That children access a broad and balanced curriculum that gives them the broad range of knowledge and skills needed for good progress through school and life.
Quality and consistency in teaching, learning and assessment so that every child makes good or better progress and no child gets left behind.
Effective working partnerships between practitioners and with parents and/or carers.
Every child is included and supported through equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.

Co-op Values

Co-op Academy Woodlands is part of the Co-operative Academies Trust. The Co-op was founded on a set of values describing a different, fairer and better way of doing things. We demonstrate our commitment to these values in everything we do.

• Equality

• Equity

• Solidarity

• Honesty

• Openness

• Caring for others

• Self help

• Self-responsibility

• Social responsibility

• democracy

Introduction

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers the time from when a child is born to the end of the year in which the child is five. At Co-op Academy Woodlands, the EYFS consists of Nursery and Reception.

The EYFS is important in its own right and we recognise it as a crucial stage in education, preparing children with the basic skills that they will need for their later school years.

The EYFS is based upon four guiding principles:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured

• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships

• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers

• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

Inclusion

Our school ethos, as well as that of the EYFS, embraces and promotes inclusion. We celebrate the differences of our children, families, staff, local communities and the wider world.

“These differences include, but are not limited to gender, pregnancy and maternity, ethnicity, culture, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital and civil partnership status, education, learning styles and those with a caring responsibility.” 2

We recognise and respect the abilities and strengths of our children at all levels of development and the wealth of knowledge and experience that they bring from their differing backgrounds and cultures.

We actively challenge gender stereotyping and discriminatory attitudes, remarks or behaviour.

We give our children every opportunity to achieve their best. We do this by taking account of our children’s range of life experiences when planning for their learning. We set realistic and challenging expectations that meet the needs of individual children, so that children are able to reach their full potential.

As part of our commitment to inclusion we provide:

A wide range of opportunities to motivate, support children and to help them to learn effectively.
A safe and supportive learning environment in which the contribution of all children is valued.
Resources which reflect diversity and are free from discrimination and stereotyping.
Challenging activities for all children.

We will monitor children’s progress and take action to provide support as necessary. Where a specific need is suspected we will liaise with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and seek advice from outside agencies. We adhere to the Equal Opportunity and Inclusion policies of the school.

The Curriculum

The curriculum in the EYFS is outlined in the document Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, written by the department for Education. This document outlines what should be taught within the EYFS.

The Statutory Framework separates the seven areas of learning and development into three prime areas, which are:

Communication and language
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
And four specific areas:

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design

At Co-op Academy Woodlands, we believe in the importance of offering children well planned, challenging learning experiences and opportunities to practise their skills through play.

Learning is delivered through our EYFS curriculum incorporating activities and experiences across the seven areas of learning and development as outlined by the statutory framework for the EYFS in section 1.5:

Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations. We ensure the development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. We ensure the interactions they have with adults and peers throughout the day are high quality.

Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their coordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food. We have implemented Squiggle which is a progressive physical development programme that provides children with the skills they need for early writing. The programme uses neurological and physiological movements to create marks and strengthen the child’s muscles and brain connections.

Personal, social and emotional development involves implementing the PSED curriculum and promoting a positive ethos that creates a strong sense of belonging and safety for all our children. The PSHE/PD/safeguarding curriculum is followed across EYFS and underpins the positive culture that is developed throughout school. Alongside this we promote the characteristics of effective learning ensuring that children are provided with opportunities that spark curiosity, energy and enthusiasm. We consider how learning is meaningful to a every child, so that they can use what they have learned and apply it in new situations. We help children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

Literacy development involves supporting children to become confident and able writers by ensuring our curriculum involves transcription as well as composition to allow them to become competent writers who can articulate their ideas before being expected to write them down. The Early Reading curriculum strives to achieve the aim of ‘Every child a reader’ by the end of Reception. This is prioritised by teachers and leaders across the academy to ensure consistent and rigorous delivery of Little Wandle with fidelity to the scheme. We also ensure that language comprehension plays a crucial role across the curriculum to ensure language develops through quality interactions that allow children to understand more and know more words. The importance of talk and stories, formulates a critical part of our curriculum in ensuring we develop young children’s vocabulary and language.
Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities for children to secure early mathematical concepts appropriate to their age and stage that will enable them to move on to the next stage of learning. Practitioners support independence and confidence; encourage children to speculate and test ideas through trial and error; enable children to explore and solve problems.
Understanding the world involves providing the children with a knowledge-based curriculum which is coherently planned, sequenced and vocabulary rich. Through the lens of the natural world, people, culture, and communities and past and present we provide the children with the knowledge and understanding and concrete experiences that underpins this knowledge enables them to apply and revisit learning in a wide range of contexts.

