EYFS Curriculum
Our approach to learning
The learning programme in our Nursery is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. Our aim is to provide holistic learning in a safe, happy and stimulating environment through which all children are challenged and make outstanding progress. To develop confident, happy children, equipped with foundations to nurture a lifelong love of learning. To engage with and value contributions from parents, professionals and the local community to ensure the best outcomes for children and the best value for Oasis Academy Ryelands.
We foster a harmonious atmosphere which supports and promotes self-esteem. We build confident communicators supporting every child as an individual across development in all areas of the Early Years and Foundation Stage. We help every child to grow up feeling confident about their own identity, in a spirit of friendship, understanding fairness and the rights of others, valuing diversity, and ready to be a British citizen.
We want our parents and carers to feel in the loop when it comes to their child's education, therefore each year we make sure a full breakdown of what is taught within our classrooms is available online. For a full breakdown of the curriculum and what is covered in each of the topics listed above, please see the 7 Learning Areas below.
7 Learning Areas
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Communication and Language
The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.
Physical Development
Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives7. Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child’s strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults. By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults can support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility. Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination, which is later linked to early literacy. Repeated and varied opportunities to explore and play with small world activities, puzzles, arts and crafts and the practice of using small tools, with feedback and support from adults, allow children to develop proficiency, control and confidence.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. Strong, warm and supportive 9 relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others. Children should be supported to manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary. Through adult modelling and guidance, they will learn how to look after their bodies, including healthy eating, and manage personal needs independently. Through supported interaction with other children, they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These attributes will provide a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.
Literacy
It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).
Mathematics
Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. Children should be able to count confidently, develop a deep understanding of the numbers to 10, the relationships between them and the patterns within those numbers. By providing frequent and varied opportunities to build and apply this understanding - such as using manipulatives, including small pebbles and tens frames for organising counting - children will develop a secure base of knowledge and vocabulary from which mastery of mathematics is built. In addition, it is important that the curriculum includes rich opportunities for children to develop their spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics including shape, space and measures. It is important that children develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics, look for patterns and relationships, spot connections, ‘have a go’, talk to adults and peers about what they notice and not be afraid to make mistakes.
Understanding the World
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.
Expressive Arts and Design
The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. The quality and variety of what children see, hear and participate in is crucial for developing their understanding, self-expression, vocabulary and ability to communicate through the arts. The frequency, repetition and depth of their experiences are fundamental to their progress in interpreting and appreciating what they hear, respond to and observe.
The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage outlines four guiding principles that should shape Early Years practice. These are:
- Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured
- Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
- Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
- Children develop and learn at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
There are also seven key features of effective practice (Appendix 1) that underpin the Early Years ethos and are woven through the Oasis EYFS Curriculum. These are:
- The best for every child
- High quality care
- The curriculum: What we want children to learn
- Pedagogy: helping children to learn
- Assessment: checking what children have learnt
- Self-regulation and executive function
- Partnership with parents
For more details on the 7 learning areas, please click here to see the document Development Matters
More information about Early Years Education can be found here.
If you would like any further information, please contact the Nursery Manager/EYFS Leader, Emily Groves on 020 8656 4165.
Curriculum Maps
The learning programme in our Nursery and Reception classes is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.
Find out below what is being taught week by week at Ryelands in EYFS.
Nursery
Nursery Curriculum Map
In Nursery, we enjoy planning based on the children's interests, therefore though out the year, some changes may be made to the long term plan.
