Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Here you will find our yearly overviews of our progressive EYFS curriculum.

We endeavour to provide an ambitious curriculum for our children to support their learning and development.

Every child deserves the best start in life to enable them to fulfil their potential.

At Fonthill we provide an exciting curriculum that follows the EYFS Framework [2020]. Within this framework there are 4 guiding principles that shape our practice.

These are:
1. Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
2. Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
3. 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.
4. Children develop and learn at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

EYFS learning and development requirements
Our curriculum encompasses seven areas of learning and development. 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 called the prime areas:
• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social, and emotional development.

Four areas help children to strengthen and apply the prime areas.

These are called the specific areas:

• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding of the world
• Expressive arts and design 

Throughout Reception year our children partake in an ambitious curriculum which is designed in a sequential way to ensure progress towards the end of reception goals. These goals are defined as Early Learning Goals (ELGs) The descriptors for these can be found in the link to the EYFS profile below.

Our curriculum incorporates learning through play, learning by adults modelling, by observing each other and through guided learning and direct teaching. We use high quality texts to stimulate children's ideas. It is also important to highlight that our plans are flexible to allow us to respond quickly to children’s new interests and/or needs.

Weaving throughout the EYFS curriculum at FPA are three Characteristics of Effective Learning.

• 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

These elements underpin how we reflect on each child’s development and adjust our practice accordingly. Supporting children in their individual learning behaviour and observing the context of children’s play is essential.

For more information of the Early Years Curriculum, Parents and Carers please click: 

Here to read how the EYFS Profile helps us summarise our children's learning at the end of reception class.

Here to read how the non statutory curriculum guidance from Development Matters 2020 helps to guide our Early Years practice.

Here to read how the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to 5.