Our Reception curriculum is carefully designed around the seven areas of learning and development within the Early Years Foundation Stage. These areas are not taught in isolation. Instead, they are woven together throughout the day through high-quality interactions, purposeful play, adult-led teaching, stories, conversations and children's own interests.
Below is a table of the 7 Areas of Learning and Development in the EYFS, including their associated aspects. The three Prime Areas provide the foundation for children's learning, while the four Specific Areas build upon these foundations.
|
|
Areas of Learning
|
Aspects
|
|
Prime Areas
|
Communication and Language
|
• Listening, Attention and Understanding
• Speaking
|
|
Physical Development
|
• Gross Motor Skills
• Fine Motor Skills
|
|
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
|
• Self-Regulation
• Managing Self
• Building Relationships
|
|
Specific Areas
|
Literacy
|
• Comprehension
• Word Reading
• Writing
|
|
Mathematics
|
• Number
• Numerical Patterns
|
|
Understanding the World
|
• Past and Present
• People, Culture and Communities
• The Natural World
|
|
Expressive Arts and Design
|
• Creating with Materials
• Being Imaginative and Expressive
|
Our days are filled with stories, songs, conversations, exploration, creativity, movement, play and discovery. Children have opportunities to learn alongside adults and friends, as well as time to follow their own ideas and interests. We encourage children to be curious, ask questions, have a go and persevere when something feels tricky.
Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning
How children learn is just as important as what they learn. The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning describe the ways in which young children learn, explore, think and respond to challenges. They help us to understand children's learning behaviours and enable us to create experiences that encourage children to become confident, independent, resilient and motivated learners.
|
Characteristic of Effective Learning
|
What it means
|
|
Playing and Exploring
|
Children investigate and experience things, and "have a go".
|
|
Active Learning
|
Children concentrate and keep trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
|
|
Creating and Thinking Critically
|
Children develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
|