The Early Years Foundation Stage is the period of education from birth to 5 years. In our Reception Class children’s learning is facilitated by two part-time EYFS Teachers and fulltime EYFS Teaching Assistant.

At Hayeswood First School we intend to provide an education that gives children the best chance to become well-rounded, happy individuals, ready to succeed in an ever-changing world.  We believe that our ambitious and inclusive curriculum educates all children to develop, consolidate and deepen their knowledge, skills and understanding in order to be  inquisitive, effective, independent learners who can apply their wider thinking across all areas of the curriculum. Fundamental British Values and our School Values are at the heart of our curriculum and everything we do. We place a strong emphasis upon children’s personal, social and emotional wellbeing to ensure all our learners feel safe, secure, relate to others and are ready to learn. We endeavour to provide all children with the cultural capital they need for future success; giving each child the best start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their full potential and achieve future success. We are passionate about creating opportunities for children to communicate with greater effectiveness through developing language and communication skills and specifically teaching new vocabulary.  We wish our children to believe in themselves and their abilities and capabilities; and to develop positive attitudes towards learning, enabling them to be persistent, motivated and successful when faced with a challenge. We strive for all children to feel a sense of belonging within the school learning community and to develop an understanding of people, families and communities beyond their own. 

It is our intention that children experience the seven areas of learning through a balance of whole class/group teaching and play based learning.  This is achieved through reflective and responsive practice that takes into account the children’s interests and needs, engaging themes and challenging continuous provision activities.  Learning is carefully planned by the staff to support communication and language development; personal, social and emotional development; and physical development as well as literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world and expressive arts and design. Experiences are coherently arranged to build knowledge and skills cumulatively, setting ambitious expectations for all children and laying the foundations for a successful academic career. We recognise that all children come into our setting with varied experiences and staff endeavour to take the time to get to know each child so that they can provide learning opportunities that are meaningful, excite and engage children with awe and wonder. 

We strive to work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential as they embark on their educational journey through the Reception year and beyond.