Oaklands Primary Academy

We want every child to get a fantastic first impression of academy. We also want them to settle as quickly as possible. In their first year, children will follow a child-centred, skills-based curriculum. Daily provision consists of a combination of child-initiated learning and teacher-directed learning

At the beginning of the year, the majority of the day will be child-initiated learning, with the balance gradually shifting as the year progresses. During child initiated learning, children are provided with extensive opportunities to develop their own skills and interests. This facilitates independent learning, improves social skills, and aids personal organisation. Children are assessed continually through recorded observations that inform future planning to ensure continual progression. Learning is focused on The Early Years Foundation Stage principles. These principles set the standards for learning, development and care. The Foundation Stage children follow the revised EYFS curriculum. Our Foundation Stage curriculum is for children in Reception and Nursery, it offers balanced, all-round development. It is divided into seven areas of learning and development. All areas of learning are very much interlinked and of equal value.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) sets out the learning and development stages for children as they grow from birth to five years.

Children develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives than at any other time. For those working in the early years (whether as a childminder or in a nursery, pre-school, or reception class in school), the Early Years Foundation Stage framework outlines what practitioners need to do to support your child. 

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) has its own stand-alone curriculum for Pre-School and Reception children in primary settings.  From September 2021 the EYFS curriculum is changing for all settings in England

Early Years Foundation Stage  Framework 2021

The EYFS curriculum is split into Prime and Specific areas.  The prime areas are important because they lay the foundations for children’s success in all other areas of learning and of life.  The specific areas provide the range of experiences and opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills:

The Prime Areas of learning are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development;
• Communication and Language;
• Physical Development.

The Specific Areas of learning are:

• Literacy;
• Mathematics;
• Understanding the World;
• Expressive Arts and Design.

At the beginning of each Reception year, we carry out a Baseline Assessment to record every child’s ability in key areas.  This also helps us track their progress and assess our teaching across the Reception year.  This baseline will be short (approximately 20 minutes), interactive and practical, covering language and communication, early mathematics and self-regulation. It will use age-appropriate resources that children can handle and manipulate.

In the final term of each Reception year, we complete the EYFS Profile for each child.  This helps us track each child’s progress and support transition to Year 1 helping the Year 1 teacher plan a curriculum that will suit all of the pupils in their new class.  We measure the children’s ability in each of the seven key areas outlined above, based on our close observations of the children and their activity, and assess them as either:

• emerging (not quite at the expected level)
• expected (at the expected level)
• exceeding (beyond the expected level)

For us to assess a child as at the expected level we would expect them to be demonstrating their skills regularly and independently in each of the key areas.

At the end of the Reception year, pupils are benchmarked against the Early Learning Goals for each area.  Attainment is described as either: emerging (working below the expected level) or expected (working at the expected level) and these are reported to parents in the end-of-year written report. which will focus on the following:

Statutory EYFS Framework Effective from September 2021

New EYFS Framework

Non-statutory Guidance for EYFs

Birth to 5 Guidance