EYFS

Our Early Years setting is an exciting and nurturing place where children learn through play and creativity.  We have three classes in our setting which cater for 2 year old provision, nursery and reception. They lead out onto our large, newly redeveloped outdoor learning area which children can freely access throughout the day.

Early Years at Loughborough is a nurturing and vibrant place where children feel safe and secure, cared for, valued and respected. We deliver an exciting curriculum based on the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. Every child is recognised as a unique individual who is constantly learning and we aim for our children to become capable, confident and self-assured learners. Children leave reception well prepared for the next stage of their school career as they enter Year 1.

The free-flow nature of our EYFS unit enables both Nursery and Reception children to play and learn together. We understand that children develop at their own rates and ensure that all focus work is tailored to children’s varying abilities. We encourage children to be independent and our indoor and outdoor environments enable children to select their own resources to further their learning.

We extend and enrich the children’s vocabulary through story time, rhymes, role-play, group discussions and a language rich environment. We have carefully designed our literacy curriculum using quality texts that reflect our wonderful and diverse school community.  We are passionate about reading and it is one of our fundamental aims that we support and encourage the children to develop a love of books and lifelong reading for pleasure.

We aim for children to achieve mathematical understanding and a firm foundation for mathematics through practical and problem-solving activities. Children are given opportunities to solve problems, investigate, make decisions and experiment in all areas of learning.

We provide opportunities for all children to explore their thoughts and feelings through a variety of art, design, technology, music, drama, movement, dance and imaginative play activities.

Assessments in Early Years are based on what practitioners observe and what they know about the children through interactions and learning through play.

The Early Years Curriculum seeks to inspire children to develop characteristics to become effective learners. These characteristics are:

• Playing and exploring
• Active learning
• Creative and Thinking Critically.

There are 4 guiding principles which inform our practice in the EYFS classrooms which are: 

• Positive Relationships
• Enabling Environment
• Learning and Development
• A Unique Child

The EYFS curriculum is made up of 7 areas of learning:

The Prime Areas of Learning
Communication and Language		Physical Development		Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Specific Areas of Learning
Literacy	Mathematics		Understanding the world		Expressive Arts and Design

These areas of learning are further divided into phases of development and your child’s progression is recorded in their own
‘Learning Journey’ to support and encourage them throughout their journey in the EYFS. The aim of the ‘Learning Journey’ is to: