Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for your child's learning, development and care from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes.

Seven areas of learning shape the curriculum, separated into 3 Prime and 4 Specific Areas of Learning.

 

Prime Areas of Learning

The Prime Areas of Learning are deemed to be ‘time specific’ and are the foundation stone upon which future learning is securely built – they are pivotal in a child’s development.

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal, Social and Development

The Specific Areas of Learning include:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Expressive Arts and Design
  • Understanding the World.

We carry out ongoing formative assessments when interacting with your child. We use this information to plan their next steps of learning. We are extremely fortunate at Clearwell because being a small school means we can tailor learning to individual needs. We use Class Dojo to keep a learning record, and we encourage parents to add photographs and comments to their children’s learning journey. Find out more on the Class Dojo website.

Summative assessments are made at termly intervals throughout your child’s Reception year to capture their strengths and areas for further development in subsequent provision and practice. We use the information on Tapestry and other observations to inform this assessment.

Assessments are based on observation. Please click here for more information.

 

Continuous Provision

We have fabulous Continuous Provision at Clearwell, which makes our learning environment an excellent place for all children to develop in many different ways. The planning for this provision can be found below. The actual theme for different areas will change each term and reflect the children’s interests.