AIMS OF THE EYFS

The EYFS is designed to give each child the best possible start in life and support to fulfill their potential.  A child's experience in  the early years has a great impact on their future life changes.  
Children need a secure, safe and happy childhood to enable them to make the most of their abilities and talents.  It is important that we provide a service to reassure parents that our provision will keep their children safe and help them to thrive. The EYFS is the framework that provides this assurance.

The curriculum for the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) should underpin all future learning by helping and supporting children to develop their:

• Personal, social and emotional well being

We have a very inclusive ethos here at Pitta Patta and would always work towards the individual child's strength. We hope that when children leave us they go away with a voice and being able to put forward their thoughts and ideas to the group. By encouraging the children to join in with story time, circle time and embracing their ideas and suggestions as this will give them a positive self-image and sense of worth.

• Positive attitudes towards what they are learning

We as the adults need to be enthusiastic about what we are planning, if we do not seem to be enjoying what we have planned then how can we expect the children to enjoy what we have offered.

• Social skills

It is important that children are able to listen and take other children/adults view in to consideration. By a wonderful way of working on this is during circle time. We encourage all children to take part in this time of the day. It gives the children time to talk to the other children about what they have done or whom they have seen without the other children talking over them. It also gives them a chance to show that they are making choices and this is done simply by choosing what song or story they will have. Another example is to be the farmer in ‘the farms in his den' by having a chance to take part in simple activities such as these it means that we are really building on their social skills.

• Concentration skills

Children need to leave us at Pitta Patta with the ability to concentrate. All children have various levels of concentration some can sit for a long time at one activity others may flit from table to table looking for something new to do.

In pre-school it is important that when the team are planning they are taking into account all of the children's needs and, making sure that if they are working with a child who has difficultly concentrating that they really know where that child is at and how they want to encourage them.

With a child who does not want to concentrate for long it maybe an idea to let them choose the book as that way you can suggest that because they have chosen it, then it would be nice if they stay in the group to listen. Also by doing activities such as maths, using something the child is interested in may get them to the table where you can start to introduce other things.

Children are never forced they would always be encouraged to take part.

• Communication, Language and Literacy

From the moment, that the children join us to the moment that they leave it is very important that all team members communicate with them in a positive manner making sure that they are trying to extend the child's vocabulary.

Children should be allowed to talk about what they have done, how they are feeling and what they want to do. The team should be ready to talk and listen to them, and be interested enough that they want to help the children extend their conversation, and in doing so extending their vocabulary. Children also need to be able to respond to what adults and other children say without being rushed.

• Reading and writing skills

Children are developing the ability to read and write from an early age from looking at picture books to having access to things to mark make with materials such as paint, pens, crayons, and even sand.

We have a wide range of resources available to the children including a book area, which has new books in it regularly as we do intend to have regular trips to the library. 

Mark making equipment in all areas such as the home corner, this will able the children to make shopping list ect, to the art area, with the sand or paint even in the garden.

We will be incorporating workbooks for the children but this will only be a small part of what we will offer them. Everything that we do in pre-school will be fun and stimulating for the individual child.

• Problem Solving Reasoning and Numeracy

We will be offering the children the opportunity to develop their mathematical skills with a range of fun, and stimulating equipment and activities.

We need to make sure we are introducing them to the concept of patterns, shapes, measurements and numbers in a broad range of contexts so that they can enjoy learning and talking about them.

We can have mathematical activities in all areas of the room and introduce it in a variety or ways such as cooking by weighing and measuring and in many many more ways.

• Knowledge and understanding of the world

Children need to learn about their world around them and the people and cultures that we come in to contact with daily. We make sure that we are covering different religious festivals and Saints Days and by organising trips to see our local environment and events happening around us.

• Physical development

Children need the opportunity to be physical and be able to experiment with what their bodies can do for instance, running, jumping, rolling, and skipping. We are very lucky that we have a wonderful outside space and we intend to use it on a daily basis to incorporate a wonderful physical aspect to our planning.

We also need to make sure that we are encouraging their fine motor skills by giving then opportunities to use pens and pencils but also to give them opportunities to thread beads and even basic sewing. This would show if we had any concerns in this area and if we did, we would be able to plan appropriate activities for the individual child.

• Creative development

In our planning, we need to make sure we include opportunities for all the children to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings through a variety of art, music and movement, dance and imaginative role-play.

We have wonderful areas in the pre-school room making sure that the children can always access the creative area and the home corner. We do not believe in tampering with the children's work so whatever they produce it will go home for mum and dad to proudly display!

Music and movement is a great way to express creativity and this is something that we incorporate into our planning. If children have different cultural music we encourage them to bring it in to nursery so we could also incorporate this in to our sessions as not only is it good for children to learn about different cultures but it also gives the child a real sense of pride.

To make sure that we are offering the best to our pre-school room we will be employing a qualified teacher who will really be able to guide the children on their foundation stage stepping stones.