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Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
Topic Theme: |
Me, Myself and I |
Nibbles, Nuts and Night-Time |
Lots of Little Life Lessons |
All Creatures Great and Small |
All At sea |
Splash Into Summer! |
WEEK 1
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Come on in! Welcome to Nursery! LETTER/SOUND: MATHS:
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Bang, Pop, Whizz! Halloween pumpkins & Bonfire Night Cooking: Pastry/marmite Catherine Wheels Pumpkin lanterns LETTER/SOUND: Playing instruments alongside story Guess sound pots
MATHS: |
Something For Nothing Re-cycling & sustainability Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: Rhythm and rhyme Rhyming stories, rhyming bingo & clapping syllables MATHS: |
My Body Body parts and growth Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: M Alliteration, matching initial sounds to letters, sorting objects with same initial sound, I spy... MATHS: |
Growing Things
LETTER/SOUND: K Give me a sound MATHS:
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Transport: Wheels
Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: B Segmenting & blending Say sounds in words MATHS: |
Week 2
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How Do You Do? Getting to know each other Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: MATHS: |
Making Music! Experimenting with sound & rhythm, making a class band Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: Playing instruments alongside story MATHS: |
On My Own Two feet Matching pairs & patterns Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: S Rhyming stories, rhyming bingo & clapping syllables MATHS: |
Down on the Farm Farm animals Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: D MATHS: |
Growing Things:
Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: CH MATHS: |
Transport: Wings & wind Power Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: F Say what you hear MATHS: |
Week 3
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How Do You Feel? Emotions and Empathy LETTER/SOUND: Awareness of sound, listening walk MATHS: |
Festivals: Diwali LETTER/SOUND: MATHS: |
Dinosaurs Roar! Extinct wild animals Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: A Rhyming stories, Describe the sound MATHS: |
Healthy Eating:
Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: G MATHS: |
Living Eggs
Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: E Toy talk MATHS: |
Summer fun and sun! Exploring summer activities and weather LETTER/SOUND: FF MATHS: |
Week 4
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All About Me and My Family:
Cooking: LETTER/SOUNDS: MATHS: |
Festivals: The Christmas Story LETTER/SOUND: MATHS: |
People Who Help Us: Stay Safe Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: T MATHS: |
Healthy Eating: Yum Yum Nutrition Healthy diet/treats Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: O MATHS: |
Six Legs or Eight? Mini-beasts Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: U Clapping sounds MATHS: |
Under The Sea Sea creatures Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: L MATHS: |
Week 5
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All About Me and My Family:
LETTER/SOUND: MATHS:
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Winter Wonderland Snow & Ice Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: Distinguish loud & soft sounds and use appropriately
MATHS: |
People Who Help Us:
Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: P MATHS: |
I Little Bunnies Hop, hop, hop! Easter symbols, Easter story and new beginnings Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: C MATHS: |
Space Race Space, planets, astronauts Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: R
MATHS: |
Ahoy there! Pirates, ships & treasure Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: LL MATHS: |
Week 6
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Sensational Senses How our 5 senses help us (Likes & dislikes) Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: MATHS: |
Baubles and Bells Making special decorations Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: MATHS: |
Love One Another
Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: I MATHS: |
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Little Green Men Aliens, similarities, and differences Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: H
MATHS: |
Transition & Recap phonics & Maths
LETTER/SOUND: SS MATHS: |
Week 7 |
Sharing means caring! Turn taking & teamwork LETTER/SOUND: Describe an animal. Children then make it’s noise MATHS:
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It’s Christmas! Celebrations & party time! Cooking: LETTER/SOUND MATHS: |
Yin and Yang Pairs, Opposites and completion in nature & life Cooking: LETTER/SOUND: N MATHS: |
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Transition & Celebrate the Year MATHS:
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Trips and experiences: |
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British Values |
Rule of law and recap of class rules |
Tolerance of those with different faiths |
Individual Liberty |
Mutual Respect |
Democracy |
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9 Habits |
Who am I? Who am I becoming? |
Joyful, Hopeful |
Patient, Compassionate |
Forgiving, Considerate |
Self-controlled, Humble |
Honest |
Reception
Reception Curriculum Map
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Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
Autumn 1 I’ve just joined school and I’m learning about my place in the world. |
Baseline |
Baseline |
Baseline |
Houses and Homes The Three Little Pigs |
Houses and Homes Fact File + Family |
Friends |
Emotions |
Geography (Place, Space) |
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Autumn 2 I’ve learnt who I am and where I’m from, what about others and other places? |
My heritage Diwali |
Autumn (season) |
Around the World |
Celebrations Around the World |
Musical Week *song prep for nativity* |
Winter (season) |
Christmas |
Spring 1 I’ve learnt about other people, has the world always been like this? |
Castles and Knights Write a letter to a knight |
Castles and Knights The Storybook Knight |
Dinosaurs Wk 1 |
Dinosaur Wk 2 |
Chinese New Year |
Space |
Spring (season) |
Spring 2 I’ve learnt about creatures that used to be alive, what animals are alive now? |
Pets |
In the Jungle |
Under the Sea |
Minibeasts Lifecycles |
Minibeasts What the Ladybird Heard |
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Summer 1 I’ve learnt about animals, but how do they grow and what other things grow? |
Growing Instructions – Planting a seed |
Growing – Oliver’s Vegetables |
Animal lifecycle (chicks) |
Healthy Eating (fruits and veg) |
Healthy Bodies (body parts, hygiene, oral health) |
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Summer 2 I’ve learnt about things that grow on our planet; now how can I take care of it all? |
Our Planet Somebody Swallowed Stanley |
Our Planet Poster |
People who help us |
