EYFS
Welcome to our new parents and children joining Holt Farm Infant School this year! We are proud to welcome you to one of our 3 reception classes.
Ruby Class
Teacher: Mrs Fisher
Pearl Class
Teacher: Mrs Jackson
Diamond Class
Teacher: Mrs Walker & Miss Butler
Holt Farm Infant School EYFS policy
Reception Skills Development Progression
INTENT
Susan Jackson
EYFS Lead
IMPLEMENTATION
We have designed our Reception classes to provide every child with inspiring learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors, whatever the weather. Children's wellbeing and engagement are at the heart of everything we do. Our learning environment has been carefully planned to support all areas of learning within the EYFS and to encourage children to explore, investigate and develop their skills through meaningful play.
Children are supported to use the classroom environment to reinforce and apply the learning they receive during whole-class and group teaching sessions. We encourage children to become confident, independent learners while skilled adults nurture and support their individual needs, interests and development.
Our learning garden provides opportunities for children to learn together, build relationships and support one another's development. The outdoor environment offers a wide range of exciting experiences where children can explore, play and learn in a safe and secure setting. From water play and mud kitchens to our maths area, children are inspired to develop their curiosity, creativity and confidence every day through rich outdoor learning experiences.
We believe outdoor play and exploration are an essential part of learning and growing up. Therefore, we have developed our outdoor learning environment to provide children with the greatest variety of experiences, challenges and controlled risks.
The equipment and activities in our learning garden nurture healthy and active fun through building, den making, imaginative role play areas, mud kitchen, sand and water play.
In Reception, children learn best through play. Play-based learning means that children explore, investigate, create, practise new skills and solve problems through carefully planned activities that are engaging and meaningful to them.
Although it may look like children are "just playing", adults have carefully designed the environment and activities to support learning across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Through play, children develop:
- Communication and language by talking, listening, sharing ideas and learning new vocabulary.
- Early reading and writing skills through stories, mark-making, role play and phonics activities.
- Mathematical understanding by counting, sorting, measuring, building and solving problems.
- Physical development through climbing, running, balancing, drawing and using small tools.
- Personal, social and emotional skills by taking turns, building friendships, developing resilience and managing feelings.
- Creativity and curiosity by exploring, investigating and expressing their ideas.
Adults play a vital role in supporting children's learning, modelling skills, encouraging thinking and language and introducing new vocabulary.
At Holt Farm Infant School, we believe that play is not a break from learning; play is how young children learn best. Through high-quality play experiences, children develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to thrive both now and in the future.
Our curriculum links to Birth to 5 matters.
Twinkl Phonics follows a clear progression, allowing children to build their knowledge and confidence step by step. Lessons are interactive, practical and fun, using songs, stories, games and multi-sensory activities to support learning. Regular assessment ensures that teaching meets the needs of all children and helps us identify any additional support that may be required.
We encourage parents to support phonics learning at home by practising letter sounds, reading regularly with their child and revisiting the sounds and tricky words sent home from school. By working together, we can help children develop a lifelong love of reading and a strong foundation for future learning.
We teach children to say pure sounds when learning phonics. A pure sound is the correct pronunciation of a letter sound without adding an extra "uh" sound at the end. For example, we say "m" not "muh", "s" not "suh", and "t" not "tuh".
Using pure sounds helps children blend sounds together more easily when learning to read. For example, if a child says the pure sounds c-a-t, they can blend them smoothly to read cat. If extra sounds are added, blending becomes more difficult.
At Holt Farm Infant School, we use the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) Mastering Number Programme to support children's early mathematical development.
The programme helps children develop a deep understanding of numbers and gives them the confidence to use maths in everyday situations. Rather than rushing through lots of different concepts, children spend time exploring numbers, spotting patterns and explaining their thinking.
EYFS CurriculumAutumn 1 Topic Web
PE
PE will start formally in Spring term. Children will be required to come into school on their PE day wearing their PE Kit. More information will be sent to parents nearer the time.
Ruby: Thursday
Pearl: Wednesday
Diamond: Tuesday
Cultural Capital
We organise a range of opportunities to enrich and broaden our curriculum which we hope your child will enjoy. Typically these include opportunities such as:
- Christmas nativity and Spring assembly
- Theatre productions
- Celebration opportunities in assembly
- Trips for example, to the farm, local library and clothing bank.
- Visitors such as from a paramedic, fire fighters, police officers, pets at home, the dogs trust, our local religious leaders.
- First hand experiences such as observations of caterpillars/butterflies and through visits to our school pond and sensory garden.
- Optional extra curricular activities after school
Parent Support
We provide regular opportunities for parents and carers to come into school and work with their child, share their work and celebrate successes to ensure our parents and carers are well supported. These include:
- Transition meeting
- Nursery visits
- Stay and play sessions
- Celebrating wow moments
- Written reports
- Parent consultation meetings
- Parent workshops
- frequent informal communication
Your child's class teacher is the first point of contact regarding your child's wellbeing and learning. Please contact the class teacher in the first instance to ask questions or discuss any concerns.