We have two EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) classes, known as Year R (Reception). We follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum Framework ensuring the children explore, learn and apply new skills, knowledge and understanding. There are seven key areas of learning and development in EYFS:

Three prime areas:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Communication and Language

Physical Development

Four specific areas:

Literacy

Maths

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

We use these areas, alongside the children’s particular interests, to plan lessons, activities and experiences. At Birchington children in Reception learn by playing and exploring, creating and thinking critically and actively involving themselves in their own learning. We strive to make our children’s learning as engaging, interesting and real through six termly topics:

Marvellous Me!

Time to Celebrate!

People Who Help Us

My 5 Senses

Fairy Tales

All Creatures Great and Small

Play underpins our EYFS and we believe that real life experiences are essential. This combination increases children’s motivation, develops communication and language skills and provides them with a greater understanding of the world. In Reception we provide lots of opportunities for these experiences such as seasonal walks, visitors from the community, a trip to a wildlife centre and our local parish church. As well as this we have a wonderful outside space which is accessed by the children daily. At Birchington we provide children with a safe space to make decisions, take risks and challenge themselves with activities which are purposeful and engaging, in a variety of environments. 

The children use the playground regularly. This space is ideal for children to use our bikes and trikes, balancing equipment and our range of PE equipment which includes bats, balls and skipping ropes. The children also have access to our forest area, complete with mud kitchen. They also have a range of provision in our outside classroom, including a water area, sand area, small world zone, a music station, a stage, construction site and writing den.

Inside, our classrooms include a range of continuous provision, including role play areas, book corners and IT zones. We are also lucky enough to have a dedicated Art Room where children can freely explore a range of creative activities including painting, junk modelling and collage.

We use an online journal, Tapestry, to record the children’s achievements in their child-initiated activities. We open this journal up to parents/carers which allows them to view and comment on their children’s adventures and achievements in school.  Parents/carers are also able to add photographs/information to their child’s journal. This enables us to celebrate a child’s achievements at home as well as school

For our EYFS Curriculum, Intent, Implentation and Impact infomation, please CLICK HERE