Expressive arts and design involve enabling children to develop their imagination and creativity. We provide the children with opportunities to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. We ensure the curriculum supports frequency, repetition and depth of their experiences and provide a wide range of opportunities for the children to explore what they hear, observe and experience.

Characteristics of effective learning

When planning, teachers reflect on the different ways in which children learn. They plan opportunities for the children to explore and experience new things. Children are introduced to the characteristics of effective learning and these are regularly referred to by practitioners in order to encourage these behaviours. For example, children are praised for concentrating, persisting, and trying new approaches. Practitioners support the development of these characteristics through their positive relationships and considered interactions with the children and through providing an enabling environment.

Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

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.

Structure of the EYFS

The Nursery offers up to fifty-two part-time places for children aged three and above. The majority of children in the Nursery attend for fifteen hours a week. There are up to eight, thirty-hour places. These are available for children eligible for thirty hours provision under the government’s thirty hours for working parents’ scheme. There are two full-time Reception classes, each with thirty places for children aged four to five.

In Nursery, the children are split into three classes. One class attends at the start of the week (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning), one attends at the end of the week (Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday) and the thirty-hour children attend full time (Monday to Friday). The Nursery is staffed by a teacher and two teaching assistants, both of whom have a full and relevant NVQ level three (or above) teaching assistant qualification. In addition to this, there is an additional teaching assistant (qualified to NVQ level two) that provides enhanced ratios for our children with the highest level of need.

The staffing in Reception consists of one full time teacher, two part-time teachers (Job share) and two class-based support staff, both of whom have an NVQ level three teaching assistant qualification. In addition to this, there are two additional teaching assistants that provide enhanced ratios for our children with the highest level of need.

There are three members of staff with level three paediatric first aid certificates, across the EYFS. First aid is managed in line with our school first aid policy.

When children are taken out of school on educational trips, a higher ratio of one adult to four children is observed with the Nursery children and one adult to six children with the Reception children.

Please see the Co-op Academies Trust safer recruitment policy for how a quality workforce is ensured.

Partnerships with parents and/or carers

We believe that children’s families are their first educators and work hard to ensure that parents and/or carers are involved in their child’s journey through the EYFS. Parents and/or carers are welcomed to a range of activities throughout the year from supporting us on trips outside of the setting to attending sharing events, performances and sports days.

Each child is assigned to a class, In Reception the child’s class teacher is their key person. In Nursery the class is further broken down into two family groups, with a key worker leading each one. The class teacher oversees both of the family groups.

When children start in the EYFS and at the transition between Nursery and Reception, individual induction meetings take place between the child’s parents and/or carers and their child’s key person. This is an opportunity to discuss the child’s needs, abilities, and interests and to address any questions or concerns that parents and/or carers may have. The first time that we meet with families, this takes the form of a home visit.

At induction to Nursery, parents and/or carers are also provided with a Nursery welcome booklet which gives details of the school day, staffing, provides a summary of the 7 areas of learning and our approach to outdoor learning. It also offers suggestions for how parents can support their children at home and highlights the school’s contact information. On entry into Reception parents are given the school Prospectus.

We use class Dojo to support our regular communication with Parents/ Carers. Staff add regular class stories of the learning opportunities provided in the setting as well as individual or small group observations. Parents/ Carers are encouraged to like or comment on these posts. Class Dojo also provides parents/ Carers with the ability to directly message their child’s class teacher and share news from home.

We also encourage parents to sign up to “Woodlands Weekly” our school newsletter and to access the school website and social media pages.

In Nursery we offer an open-door policy where parents and/or carers are invited to stay at the start of every day to help the children settle and spend time talking to the class teacher about their child’s needs, learning and next steps.

In Reception as well as informal opportunities to talk with the class teacher daily at the start and end of the day, all families are invited to attend parent's evenings.

If teachers are concerned about any child’s progress and/ or attainment this is discussed with the child’s parents and/or carers in addition to discussing their concerns with the school Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) and contacting any relevant specialist support.

English as an Additional Language

When children who enter the EYFS are new to English, we assess them using the English Proficiency Test as well as baselining them against our trust progression grids.

