The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

At Four Marks C of E Primary School we believe it is crucial to provide children with a solid foundation in Reception in order to enable them to achieve their full potential and have the very best start to their educational journey. Our Early Years Foundation Stage is child led with continual ‘in the moment’ learning that follows the children’s interests. This instils positive attitudes towards learning, building confidence and resilience where children’s natural instincts to discover and explore are encouraged.

Using the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, ‘Development Matters (2021)’, we are able to tailor every activity and line of enquiry to the children’s current interests and fascinations. Our planning is based on observations and assessments of each child in a spontaneous cycle. This allows us to provide an individualised learning experience which celebrates and values diversity and the unique child. Some lines of enquiry that have been developed by the children and enhanced by adult provision include changing and growing, under and over the sea and the seasons. The length of time spent exploring these interests depends upon the depth of the children’s interest and engagement. Some lines of enquiry may last for a week, while others may continue over several weeks.

By providing opportunities for children to achieve an early mastery of essential skills, we aim to ensure all pupils successfully access the wider curriculum as they progress through the primary years and beyond. Initial reading and writing skills are taught using the Government’s Letters and Sounds synthetic phonics scheme which provides pupils with a rigorous and thorough grounding in reading and writing. Opportunities for writing are developed through the children's interests and are designed to engage and motivate all children across all areas of learning.
 

We feel children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers. We are lucky enough to have an exciting and engaging outdoor teaching and learning area which includes a woodland space. The children have access to the outdoors in all weathers, helping them to develop a strong understanding of the world around them and build the necessary skills to become independent life-long learners. We provide parents and carers with as many opportunities as possible to share their knowledge of their children and engage in their learning. This includes running an ‘open door’ policy, ‘Come and Play’ sessions, phonics, writing and Tapestry workshops and access to children’s Tapestry learning journals.

Our Religious Education curriculum follows the Hampshire ‘Living Difference’ syllabus which reflects the mainly Christian traditions of Great Britain whilst recognising and celebrating the diversity of the other principal religions represented in the country.