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Foundations For Learning (EYFS & KS1)

Developing my skills through playful experiences as I begin my school journey. 

We use playful experiences to introduce our children to life at Daventry Hill School. We lay the foundations for the skills that all pupils will need throughout their school journey by creating personalised learning experiences and teaching children the skills they need to be ready to learn.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), children are taught through a mixture of child-led play and adult-led teaching. We use the EYFS Development Matters Framework to track the progress of all children in their first year, which gives us a comprehensive overview of their strengths and areas of development.

Throughout Key Stage 1, children are taught in a more formal setting, with a focus on developing English and Maths skills through Talk for Writing and Rising Stars. We follow the Read Write Inc. programme for phonics, which develops a love of reading in all children and confidence in phonic sounds. At the end of Year 1, children who are eligible will sit the Year 1 Phonics Test. We use teacher assessments to report data at the end of Year 2.

Across the phase, children follow the Skills Builder and Preparation for Adulthood frameworks, which focus on important skills they will need to be happy, successful adults.

Our Intent

To develop skills necessary for success in KS2 through playful experiences as the journey of school life begins, including exploration of appropriate communication strategies.

Our Implementation

Planning is child-centred, using play opportunities and personal motivations to develop learning and communication. Initially, children are given opportunities to choose a variety of activities in order to explore their own sense of enjoyment and self.  When appropriate, students are then prepared for their formal school life through the introduction of more structured activities supported by praise and reward to increase their level of concentration and independence.

It is in this phase that we start a student’s journey towards emotional regulation, which begins with the labelling of key emotions (happy, sad, worried) and the introduction of Zones of Regulation and early warning signs.

At Reception age we plan in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum.

The Impact

Students have a greater sense of self, increased independence and a strategy for communication. They are ready to enter the Learning to be Me phase of our curriculum.