About Reception
The Early Years Foundation Stage
In Reception the children build up to engaging in daily phonic, reading and writing activities as well as mathematics sessions. The Learning Environment also provides a range of carefully structured play based activities, following the interests and learning needs we develop with your child. These rich learning experiences, across all areas of the early years foundation stage, are both teacher-led and created by children using their own ideas.
The provision for children’s development and learning is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage Handbook. Our provision reflects the four overarching principles of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
A Unique Child
Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive Relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Enabling Environments
Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners, parents and carers.
Learning and Development
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
How we provide for development and learning
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our Reception team helps children to continue to do this by providing all the children with interesting and motivating activities that are appropriate for their stage of development.
For each area, the level of progress that children are expected to have attained by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage is defined by the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know, and be able to do, by the end of the Reception year of their education.
Learning through play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. Reception uses the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to plan and provide a range of play activities, which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities, information from the Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.
Characteristics of effective learning
We understand that all children engage with other people and their environment through the characteristics of effective learning that are described in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance as:
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playing and exploring – engagement
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active learning – motivation
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creating and thinking critically – thinking.
Please use this link to the Development Matters Non-statutory guidance.
Behaviour in EYFS
At Woodlands, we believe that high standards of behaviour are important for a successful school. This means the children make the best possible progress in all aspects of their school life and work and all staff are able to teach and promote good learning without interruption.
We use approaches such as Zones of Regulation to support the learning and understanding of our feelings and behaviours. More information can be found here.
