EYFS

Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 at Beverley School

At Beverley School we have two Nursery classes with one class teacher and two Specialist Teaching Assistants (STAs) and an apprentice. We have pupils who attend either the beginning or end of the week.  Before starting our Nursery, staff visit each pupil at home and in their current education placement, to ensure a smooth transition into school. During that Nursery year, a request is made to the Local Authority to carry out an assessment for an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). Various professionals and parents are involved in this process. School placement is also discussed and some Nursery pupils maybe offered a full-time school placement at Beverley School if this is appropriate for their Reception Year.

Our Reception class, has one teacher and two STAs and an apprentice. Pupils have access to a range of structured indoor and outdoor play activities which support their development. The next class that is also included within our early Years provision, has pupils who are in Year 1 and Year 2 (KS1).

These first three classes often work together on specific lessons and activities across the week. Our teachers plan a range of exciting shared experiences for the pupils broadening their opportunities for collaborative learning.

Children in our Nursery, Reception and KS1 Class follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum.

The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum creates a structure that enables children to work through the various strands at an individual pace. Development Matters assessments are carried out with our pupils giving us a bench mark level at the beginning of the academic year and then ongoing assessment are carried out to track their progress across the year.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters–2   [Development Matters was produced by Early Education with support from the Department for Education. It is non-statutory guidance which supports all those working in early childhood education settings to implement the requirements of the https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2 .]

Information for parents can be found via the following link: https://foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/What-to-expect-in-the-EYFS-complete-FINAL-16.09-compressed.pdf

The EYFS curriculum at Beverley School is delivered through a variety of topics with creative and inspiring themes. It is supported by a wide range of enrichment activities including off site visits, specialist visitors into school and outdoor learning opportunities. Examples of activities include: visiting the fire station, local parks, beach and shops.

                                                        Autumn Term                              Spring Term                         Summer Term

Class  Nursery(N2)

 

All about me

Senses

Colour

Light and Sound

Toys

Forces

Animals

Nature

People who help us

Materials

Water and Sunshine
Class Reception

 

All about me

Senses

Colour

Light and Sound

Toys

Forces

Animals

Nature

People who help us

Materials

Water and Sunshine
Class

Year 1 & 2

 Key Stage 1

 

All about me

Senses

Colour

Light and Sound

Toys

Forces

Animals

Nature

People who help us

Materials

Water and Sunshine

Our vision is that all pupils lead happy, fulfilling and independent lives and our learning experiences reflect that.  We value the special interests that our children bring to the Early Years Department and celebrate their uniqueness within a broad and balanced curriculum.

We encourage parents to be active partners in their children’s education and offer opportunities throughout the year for them to be part of their children’s learning environment. 

EYFS Prime Areas

Communication and Language

We believe that our pupils’ communication skills are the most important building block on their learning journey. We work in partnership with the Speech and Language Team to ensure every child is maximising their communication potential. At Beverley School we use a total communication strategy including Objects of Reference, Intensive Interaction, the Picture Exchange Communication system (PECS), core communication boards, Makaton, and Visual Aids.  As our children make progress with their communication skills they engage in structured speech and language activities such as Boosting Language Auditory Skills and Talking (BLAST 1 and 2). They also take part in daily and joint speech and language therapy call and response stories weekly. The pupil’s progress is monitored closely and reviewed by external Speech and Language Therapists throughout the year.

Physical Development

Fine Motor skills

We develop our pupils’ fine motor skills throughout the day through play and self-help activities. Some pupils have additional support from our Occupational Therapist. The programs we use include: Disco Dough (manipulating play dough to music), Write Dance (drawing to music and story), Primary Movement (coordinated repetitive movement to music). We also encourage mark making using a variety of different medium, e.g. shaving foam, cornflour and sand.

Gross Motor Skills

Our gross motor skills program includes: swimming, soft play sessions, Sensory Integration and Rebound Therapy for targeted children, cycling, outside play, dance, ball skills, games and apparatus.

Personal Social and Emotional Development

We use the TEACCH approach to provide structured, consistent environment that is essential for children with autism. Most children follow or have access to visual or written timetables depending upon their ability to help with their understanding of time, transitions and behaviour management.  All our pupils have a EHCP targets which are specific to developing their personal, social and emotional skills. We aim to work collaboratively across our three early years’ classes to develop turn taking and sharing through structured play. Some of our pupils may need a Positive Behaviour Care Plan to ensure their safety and the safety of others. This is shared with adults who work with that child and parents to ensure a consistent approach. These are reviewed and updated termly. Some of our children have Personal Care Plans to address toileting needs. These are also discussed with parents and progress monitored and reviewed regularly. We use approaches such as Attention Autism to help pupils learn to share attention and begin to take turns.

Literacy

At Beverley School we use ‘Letters and Sounds Six-phase Teaching Programme’ to teach phonics starting with environmental sound recognition activities of phase 1 in the Early Years Department. The Oxford Reading Scheme is used to provide a structured approach to reading, supplemented with non-reading scheme books relevant to the pupils’ interests and reading level. Some of the literacy interventions we use are: Write Dance, Disco Dough and Active Phonics. Some targeted pupils have the opportunity to participate in 1:1 work for phonics and literacy as appropriate. Emergent writing is encouraged throughout the curriculum and all children have their own specific next steps in reading and writing.

Mathematics

Throughout the EYFS pupils participate in Active Maths (maths activities on a larger scale). Classes join together with children engaging in fun activities related to maths. Mathematical skills are encouraged throughout the curriculum and all children have their own specific next steps.

Expressive Arts and Design

Our children are encouraged to mark make, paint, draw, cut and stick and manipulate materials across the day. We love to explore sound through music and dance with our specialist Dance and Drama and music teachers.

Understanding the World

The children in experience a range of educational visits into the community on a weekly basis, either on a bus or on foot for a walk. We enjoy exploring local parks, museums and garden centres. We visit supermarkets and walk to the local shops. We also visit the local fire station, police station and hospital to help develop an understanding of people who help us in the community.