and carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens. 

We strive to ensure that our children’s progress across the EYFS curriculum is good from their varied starting points.  We also aim for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception and to be at least in line with National and Local Authority data.  We have consistently exceeded this in the past ten years.

We measure progress and children’s learning across the year through formative assessment which is based on the teacher’s knowledge of the child and observations of new learning. This informs future planning and provides opportunities for children to build on their current knowledge and skills at a good pace.  Summative assessment compares children’s attainment to age related expectations.  This is tracked using Scholarpack to ensure children are ‘on track’.

Our assessment judgements have been moderated both in school and externally with others in our trust. This means judgements are secure and consistent with government guidelines.