Little Oaks - EYFS

Early Years Foundation Stage:

In Little Oaks, we adapt the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum to create an inclusive learning environment for our nursery and reception aged students. Our holistic approach tailors teaching methods to each child's unique needs, fostering independence and joyful exploration in the learning process.

With the commitment to early intervention, we embed the EYFS ethos of learning through play into our classes to develop students’ communication and independence skills. It is crucial to us that our students have endless opportunities to develop their communication and independence from the offset of their school journey.

Our dedicated teachers closely monitor individual progress, adapting teaching strategies within our sensory and active exploration-based curriculum to deliver highly motivating and creative lessons. This approach not only encourages independence but also enables a positive attitude towards learning.

In the EYFS curriculum, there are seven areas of learning. These are considered either prime or specific areas.

The prime areas of learning are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development: help to shape children’s social skills and develop respect and an understanding of their different feelings.
• Physical Development: focus on supporting children to be physically active, develop fine and gross motor skills. It also focuses on making healthy food choices and developing independence in personal care.
• Communication and Language: Providing an environment for young children to express themselves and speak and listen in a range of situations allows them to develop their language and communication skill.                  

The specific areas of learning are:

• Literacy: It is important for children to discover phonemic awareness – the ability to hear and identify different words and sounds, and also to start reading and writing.
• Maths: Children need to be guided in developing skills with numbers and calculations, as well as being able to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
• Expressive Arts and Design: The chance to express themselves and learn new things.
• Understanding the World: This involves children understanding similarities between themselves and others, making sense of things by observing and exploring everything from the places they spend time to the technology and other things that they use.