Early Years

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Leigh

Early Years Lead – Mrs J Warner

Intent

At Sacred Heart, Leigh we put Jesus at the heart of all we do as we ‘Live and Learn with Jesus’. We aim to provide a caring, nurturing, positive and happy environment which allows all children to feel safe and happy coming to school.

We provide our children with the knowledge, skills and experience to enable them to succeed and reach their full potential in their future lives. We do this through a well-structured and progressive curriculum which engages and motivates children whilst also being playful and flexible. Our curriculum has the Early Years profile at heart, taking into account children’s learning and characteristics.

We are a fully inclusive school, we respect all families and have positive relationship with them so that we can work in partnership.

We want our children to:

Be Ready – Children have a positive attitude to learning. They are physically and emotionally ready to learn and play.

Be Respectful  - Children are polite and courteous to others. They have strong relationships with staff, listen to others and include others in their learning and play.

Be Responsible – Children play and show initiative, are independent and ask relevant questions.

Implementation

There are seven areas of learning and development that form the foundations for the curriculum in Early Years. The statutory framework is used alongside the Development Matters to support practitioners in planning and delivering an effective curriculum

There are three prime areas which are particularly important for learning and forming relationships. They build a foundation for children to thrive and provide the basis for learning in all areas.

These are the prime areas:

• Communication and language

• Physical development

• Personal, social and emotional development

There are four further areas that help strengthen and develop the prime areas.

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the world

• Expressive arts and design

At Sacred Heart we believe that children benefit from first hand experiences through continuous and enhanced provision. Play is an essential part of our curriculum, this builds children’s curiosity, confidence and interest as they play and explore. Children also develop their language and social skills. Continuous provision incorporates all areas of learning and provides children with the opportunity to demonstrate characteristics of effective learning. Children are given the freedom to make independent choices and are encouraged to be active learners and take control of their own learning.

Resources are carefully selected to meet the development needs of the children in order to enhance potential for both new and consolidation of prior learning. The experiences we provide our children are exciting and ambitious. They broaden their experiences of the world in a sequential way that ensures they progress towards meeting the Early Learning Goals and are ready for Year one.

At Sacred Heart, Leigh we follow the Sounds Write phonics scheme, which is taught daily by trained staff. Sounds Write is a structured, multi-sensory, progressive and co-ordinated approach to teaching children to read and spell. Children have access to a range of phonics opportunities, including; daily discrete phonics teaching; whole class teaching of specific spelling patterns; using phonics in real life contexts and applying phonic knowledge across the Curriculum. Phonically regular texts are provided for the children to read and practise to apply their phonic knowledge. Reading quality texts is an important part of daily life at Sacred Heart, Children are read to on a daily basis by adults, they are exposed to a variety of texts which support the curriculum. We use Talk 4 Writing, teachers plan for inspiring and meaningful writing for the children. Children learn to tell stories through actions and then create their own stories by changing elements to make it their own.

At Sacred Heart, we believe that play and practical exploration are key to both developing a strong conceptual understanding in maths and in engaging children in the enjoyments of maths. We use ‘Mastering Number’ and ‘White Rose Maths’ to develop our children’s confidence and ability. Our maths teaching and learning has carefully planned blocks which are sequenced to allow success in achieving the Number and Numberical Pattern. Maths is introduced through concrete representations, models and images. Children have daily maths opportunities and practice and consolidate learning through continuous provision opportunities.

Staff follow the RED. This is a whole school Catholic curriculum for Religious Education.

Early intervention is a priority and assessment is targeted

Our curriculum is planned across six half terms starting with themselves, families, local area and beyond.

At Sacred Heart we recognise and respect the vital role parents play as children first educators. We work closely with parents as we believe that when we do, it has a positive impact on children’s development and learning. We work closely with parents through

·       Children and families are invited to our inspire sessions prior to starting school, enabling children to get to know their new environment and staff in school.

·       Staff are available at both the beginning and end of the day to build positive relationships with parents/carers and to support when needed.

·       Communication on Class Dojo – Families are invited to join Class Dojo, this enables families to see photographs and information of  what their children are learning in class, message staff directly about school matters and receive regular communication from school.

·       Formal parent’s evening are held twice a year to discuss a child’s progress

·       Phonic and Reading workshops for families.

·       Families are invited to a range of activities through the year which encourage collaboration: assembles, sports day, stay and pray etc…

Impact

The impact of our Early Years provision is evident in the children's progress and well-being. We regularly assess children’s development against the EYFS goals, ensuring that:

• Children achieve a ‘Good Level of Development’ by the end of the Reception year, demonstrating a solid foundation for their future learning.
• Children display a strong enthusiasm for learning and are motivated to engage in activities, showcasing their ability to concentrate and persist in tasks.
• Their social skills and emotional regulation are evident as they engage positively with peers, demonstrating empathy and respect.
• Families report high levels of satisfaction with the Early Years provision, noting effective communication and the supportive environment fostered by staff.

Through rigorous monitoring and evaluation, we can confidently state that our Early Years provision meets national expectations. Continuous improvements are desired through reflection and innovation, ensuring that every child flourishes and develops a lifelong love for learning. The successful implementation of our curriculum ultimately prepares children effectively for their transition into Year 1 and beyond.

Early Years Long Term Plan

Early Years Policy

Early Years Skills Progression