The Early Years Curriculum
Early Years Foundation Stage at The Minster C.E. Primary School
Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Our Vision is that all children are happy, supported, thrive and succeed during their first year at school.
At The Minster Primary School, we believe that the learning and development that takes place in the Early Years is crucial for children’s lives and experiences at school and beyond, helping them to become life-long learners. Our vision is to provide an early education that is both rounded and specific, where breadth and depth are integral, and our approach is holistic. Children learn in multi-modal, playful, and concrete ways, ensuring a rich and varied learning experience.
We are committed to nurturing each child’s right to express their feelings and thoughts through diverse media, supporting them in constructing a comprehensive understanding of their world. Our curriculum includes, music, arts, and storytelling, providing numerous opportunities for self-expression and creativity. We recognize the importance of gross and fine motor skills as the foundation for children to interact with the world and as a springboard for later learning, such as writing and playing sports.
We believe that learning and development in the early years is crucial for children’s life and experiences at school and beyond, helping them become life-long learners. The 7 areas of learning and the Characteristics of Effective Learning are pivotal in offering children an early education. Our approach centres on our belief in the importance of developing the whole child. We believe that all children are naturally eager to learn and long to be independent. We ensure that we create a welcoming, well-prepared and engaging environment where our practitioners are caring, supportive and knowledgeable.
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Early Years Curriculum
Our curriculum is driven to:
- Recognise children’s prior learning and experiences;
- Provide a wide range of rich, first-hand learning experiences which take the curriculum beyond the classroom;
- Allow the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become critical and creative thinkers and
- Foster the development of each child’s character, including their personal development, health and well-being, preparing them to make a valuable contribution to society.
Our EYFS curriculum has been carefully sequenced to support children to build their learning over time. We have a flexible approach with purposefully planned opportunities that allow children to pursue their own fascinations and interests.
Our curriculum is shaped by the seven areas of learning and development described in the statutory framework for EYFS. All areas are important and interconnected.
The 7 areas of learning are:
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language development
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Teaching and Learning
The core aim of the Foundation stage is to provide a strong and solid platform to aid the early development of our children. We strongly believe that they should develop the three prime areas first. As children grow and progress, the prime areas will support them to develop skills in the four specific areas.
Our children in EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active and are encouraged to think creatively and critically both in our indoor and outdoor provision. Our outdoor areas are used all year round and in all weather conditions.
The enquiry topics vary from term to term and year to year depending on the children’s interests and needs.
2025-2026:
|
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Term 4 |
Term 5 |
Term 6 |
|
Who are we? |
What is darkness? |
What can freeze? |
How can we care for animals? |
Where does our food come from? |
What stories can we tell? |
Parental Partnerships
We strongly believe that parental partnerships can only support children’s learning. We work closely with parents throughout the year to ensure their child has the most positive start possible to their school career. We invite parents and carers to attend a meeting prior to their child starting school in September. We welcome parents and carers to a phonics, reading and maths workshop during the Autumn term. Weekly diaries are sent home for parents and children to share comments about learning from the week.
Early Years Enrichment
Enrichment opportunities are experienced throughout the year and provide learning opportunities for first hand, real life experiences. Such opportunities have been:
- A visit to the local fire station.
- A visit to the local library.
- Scientist visit and workshop.
- A visit to Bristol Zoo Projects
Each child in Reception is paired up with a Year 5 Buddy while they are settling into the new school environment. Buddies offer support, guidance and reassurance during playtimes and lunchtimes. They also help support the children during walks to Minster Church. We place great emphasis on exploring and sharing learning and we encourage children to celebrate achievements with their buddies. Buddies work closely during our RE Journey Days and we even picked apples from trees in the school ground and made apple crumble together.
