Early Years and Foundation Stage at Hargate

To ensure we are providing the best learning opportunities for our children we work to the Government document known as The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

The Framework is based on a holistic view of development and celebrates the skills and competences of babies through to young children. It emphasises the connections between children’s growth, learning and development and the environment in which they are cared for and educated. 

It sets out seven areas of learning for children from the Birth to the age of five. Three of the areas are called Prime areas of learning and are as follows;

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Making relationships
• Self-confidence and self-awareness
• Managing feelings and behaviour

Physical Development 
 

• Moving and handling
• Health and self-care

Communication and Language 
 

• Listening and attention
• Understanding
• Speaking

Four of the areas are known as specific areas and are as follows; 

Literacy

• Reading
• Writing

Mathematics

• Numbers
• Shape, space and measure

Understanding the World

• People and communities
• The world
• Technology

Expressive Arts and Design

• Exploring and using media and materials
• Being imaginative

It is recognised that all children engage with other people and their environment – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically which underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

The Unique Child reaches out to relate to people and things through the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which move through all areas of learning.

Characteristics of effective learning include of Effective Learning

Playing and exploring – engagement

• Finding out and exploring
• Playing with what they know
• Being willing to ‘have a go’

Active learning – motivation

• Being involved and concentrating
• Keeping trying
• Enjoying achieving what they set out to do

Creating and thinking critically – thinking

• Having their own ideas
• Making links
• Choosing ways to do things

Exploration, discovery, play, communication and talk, both in and out of doors, are seen as vital to a child’s learning.

Useful links