We believe that our children deserve to be valued as individuals and we are passionate in enabling all our children to achieve their full, unique potential. We recognise our role in supporting our children regardless of backgrounds or different life experiences and strive to enable them to be the best they can be.

At Chester Blue Coat CE Primary School our EYFS curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning from previous settings and their experiences at home, to provide first hand engaging learning experiences, whilst allowing the child to build up resilience, ambition and integrity. Every child is recognised as a unique individual and we celebrate and welcome all differences within our school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. We provide adult-focused learning activities and enhanced continuous provision opportunities in order to extend learning, respond to children’s interests, and promote awe and wonder.

We follow The Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage which sets the standards for learning, development, and care for children from birth to 5 years. We use Development matters/Birth to 3 Matters documents as a guide for learning and experiences but supplement these with our own experiences which we believe are rich, relevant and meaningful for our children.

Our curriculum is broad, balanced, and flexible, building on the knowledge, understanding, and skills of all children, whatever their starting points. We promote a growth mindset approach that reflects the values and skills needed to promote thinking skills, overcome difficulties and the adaptability needed to succeed in future learning.

Our children learn by playing and exploring, being active and thinking critically and creatively and this takes place both indoors and outdoors. Children make their own decisions about where they learn best and we strive to make both environments equal in their learning value and engagement.

Carefully planned sequences of activities provide engaging, meaningful learning experiences as well as providing enhancements to the provision and learning environment to support children in developing their skills, knowledge and understanding. Rich first-hand experiences (inside, outdoors, visitors and special days) widen experiences and promote awe and wonder.

We prioritise high quality interactions punctuated with adult-focused activities where appropriate. We recognise the vital importance of extending children's vocabulary and speech and follow the 'SHREC approach' modelling good language structures and commentary as we play alongside them. Staff role model scaffold play and learning, encouraging children to follow their own interests. In both Nursery and Reception we ensure the children have uninterrupted time to play and explore for as long as possible, as we recognise the value of giving children plenty of time to consolidate, refine and extend their learning and interests.

We place a strong emphasis on supporting children to verbalise their feelings and teach them strategies to manage these and begin to self-regulate. Zones of Regulation are used to support our children’s mental health and emotional literacy alongside the use of giving children practical strategies to manage emotions eg finger breathing and yoga. Stories are used to support learning as well as teaching through first first-hand experiences.

An effective and stimulating environment is provided, that is rich in language, providing opportunities for children to develop their oracy, reading and writing.

The ‘Wellcomm speech and language programme’ is used to provide language activities to support beginner English speakers and extend those needing further challenge. It is used to inform communication with external agencies where there are communication concerns and aligns with the speech therapy support service. This continues in Reception where needed, alongside using initiatives such as the Reception Narrative and Helicopter Stories. We strive to ensure our children continue to develop the skills they need to be effective and confident communicators. Makaton is used where appropriate to support non-speakers and also to secure understanding so all our children, whatever language they may speak, may access provision and make progress. Adults provide high-quality interactions with the children, building on their knowledge of each child and their individual next steps, supporting them to succeed.
Literacy is taught using high-quality texts, rich in vocabulary and new words are regularly reinforced so they are learned in a range of contexts and embedded into memory. Reading and writing opportunities are evident throughout our continuous provision seeking to engage and motivate children to become enthusiastic and effective readers and writers.

Phonics is taught daily in EYFS using ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ (SSP). Phonic sounds are introduced in a systematic manner and progress is monitored closely and interventions are used promptly where needed and staffing allows. Phonics opportunities are promoted in the enhanced and continuous provision activities available to children during the week. In Nursery children focus on Phase 1 which concentrates on developing a love of stories and reading as well as children's speaking and listening skills and lays the foundations for the phonic work which starts in Phase 2. The emphasis during Phase 1 is to get children attuned to the sounds around them and ready to begin developing oral blending and segmenting skills, prior to GPC. Children take books home to develop literacy skills with their families throughout our EYFS and we do all we can to promote a love of stories and a recognition of these precious opportunities with our parents.

The Maths curriculum in EYFS is taught through direct focussed sessions from White Rose Maths. Mathematical opportunities are promoted in the enhanced and continuous provision activities available to all our EYFS children during the week. Mathematics is promoted through vocabulary-rich adult-led activities as well as themed investigations linked to children’s interests.

The EYFS curriculum is centred on the needs of the children, inclusive of disadvantaged children and those with SEND. We ensure children are able to access our provision in a way that suits their needs as well as meeting their specific learning requirements through adult-directed learning opportunities. We act on concerns promptly as early identification is key to maximising the early years of learning and development.

Parent partnership is a key feature of our school and families join us for Stay and play sessions every half term. We operate an ‘open door policy’ each day as we greet and say goodbye, to enable communication and home-school links to be strong and effective. Parents are also invited in for story time sessions during the year to further promote the value of reading.
Our school website and ‘Arbor’ is used to provide half-termly information about learning opportunities within Nursery and Reception as well as being a way to share information and successes about our children and our school.
Parents are invited to termly meetings to discuss their child’s progress and regularly invited to contribute learning/experiences from home to support leveling of achievement. Pupils' learning is shared with parents and carers through ‘2Simple’s Evidence Me’ each term through photographs and observations.

From their own starting points, children make progress academically and socially, developing a sense of themselves. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement in activities, developing their speaking and listening skills, and enabling them to communicate effectively and confidently with both adults and children. Children develop skills across all areas of the curriculum including Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Development using these in different ways. Children will have developed a wider sense of the world around them and can draw on these experiences during interactions with others and link this to new learning. Children will have developed their ‘Characteristics of Learning’ and be able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations making links and explaining their ideas and understanding.

By the end of the Foundation Stage, our children are more confident to take risks and discuss their successes and failures with adults drawing on their experiences to improve or adjust what they are doing. Children will be successful learners and fully prepared for the next stage of their education as they transition from the Foundation Stage to Year One.

We monitor the impact of our curriculum through the collection of significant observations and make assessments that are shared during termly pupil progress meetings. We moderate areas of the curriculum to ensure the quality of our judgment and to support our staff. We aspire for children to reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. Team meetings and staff training provide support in achieving this and a solution focussed approach which enables our children to achieve their best.