Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum
Welcome to our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum page.
Our experienced Early Years team has carefully developed an ambitious, exciting and immersive curriculum that challenges every child while responding to their individual needs. Thoughtfully planned play is enriched through purposeful enhancements and memorable experiences, supporting children to make the best possible progress.
We prioritise high-quality interactions and recognise that young children learn best through meaningful play and focused learning in small groups. Adult-led activities are therefore short, purposeful and carefully matched to each child’s stage of development. These activities are selected with care, drawing on approaches with a strong evidence base, including guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). We also use approaches that our experienced EYFS team has adapted and refined over time to meet the needs of our children.
Our curriculum focuses on the knowledge and skills that matter most. Key learning is explored in depth, revisited and practised until it becomes secure and fluent. This ensures that children develop strong foundations, rather than encountering important concepts only superficially, and gain the confidence and independence they need to thrive throughout the EYFS and beyond.
Our approach is informed by evidence-based practice and is regularly reviewed and refined to ensure that children at Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School receive the very best curriculum offer. Planning reflects common and anticipated interests, alongside the context, experiences and needs of the children in our school community.
We place particular emphasis on developing communication and language throughout the EYFS, recognising that these skills underpin learning, relationships and future success. To support this priority, we have carefully selected a range of programmes and ways of working that enable us to maintain the highest expectations and help every child achieve the greatest possible progress.
‘In play a child is always above his average age, above his daily behaviour, in play, it’s as though he were a head taller than himself ’Lev Vygotsky 1978.
EYFS Curriculum
At Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School, we follow a bespoke EYFS curriculum developed by our experienced Early Years team. It is underpinned by the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and informed by the non-statutory guidance in Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters.
The EYFS curriculum separates learning into seven areas of learning:
The Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional development.
Communication and Language
Physical Development
The Specific Areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Art and Design
Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage for group and school providers
Development Matters – Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage
Birth to 5 Matters – Non-statutory curriculum guidence for the Early Years Foundation Stage
Timetables
Nursery Timetable
Reception Timetable
Adult-Directed Teaching and Learning
At Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School, we keep adult-directed teaching short, purposeful, and delivered in small groups wherever possible. This targeted approach promotes high levels of motivation and active engagement for our youngest learners. Here is an overview of out adult directed activities:
Discover the evidence behind our approach: visit the EEF website to learn why we have chosen to implement the Nuffield Early Language Intervention
Discover the evidence behind our approach: Visit the EEF webpage and The National Literacy Trust
Our cycling provision draws on evidence about how young children develop movement skills and the importance of regular physical activity, to read more on why we have chosen to implement Bikeability in EYFS, click the following links: EEF: Physical development in the early years, Research: Balance bikes and independent cycling and UK Chief Medical Officers: Physical activity in the early years
Self-Registration
NELI-Preschool
Check in
NELI preschool
Daily Story Time
Mathematics
Please click on the link to see our bespoke medium term plans below. These plans have been specifically designed to meet the needs of our pupils, allowing children to develop automaticity and a secure understanding of the foundational knowledge needed to thrive in Key Stage One and beyond.
Medium Term Maths Planning (Nursery)
Medium Term Mathematics Plan Reception
Continuous Provision
Continuous provision is the carefully planned environment, experiences and resources that are available for children to explore independently throughout the day. It provides meaningful opportunities for children to revisit, practise and deepen the knowledge and skills they have been taught, while also following their interests, developing curiosity and making connections in their learning.
At Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School, our continuous provision is purposeful, progressive and responsive to the needs of our children. We use our knowledge of the typical starting points of children entering our setting, alongside the Development Matters framework, to identify and carefully sequence the knowledge and skills we want children to develop throughout their time in EYFS.
Both our indoor and outdoor learning environments and resources are thoughtfully organised to provide repeated opportunities for children to practise and build upon these skills. Skilled adults play a crucial role within continuous provision, using high-quality interactions, modelling, questioning and carefully considered enhancements to extend children’s thinking and move learning forward. Children are encouraged to communicate, investigate, problem-solve, create, collaborate and apply their developing knowledge with increasing independence.
