EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE
The children at Cleator Moor Nursery School follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework. The overarching aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes of (1) staying safe, (2) being healthy, (3) enjoying and achieving, (4) making a positive contribution, (5) achieving economic well-being.

Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential . A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances.

The Nursery must, by law, deliver learning and development requirements; these comprise of three elements :

the early learning goals – the knowledge, skills and understanding which young children should have acquired by the end of the academic year in which they reach the age of 5;

the educational programmes – the matters, skills and processes which are required to be taught to young children;

the assessment arrangements – the arrangements for assessing young children to ascertain their achievements.

There are six areas covered by the early learning goals and educational programmes :

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development

The six areas help staff to plan a learning environment, activities and experiences and provide a framework for the early years curriculum. This does not mean that all of young children’s learning is divided up into areas. One experience may provide a child with opportunities to develop a number of competencies, skills and concepts across several areas of learning. For example, your child may be playing in the sand tray and developing language, problem solving, physical, personal and social, knowledge and understanding and creative competencies through this one activity.

The statutory early learning goals establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the EYFS, so laying secure foundations from birth for future learning.

During your child’s time in Nursery they will progress through the EYFS curriculum moving towards the early learning goals. By the end of the EYFS, some children will have exceeded the goals. Other children, depending on their individual needs, will be working towards some or all of the goals – particularly some younger children, some children with learning difficulties and disabilities and some learning English as an additional language.

More information about the EYFS is displayed in the cloakroom as well as a copy of the weekly curriculum plan.