Foundation

EYFS Intent

At Barley Croft we understand that the prime areas of the EYFS curriculum are a priority for our pupils as they begin their school journey. This covers communication and language, PSHCE and physical development.  It is our intention that these areas are incorporated into our daily school life to ensure all pupils have the opportunities to develop these important skills. Through our carefully planned, broad and balanced curriculum, we aim to plan experiences that meet the needs of all pupils through their interests as well as provocations to help ignite their curiosity and spark new learning.   

All staff understand the importance of quality interactions with pupils and through these interactions we aim to expand and enrich childrens vocabulary, support and develop their independence and promote learning through play. 

We provide a learning experience that is bespoke to Barley Croft and to every unique cohort,. This is based on the children’s needs identified at baseline, and our continual gap analysis that supports our planning and provision set up.  

Each child has their individual starting points which we value and recognise.  

How we will implement our intention... 

At Barley Croft Primary School we prioritise creating a ‘language rich’ environment through the use of open ended provision indoor and outdoors, through songs, nursery rhymes, stories and providing time for quality interactions between adults and between peers. Trained staff ensure that interactions are positive and progressive, allowing children to flourish and gather words at pace in order to become confident communicators. Staff run effective communication programmes such as Talk Boost which enhance communication, vocabulary and expressive skills. Children are encouraged to become early readers through enjoyment of books and the systematic teaching of our Little Wandle phonics programme..      

We effectively plan and design an early year’s curriculum that not only meets the emerging needs of the children but also supports, extends and develops curiosity and engagement with learning. Long term planning is frequently improved to ensure that it is well sequenced and progressive. Our planning is responsive and flexible, ensuring that we cater to emerging needs, interests and fascinations. The curriculum is planned to ensure that the unique child is considered. The sequence of the curriculum builds on prior knowledge of the child from their nursery and home experiences.  

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Our maths based learning is taught through a combination of our chosen whole school Power Maths scheme and independently accessed resources chosen to enhance their prior knowledge as we move through the academic year. It helps to build upon the taught skills and allow exploration with an adult, their peers and independently.  

Physical development is an area we also focus on ensuring we provide a wide range of experiences and opportunities to develop their core and gross motor strength as well as their fine motor skills. We do this through our outdoor area and equipment we offer, activities we plan and challenges we set. We also use a successful Big Moves intervention for children who need a little additional support. 

At Barley Croft we understand the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers and as part of the school community. We do this through our welcome to school meetings, home visits and stay and play sessions at the start of the school year. During the school year, parents receive updates through our online learning journey Seesaw and also receive Knowledge Organisers to inform them of what their child is learning, key vocabulary explained and how they can support learning at home.  We also offer regular sessions for parents and carers to join us in our classroom environments for activities and to share experiences with your child. 

As part of the learning and teaching process, children are assessed through a balance of observation during play, adult directed play and information from home. This is then used in conjunction with our new skills progression documents to help determine where the child is with their learning and at the end of the year in relation to the Early Learning Goals.