Continuous provision also plays an important role in developing the behaviours children need to become successful learners. Through sustained opportunities to make choices, explore ideas, overcome challenges and return to previous learning, children develop independence, resilience, confidence, curiosity and executive function skills. In this way, continuous provision is not separate from our curriculum; it is a key way in which our curriculum is implemented, practised and embedded.
Our Progression of Skills documents demonstrate how the skills developed through continuous provision are carefully sequenced from children’s entry into Nursery at three years old through to the end of Reception, ensuring that learning builds progressively across the EYFS.
Click on the links to see our ‘Progression of Skills’: Construction Area, Creative Area, Loose Parts-Deconstucted roleplay, Mallable Area, Physical Area, Roleplay Area, Sand Area, small world, Water Area and Writing Area
Outdoor Learning
At Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School, we recognise the outdoor environment as an important extension of our classroom, providing rich opportunities for learning across the curriculum and experiences that cannot always be planned for or replicated indoors. We value spontaneous and responsive learning, recognising that some of the most meaningful learning can emerge from children’s own discoveries, questions and interests. A change in the weather, finding a minibeast, noticing ice or shadows, observing seasonal change or encountering a problem can become a valuable opportunity to introduce new vocabulary, develop thinking and deepen children’s understanding of the world. Outdoors, children have the freedom and space to investigate, build, measure, count, create, collaborate and problem-solve on a larger scale, applying their developing knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts. Skilled adults recognise and respond to these moments, knowing when to join and extend children’s learning, when to introduce new knowledge and vocabulary, and when to give children the time and space to explore independently.
Outdoor learning also plays a fundamental role in children’s physical development. Before children can control a pencil effectively, they need strength, stability and coordination throughout their whole body. Running, climbing, balancing, digging, carrying, pushing, pulling and large-scale mark making help to develop core strength, shoulder stability, bilateral coordination and gross motor control, providing important foundations for fine motor development and writing. We recognise that writing begins long before a child picks up a pencil and therefore make purposeful use of children’s valuable time in EYFS to establish these foundations rather than rushing towards formal outcomes before children are physically ready. Through frequent opportunities to move, explore and take appropriate risks, children progress from whole-body movement and gross motor control towards the increasingly refined movements needed for drawing, mark making and fluent handwriting. By investing time in these fundamental skills, while preserving the curiosity, freedom and sense of discovery that outdoor learning provides, we aim to develop confident, capable and independent learners who are physically prepared for the next stage of their education.
Assessment
We use Learning Journals to assess and track children’s attaintment and progress. This enables us to mointor coverage and ensure progression. We value parent contributions using this online platform to see what learning children are doing outside of the classroom.
Laying the Foundations for the National Curriculum
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we strive to prepare every child to successfully engage with the National Curriculum in Key Stage One and beyond. Have a look at ways in which we prepare children by clicking on the links.
To see more on Geography throughout EYFS, Key Stage One and Key stage Two at Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School, visit our Geography Curriculum Webpage.
To see more on History throughout EYFS, Key Stage One and Key stage Two at Gwladys Street Community Primary and Nursery School, visit our History Curriculum Webpage
Useful Links for Nursery and Reception Parents
Liverpool Early Reading Pathway PowerPoint Presentation
WELLCOMM Support for Parents WellComm Early Years: Supporting language at home – GL Support
Words for Life by the National Literacy Trust Words for Life | National Literacy Trust | Words for Life
Bladder and Bowl Support Home – ERIC
Top Tips for Ditching the Dummy Tips for ditching the dummy | Toddler | Health for Under 5s
NSPCC Tips for Parents Look, Say, Sing, Play – Brain-building tips | NSPCC
Useful Links for Reception Parents
Read, Write Inc a guide for Parents Parent guide to Read Write Inc. Phonics – Oxford Owl
Nuffield Early Language Intervention for Parents Home | Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI)
Class Pages
For a more detailed and up to date view of what we have been learning, please visit our class pages.