Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Some of the parents joining our nursery will already have knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and to others it will be the first time they have heard the phrase. The EYFS is a statutory framework for all registered early years settings.
The overarching aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes of: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. At Tangent House Day Nursery we are committed to ensuring that we actively promote these 5 outcomes for all children in our care.
Below are some of the ways in which we do this:
The EYFS provides us with seven areas of learning; three of which are prime areas and four of which are specific areas. The three prime areas of learning are those most essential for children’s readiness for future learning and healthy development. The four specific areas of learning build on the prime areas. The areas of learning are as follows:
Prime Areas:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
Specific Areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
We are dedicated to ensuring that all children within our care are given opportunities to learn and develop in all areas of learning at the appropriate age.
Our key person system ensures that your child builds a special bond with a staff member in the room, aiding them in feeling happy, safe and relaxed whilst they are in our care and enabling them to enjoy their time with us. The key person will welcome your child into the room and feedback to the parent or carer at the end of each session where practical, and will aim to continuously build a relationship with both child and parent. The key person will normally be responsible for all care and hygiene routines as well as their learning and development. Any questions, queries or suggestions you may have can be discussed with your child’s key person, or any other member of staff. You will find out who the key person is on your first settling in session.
Our qualified cook carefully crafts our healthy “home cooked” menu to ensure that the correct types and amounts of food are available on a daily basis. The menu works on a 3 week rotation and is adapted according to the time of year. As the children get older and become more independent they are encouraged to feed themselves with less help from staff. In our pre-school room parts of the meal may be placed in the centre of each table so that the children can begin to serve themselves and think about portion sizes and what is on their plate.
Being healthy is also spoken about during circle time on a regular basis. We also encourage exercise and physical activities both inside and out, and help children to think about their own hygienic care. Water is available for children throughout the day and they are encouraged to drink water at regular intervals.
The key person will carry out both formal and informal observations of your child, and will build a profile of them in what we call a ‘Learning Journey’. In this we keep all of the information that we have received from parents/carers, significant art work and creative work children have produced, photographs of the children, a baseline tracker of their progress and all observations. Sensitive observations are carried out spontaneously on a daily basis when we see the children doing or saying something that we see as significant in their learning and development. Formal observations are carried out at planned times and last longer, and help the key person to create achievable targets for your child to reach. It is important that parents and carers know that the learning journeys are there for them to look at whenever they wish, and at their request your child’s key person will be able to discuss the learning journey with you. We always appreciate your input into your child’s learning and development and emphasise that you can add your own thoughts and observations into the learning journey at any time. Observations are written onto our on-line dedicated app, making it easier for parents/carers to view and add comments if they wish. We encourage parents/carers to add observations from home.
Carefully thought out planning is carried out in all rooms, and the staff really strive to make sure that the environment they are providing is stimulating, challenging and fun for all children, taking into account individual children’s needs. Planning is based on children’s interests, and experiences are built on these interests helping them to reach the learning outcomes that have been set for them to achieve. Planning will always be displayed on the notice board in each room and is there for your information.
Your child will normally be assessed every 3 months that they are in our care. We will also carry out an EYFS progress check at age two; this is designed to enable earlier identification of development needs so that any additional support can be put into place as early as possible. We will share all of our findings with you and request your views, as well as those of other people who are involved in your child’s development. When your child eventually leaves us go to school their completed baseline tracker and transition to school form is forwarded on to the school in order for their new teacher to see what stage they are at in their learning and development.
Friendly – Educational – Caring – Fun