“The Love of Christ Shines here”

The term Early Years Foundation Stage is used to describe children who are in our Nursery and Reception classes.
 
Aim
At Our Lady & St Philomena’s we aim to provide the highest quality care and education for all our children thereby giving them a strong foundation for their future learning. We create a safe and happy environment with motivating and enjoyable learning experiences that enable children to become confident and independent. We value the individual child and work alongside parents and others to meet their needs and help every child to reach their full potential.
 
As outlined in the EYFS, ‘Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances.’
  
This policy is based on the requirements set out in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) applicable to group and school-based providers, currently effective from September 2025.

Structure of EYFS
We have a 26 place morning nursery.
We have one Reception class with 30 places full time school hours.

Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
 Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
 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 and parents and/or carers
 Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates
 
Principles into practice
As part of our practice we:

 Provide a balanced curriculum, based on the EYFS, across the seven areas of learning, using play as the vehicle for learning
 Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice. We provide early intervention for those children who require additional support
 Work in partnership with parents and within the wider context
 Plan challenging learning experiences, based on the individual child, informed by observation and assessment
 Provide opportunities for children to engage in activities that are adult-initiated and child-initiated, supported by the adult
 Have a key person approach to develop close relationships with individual children
 Provide a secure and safe learning environment indoors and out
 
Curriculum – Implementation

Our early years setting follows the statutory curriculum requirements as outlined in the latest
version of the EYFS statutory framework that applies from September 2021. We offer a broad and
balanced curriculum that covers the statutory aspects as well as other knowledge and skills to
support pupils’ personal development, prepare pupils for their next stage of education and develop
the whole child.

The EYFS framework includes 7 areas of learning and development that are equally important and
interconnected. However, 3 areas known as the prime areas are seen as particularly important for
igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building children’s capacity to learn, form
relationships and thrive.

The prime areas are:
• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

The prime areas are strengthened and applied through 4 specific areas:
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

These are also underpinned by the Characteristics of Effective Learning, as detailed in the
framework.
Children will play and explore their environment showing engagement by:
• finding out and exploring
• play with what they know
• be willing to ‘have a go’

Children will be active learners, showing motivation by:
• being involved and concentrating
• keeping on trying
• enjoying achieving what they set out to do

Children will be creators and think critically by:
• having their own ideas
• making links
• choosing ways to do things

None of these areas can be delivered in isolation from the others. They are equally important and depend on each other. All areas are delivered through a balance of adult led and child initiated activities. Through play and practical experiences children learn about the world and their place in it. They learn through first hand experiences, talk, books and equipment. We set realistic yet challenging expectations that meet the needs of our children. We achieve this by planning to meet the needs of boys and girls, children with special educational needs, children who are more able, children with disabilities, children from all social and cultural backgrounds, children of different ethnic groups and those from diverse linguistic backgrounds.