At St. Mary’s Pre-School, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage. This covers the age range 0-5 years and provides not only a curriculum but an overall approach to early learning. The Early Years Foundation Stage seeks to combine early education with children’s overall health and wellbeing.
There are seven defined (but interlinking) curriculum areas:
Three prime areas (fundamental areas which support development in all other areas)
• Personal social and emotional development
• Communication and language
• Physical development
Four specific areas (specific skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society)
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive Arts and Design
Within Pre-school, we gently encourage each child to access all areas of the curriculum through play situations and activities with which they feel comfortable. An example of this might be using a clipboard and marker pen outside or whilst playing in the home corner or with the train set, rather than sitting at the “literacy table”. We support the children as they develop the characteristics of effective learning.
The characteristics of effective learning
The ways in which a child engages with other people and their environment underpin learning and development across all the above areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner. They are playing and exploring; active learning; creating and thinking critically. If you would like to know more about the Early Years Foundation Stage, you can download a parent's guide here. Alternatively, we will be happy to lend you one of our copies of the current materials or have a chat with you at Pre-school.