Early Years
Our Early Years consists of Nursery (3-4yrs) and Reception (4-5yrs) classrooms. Bright and open spaces provide our children with a rich, safe and stimulating learning environment.
At Lily Lane, we are committed to providing a broad, balanced, and engaging curriculum for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We follow the statutory EYFS framework and use Development Matters as non-statutory curriculum guidance to support our teaching and assessment.
What is EYFS?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a crucial stage in a child's life. It is during this time that children develop the foundations for future learning, social interaction, and overall development. At Lily Lane, we ensure that each child receives the support and opportunities they need to thrive during this important stage.
The Seven Areas of Learning
The Three Prime Areas
The prime areas are particularly important for learning and forming relationships. They build a foundation for children to thrive and provide the basis for learning in all other areas:
Through stories, conversations, and interactive activities, we foster a rich environment where children can develop listening, speaking, and understanding skills. Children's spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning.
We provide a range of activities to support both gross and fine motor skills, ensuring that children can develop coordination, control, and movement.
We focus on nurturing children's confidence, resilience, and independence. This includes developing positive relationships, understanding their emotions, and learning to respect others. Strong relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others.
The Four Specific Areas
The specific areas help strengthen and develop the three prime areas, and ignite children's curiosity and enthusiasm:
Children are introduced to reading and writing in a playful, engaging manner. Phonics, stories, and mark-making activities help build early literacy skills. We aim to develop a life-long love of reading.
Through play, children explore numbers, shapes, space, and measures. They learn to count, recognise patterns, and solve simple problems in a practical context.
We encourage curiosity by allowing children to explore their environment, learn about people and communities, and understand the world through hands-on experiences. This includes learning about the natural world, different cultures, and our diverse society.
Creativity is nurtured through art, music, role play, and other creative activities, allowing children to express themselves and develop imagination.
How Children Learn - The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning
In planning and guiding children's learning, we focus on three key characteristics:
- Playing and Exploring - children investigate and experience things, and 'have a go'
- Active Learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
- Creating and Thinking Critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things
Learning Through Play
At Lily Lane, we recognise that play is essential for children's development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals, and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play and learning that is guided by adults. Through play, children develop essential skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and cooperation.
Targeted Teaching Time
In addition to play, we have dedicated teaching time where essential skills are introduced and reinforced. As children move into Reception, there is a greater focus on teaching the essential skills and knowledge in the specific areas of learning to help prepare children for Key Stage 1. These sessions are carefully designed to be both fun and educational, meeting the developmental needs of each child.
Progression and Assessment
We regularly assess children's progress through ongoing observation and interaction. We use Development Matters guidance to help us understand children's development and plan next steps in their learning. Each area of learning has its own progression pathway, ensuring that children are challenged appropriately and are making steady progress. We adapt our teaching to meet individual needs, ensuring that every child is given every opportunity to succeed.
Assessment is not about paperwork - it informs our daily interactions and teaching decisions, helping us respond to each child's emerging needs.
Supporting Every Child
We believe that all children, regardless of their starting point, deserve the opportunity to succeed. By closely tracking each child's development and providing tailored support, we ensure that every child can reach their full potential. This personalised approach helps children to gain confidence, develop independence, and build a strong foundation for future learning.
How to Support Your Child at Home
We value the partnership between school and home. Here are a few ways parents and carers can support their child's learning:
- Encourage play at home, especially through creative activities such as drawing, building, or imaginative role-play
- Share books together, ask questions about the story, and encourage your child to retell the story in their own words
- Practice counting objects, identifying shapes, and discussing the world around them
- Support social skills by arranging playdates or encouraging cooperation during play
- Talk with your child throughout the day - conversations are crucial for language development
Here at Lily Lane, we are passionate about creating a nurturing, stimulating environment where every child can develop the skills and confidence, they need for the future. We believe that our curriculum, guided by the statutory EYFS framework and informed by best practice, ensures that each child has the best possible start to their educational journey.
EYFS Intent, Implementation, Impact