During each child’s induction meeting, parents and/or carers are encouraged to continue to develop the child’s home language. Children are also encouraged to use their preferred language as they play and explore the environment.

Language Development

In order to support children who are new to or developing in English we provide targeted interventions run by trained staff including Early Vocab Group (supported by Chatterbug Speech and Language Therapy team) and Early Talk Boost.

The teachers liaise closely with the onsite speech and Language Therapy service (Chatterbug) to ensure that any children with specific speech and language needs are supported.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

In the EYFS, we use the observation – assessment - planning cycle. We use Development Matters to support the development of our curriculum and assessment procedures. We start by gaining an understanding of where the children are in terms of their development and current interests through formative assessment and this forms the basis of our baseline assessment. We use assessment to support our parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. We work collaboratively as a team to ensure all practitioners know children’s level of achievement and interests, we then shape teaching and learning experiences for each child. In our interactions with children, practitioners respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress and observations. The children are encouraged to build relationships with a member of support staff as well as their class teacher (key worker). In Nursery this is facilitated through the use of three family groups, where children meet with the same adult each day, to share a snack and have opportunity to talk about their interests and news from home.

After children’s initial baseline assessments, their progress and attainment are tracked using the Trust Assessment system. Teachers analyse children’s outcomes and attend termly pupil progress meetings in order to discuss areas of strength and development with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. If a child has SEND it may be deemed appropriate to measure their progress and attainment against the SENIT developmental Journal and use this to inform their next steps. At the end of the Foundation Stage, an EYFS profile is completed for each child, stating whether they have achieved a ‘Good level of development’. Children are judged as meeting or working towards expected levels in each of the Early Learning Goals.

Moderation

As part of staff continuing professional development, we attend termly moderations across the Trust, this includes moderation of EYFS profile assessments to provide opportunities to moderate with other colleagues. This process supports the quality assurance of teacher assessment judgements and provides a valuable opportunity for professional development. Within school we also hold termly in-house moderation discussions to allow teachers to informally agree assessment judgements . This does not require collecting or recording unnecessary evidence, alternatively it is based on the teacher’s own knowledge of their children and understanding of the ELGs and EYFS framework.

Transition

We recognise that starting school and transitioning to new classes has the potential to be a stressful time for both children and parents and/or carers. We have established a strong procedure for transitions to ensure that our children and parents are as confident and quickly settled within their new school/classes.

Prior to starting nursery, every family will receive a home visit from their new class teacher. As well as this all children and their parents and/or carers are invited into the nursery for a stay and play session. This is an informal opportunity for families to get to know the staff and explore the nursery environment.
Prior to starting Reception, parents and/ or carers are invited to a meeting in the summer term. Any children who are new to school will also receive a home visit prior to starting Reception. This is to provide parents and/or carers with key information, school expectations, knowledge on our curriculum and assessment and advice on how they can help their child. Families that are new to school will also be invited to attend a stay and play session with their child.
All parents are then invited to an individual induction meeting with the child’s class teacher (key worker) as outlined in the partnership with parents and/or carers section of this policy.
At the beginning of the school year new nursery and reception children are given staggered entry times to ensure that they have the time to feel welcomed and to support them in exploring their new environment.
At the end of reception children have the opportunity to meet with their new teachers on several occasions prior to starting Year one. The first of these meetings takes place in EYFS before the children then visit their new classrooms.
At the end of each school year teachers have the opportunity to share their knowledge of each child’s knowledge, understanding and achievements, including end of year assessment data and any SEND, with their next class teacher to ensure that all teachers have a well-rounded picture of the children prior to the new school year.
Children in both nursery and reception make use of the whole school facilities, such as the hall, playgrounds and playing field for appropriate activities to ensure that children are confident and well prepared for moving around the school and for mixing with older children when they start school. Throughout the reception year, when children are ready, they are gradually introduced to whole school activities such as assemblies and using the key stage one playground.

Safeguarding and welfare

In EYFS we adhere to the school policies regarding safeguarding and welfare. Please refer to the following documents:

The Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Co-op Academies Trust Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Co-op Academies Trust Staff Conduct Policy
Co-op Academies Trust Staffing and Recruitment Policy
Health and safety Policy
First Aid Policy (which includes the administration of medicines)
Positive Behaviour policy
Data Protection Policy
Complaints policy
The Prevent Duty
Keeping children Safe in Education
Intimate care policy
Co-op Academies Trust Whistleblowing Policy
Co-op Academies Trust Allegations of abuse against staff