Early Years Foundation Stage

Early Years Foundation Stage

At St Bede’s we believe that the first years in education are a vital time for preparing children for their future learning journey. Children learn best when they are happy, secure and have a high sense of wellbeing.

Staff provide our children with a safe and friendly environment to develop in, with open ended and well thought out resources. Through play experiences and purposeful teaching, our children become confident to explore and are enthusiastic to learn.

We build on children’s prior learning from previous settings and from home, to ensure that learning is meaningful, relevant and tailored to children’s needs and interests.  We strive to promote the holistic development of all children in order to build a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning.

During the EYFS practitioners prepare children for current and future learning by:

• ensuring that every child will learn to read, regardless of ability, need or background. Giving pupils the key skills that provides a foundation for their learning throughout their school career and beyond.
• ensuring excellence in teaching and learning delivered through a well-planned, rich and varied curriculum
• encouraging children to become enthusiastic learners with resilience to try new things.
• promoting respect for themselves, other members of the school community and the wider world.
• developing children to be active participants in their world

We consider it is of vital importance that children learn and develop positive characteristics as individuals alongside academic knowledge and skills. These are qualities that will ensure they continue to learn and thrive throughout their school life and beyond.

We encourage the Characteristics of Effective Learning, as outlined in the Development Matters Document (September 2023)

Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’

Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements

Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things