EYFS

Wharton CE Primary School Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

At Wharton CE Primary, we are committed to providing our children with the best possible start to their school life. Our curriculum provides opportunities for the children to build on prior learning through the provision of first-hand learning experiences. We endeavour to give our children the skills and knowledge they need for the future; giving each child the best start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their full potential and achieve future success.

EYFS Framework 

Within this framework, there are four guiding principles which shape our practice.

These are:

• 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, (see "the characteristics of effective teaching and learning" at paragraph 1.9 in the attached document - Statutory Framework) and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early year’s provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Our curriculum encompasses the seven areas of learning and development, which are the Prime and specific areas.  All areas are important and inter-linked, and are particularly important for building a foundation for children’s learning.

The prime areas of learning are:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

 The specific areas of learning are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

Literacy - Drawing Club

In Literacy we use the Drawing Club approach which is designed by Greg Bottril that immerses the children into a world full of imagination.  It is through drawing club that we open up the magic world of tales and story to children whilst at the same time enriching their language skills, developing their fine motor skills and mathematics.   

Drawing club is a daily 10 minute whole class session, followed by the 'Drawing Club' itself, and is based upon the 3M principle.  These are making conversation, mark making and mathematics.  We use a book, traditional tale or an animation as a focus for the week.  Children learn new exciting vocabulary that we revisit each day of the week.  We draw characters on a Monday, settings on a Tuesday and we 'wonder' on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

We add maths to our drawings by talking about shapes, doubling, halving, addition subtraction, etc...  We might be drawing a troll with a spherical shaped head, 2 strong, wiry hairs on his chin, and double the amount coming out of each ear.  He has one more than 4 buttons on his filthy, ripped shirt. Children observe as the teacher models drawing club each morning and then get the opportunity to complete their own drawings.  They are invited to wear a lanyard showing they are part of the drawing club and can borrow ideas from the teacher or create their own amazing ideas to share.

One of the most exciting parts of drawing club is adding secret symbols and passwords to our drawings.  We always draw a secret symbol that can make anything happen!  Sometimes we press them and aliens or unicorns become 3 times bigger, pencils turn into chocolate or hair turns multi-coloured!  We then add a password to make the secret symbol work.  This can be a mark, letter, digraph (2 letters that make one sound), a word or a sentence.  As children progress and become more confident with their phonics, their passwords develop and move towards phrases and sentences.

Mathematics

In maths we follow the NCETM, mastery approach.

In reception the children are taught number, shape, space and measure four times a week in class The continuous provision areas also have clear links to maths and areas have been developed to ensure everyday maths opportunities are planned for, accessible for all children and adult
interactions supports the children in using concepts and applying learnt skills in different ways.

• Cardinality and Counting

  Understanding that the cardinal value of a number refers to the quantity, or ‘howmanyness’ of things it represents

• Comparison

  Understanding that comparing numbers involves knowing which numbers are worth more or less than each other

• Composition

  Understanding that one number can be made up from (composed from) two or more smaller numbers

• Pattern

  Looking for and finding patterns helps children notice and understand mathematical relationships

• Shape and Space

  Understanding what happens when shapes move, or combine with other shapes, helps develop wider mathematical thinking

• Measures

  Comparing different aspects such as length, weight and volume, as a preliminary to using units to compare later

T Theology R Relationships A Attitude and Aspirations I Inspire N next Steps.

Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. Proverbs 22 v 6

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