Superheroes |
Summer (season) |
Our talents + Moving on up |
Transition |
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2
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Leading questions |
I’ve just joined school and I’m learning about my place in the world. |
I’ve learnt who I am and where I’m from, what about others and other places? |
I’ve learnt about other people, has the world always been like this? |
I’ve learnt about creatures that used to be alive, what animals are alive now? |
I’ve learnt about animals, but how do they grow and what other things grow? |
I’ve learnt about things that grow on our planet; now how can I take care of it all? |
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Essential |
Topic |
Houses and homes (with links to special buildings) |
Around the World Celebrations (Diwali, Hannukah, Christmas) |
Castles and Knights |
Life Cycles |
Growing |
Our Planet (plants and animals helping our planet) |
Fiction |
The Three Little Pigs |
We’re all unique – general celebrations |
The Storybook Knight |
What the Ladybird Heard |
Oliver’s Vegetables |
Somebody Swallowed Stanley |
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Non-Fiction |
Report/Fact File – Different houses and homes (Michael Rosen) |
Instruct - Writing a Christmas list |
Tell/Recount - Write a letter to the Knight |
Explain – put a life cycle in sequence |
Instruct – Write instructions of how to plant a seed |
Advise – Poster (A planet full of plastic) |
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DM |
Understand that some places are special to members of the community Draw information from a simple map Comment on images of familiar situations in the past
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Draw information from a simple map Recognise some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries
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Compare and contrast characters from stories, including figures from the past |
Explore the natural world around them
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Explore the natural world around them Describe what they see, hear and feel while outside Understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them |
Explore the natural world around them Comment on images of familiar situations in the past |
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ELG |
Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. |
Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and (when appropriate) maps. |
Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling |
Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants |
Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. |
Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants. Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. |
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KS1/KS2 |
Geography (Place, Space) RE (Beliefs and belonging) History (Chronology) |
Geography (Place, Space) RE (Celebration, Worship in the world, Beliefs and belonging) |
History (Chronology) |
Science (B1 and B2) |
Science (SE2) |
Geography (Environmental Interaction and Sustainable Development) Science (E1) |
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Experiences/ Trips |
-Local walk -Visiting Library -Harvest |
-Visiting a church -Diwali experience from external provider. -Visits to country park: to observe seasonal changes -Virtual tours/google street view -Nativity production |
-Virtual tours of historic buildings. -Virtual space tours -Role play space stations |
-Crystal palace park -Animal mania - Visits to country park: to observe seasonal changes -Butterfly nets |
-Allotments -Shops -Local Farm |
-Recycling centre virtual tour. -Emergency services -Visitors from different careers - Zoo |
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Role Play |
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Home corner |
Post office Toy shop |
Space station Dinosaur Den |
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Flower shop Doctor |
Doctors Summer shop (ice cream) |
Literacy |
Teach children how to write initial and end sounds of words using newly acquired sounds in phase 2 |
Teach children how to write CVC words using phase 2 sounds and phase 2 tricky words in lists and simple captions |
Consolidate simple captions using my phonic knowledge and knowledge of tricky words and teach correct word spacing. |
Teach children how to write simple sentences and introduce use sentence boundaries. |
Teach children how to write sentences using correct size and spacing Consolidate letter formation. |
Ensure children’s writing can be read by others. Ensure some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible. |
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Phonics |
3 weeks of baseline s,a,t,p,i,n,m,d,g,o,c,k,ck,e,u,r I, the, no |
h,b,f,ff,l,ll,ss,j,v,w,x,y,z,zz, qu go, to, into, we, me, be, you, was, are |
ch,sh,th,ng,ai,ee,igh,oa,oo,oo,ar,or,ur,ow,oi,ear,air,ure,er |
Consolidation |
Consolidation and Phase 4 |
Consolidation and Phase 4 |
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Maths |
Introducing 1,2 and 3 and corresponding shapes Patterns |
Introducing 4 and 5 Composition of number to 5 Comparing quantities Sorting |
Number bonds to 5 Introducing 6,7,8 and 9 Doubles and halves |
Introducing 10 Composition of numbers to 10 Number bonds Odds and evens Combining two groups |
Problem solving and reasoning Shape, space and pattern Teen numbers Measures Time |
Consolidation |
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PE |
Dressing and Getting Ready Fundamental Movement Skills |
Object Control – Foundations |
Stability and Locomotion – Foundations |
Object control – Foundations (2) |
Stability and Locomotion |
Object Control |
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British Values |
British Values (Rule of law and recap of class rules) |
British Values (Tolerance of those with different faiths) |
British Values (Individual Liberty) |
British Values (Mutual Respect) |
British Values (Democracy) |
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9 Habits |
Who am I? Who am I becoming? |
Joyful, Hopeful |
Patient, Compassionate |
Forgiving, Considerate |
Self-controlled, Humble |
Honest |
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Horizons |
I know how to carry my iPad safely I know how to store my iPad safely I can switch on and off an iPad I can click and drag using my fingers on an iPad I can use the home button to return to the main screen I can swipe to find an app of my choice I can take a safe photo and know the importance of asking permission beforehand |
I can scan a QR code using the camera app I know how to type my own name and find familiar letters on a keyboard I know the purpose of a backspace button I know how to adjust the volume on an iPad I know how to download from the Self-Service app (with support) I can upload a photo to Seesaw I can open an “activity” in Seesaw |
I can upload a photo to Showbie I can add a voice note to Showbie I can open a document on Showbie I can listen to feedback on Showbie |