EYFS: Curriculum Overview Spring Term Early Years Curriculum At Orchard House School we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. We follow the four guiding principles as stated in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. These principles are: • • •
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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 Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers Importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates
There are seven areas of learning and development that shape our educational programme. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving. These are the prime areas: • Communication and language • Physical development • Personal, social and emotional development We also support children in the four specific areas of learning, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are: • • • •
Literacy Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design
At Orchard House School the children in the Early Years benefit from a continuous provision in the outdoor environment. Children’s learning is extended daily in our outdoor area and children enjoy daily outdoor activities throughout the academic year. Exploratory play is encouraged in the outdoor area throughout the day. Children in the Early Years also benefit from many aspects of the Montessori curriculum and philosophy at Orchard House
Areas of Learning The Den Communication and Language • • • •
Using a wider range of vocabulary - learning new vocabulary Questions and instructions Rhymes and songs Listening and communication skills
Physical Development • • • •
Developing fine motor skills Developing gross motor skills Cutting skills Pencil control and pencil grip
Personal, Social and Emotional development • • • • • • •
Social communication skills Responsibility and membership of community Exploring feelings Working as a team Resolving conflict - Montessori Peace table Healthy eating/taking care of our teeth/exercise Monitor jobs
Literacy • • • • • • •
Exploring a range of fiction and non-fiction books and developing comprehension and language skills Synthetic phonics CVC word building - identifying the initial, middle and end sounds in words Developing decoding and blending skills (CVC words) Fine motor development activities - pencil control and pencil grip Name writing Letter formation activities
Mathematics • • • • • • • • •
Counting skills Number recognition/ordering/1:1 correspondence activities Real life mathematical number problems with numbers 2D shape activities Repeating patterns Number formation activities Addition and subtraction activities Comparing length/quantity Developing mathematical language skills