At Longney, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework. There are seven areas of learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. All of these areas are important and inter-connected. Of these seven, there are three prime areas which are particularly important for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving:
There are then four specific areas through which the prime areas are strengthened and applied:
In each of these areas, children’s interests are taken into account so that as practitioners we can ensure they are engaging in their learning all of the time through planned and purposeful play. As the adults in the classroom our role is more of a “facilitator” role allowing children to figure things out for themselves as well as developing a level of curiosity about the world around them.
To do this we have over-arching principles which shape our practice in EYFS. These are:
- Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
- Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
- Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time through positive learning behaviour.
- Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers who have a high expectation for them.
- Children develop and learn at different rates.
