Our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision consists of our on-site Nursery, which takes children from the term after their third birthday, and our 2 Reception classes which take children for full-time places, usually in the year in which they turn 5.

The EYFS Lead is Mrs Alison Mead, who teaches one of the Reception classes, working alongside Mrs Jenni Mooney in the other Reception class, and Mrs Jo Anderson and Mrs Marnie Howard, the Nursery teachers.  All classes are supported by a team of 6 experienced EYFS practitioners who work with children on an individual, small or larger-group basis throughout the day.

What do I need to know about the EYFS?

• The EYFS is about the care your child will receive from birth to five years.

• Children do best when parents and professionals work together.

• Understanding what your child is doing when they are with others will help you to notice how well they are developing and learning.

• The part you play in their learning and the choices you make will make a difference to their future.

• It is important to remember that you know more about your child than anyone else.  At Brayton C of E Primary School, we will be asking you about your child and sharing information with you about your child's progress.

What is the EYFS?

• It is a stage of development from birth to the end of their first year at school.

• The EYFS framework describes how schools should work with children and their families to support their development and learning.

• It describes how your child should be kept safe and cared for and how we can all make sure that your child achieves the most that they can in their earliest years of life.

Why is it important?

It is called the Foundation Stage because it gives a secure foundation for future learning. Childhood is important and we want all children to have many, many enjoyable, successful and satisfying learning experiences. We aim to develop positive attitudes to learning in all our children.

All children learn best from experiences that are suitable for their stage of development. Play is the key to the way young children learn. Through play children can develop the confidence for learning, social skills needed for personal development, and skills needed for writing, counting and exploring their environment. In that way children become more independent and are able to tackle simple problems.

Why are the years from birth to five so special?

The years from birth to five see the greatest growth and learning for all children.

Early learning is the key to your child’s future and families make the greatest difference at this stage.

How will my child learn?

All children learn best from experiences that are suitable for their stage of development. Play is the key to the way young children learn. Through play children can develop the confidence for learning, social skills needed for personal development and skills needed for writing, counting and exploring their environment. In that way children become more independent and are able to tackle simple problems.

Finally, The Early Years Foundation Stage is about you and your child working in partnership with us to ensure your child’s needs are best met.

What are the EYFS Principles?

A Unique Child

Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

Positive Relationships

Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and Early Years staff at school.

Enabling Environments

The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children's development and learning. 

Learning and Development

Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and interconnected.

Each principle applies to all children from birth, and is supported by four commitments that describe how the principles work.

What can parents/carers do?

Parents and carers are the child’s first teachers.  When they are with you, learning can happen anywhere at any time, a few examples are:

• Reading things together
• Playing games, singing nursery rhymes
• Talking about what you can see in the park or on the street.
• Counting the stairs as you go up and down