Our Philosophy

At Albany Infant and Nursery School, our Early Years philosophy and pedagogy is underpinned by the belief that all children have the right to an inclusive education. The learning journeys of our pupils, are promoted through inspirational environments that provide awe and wonder, enabling our children to successfully build the cultural capital they need to make aspirational choices for their future.

To support the development of all our children in Nursery and Reception, our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) team focuses on:

• Developing listening and attention skills
• Increasing vocabulary
• Encouraging communication
• Improving core strength
• Strengthening fingers and fine motor control
• Supporting self-regulation
• Encouraging and supporting friendships

Our Curriculum

To meet the Early Years Statutory Framework (2021) requirements, we have used the Development Matters and the Birth to Five documents for guidance, to create our own progressive long-term curriculum. In our curriculum, we have carefully considered the key skills, knowledge and interests of our pupils to ensure there is a balance between child-initiated play and focused learning.

Throughout all taught topics, we think about: relationships in learning, with our peers and the wider world; carefully planned language and Literacy opportunities including a variety of genres and texts; the diversity in our World how to become resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

Our enquiry-based planning covers the seven areas of learning, as set out in the EYFS Framework (2021):

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts & Design

The content of our planning carefully considers and sets out the key knowledge and vocabulary that we want our children to understand and use. It is then through planned discrete taught sessions, objective led group activities and continuous provision, that we teach each learning intent to equip our children with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Continuous Provision

In EYFS, we provide continuous indoor and outdoor provision to all pupils. This provision is carefully planned to meet the Characteristics of Effective Learning ensuring that children develop a positive attitude to learning and their ability to play and explore and think critically about the world around them. The EYFS team ensure that both indoor and outdoor provision promotes the development of: problem solving, creative thinking, team work and communication through well-planned and exciting activities and opportunities. Staff support the children to work and play cooperatively, whilst extending their language and deepening their understanding through positive interactions.

Enhancements are used throughout EYFS to ensure that our high-quality, progressive curriculum is delivered effectively through interactive displays, high-quality resources, stimuli, real-life experiences and visits. These are updated twice per week and always consider the needs and interests of the child.

Assessments

Assessments in EYFS are taken throughout the year. Firstly, Reception Baselines are taken in the first 6 weeks of the academic year and again in the summer term. We also complete the EYFS Profile which is a statutory assessment of children’s development at the end of their year in Reception. Each child’s level of development is assessed against the 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs) across all 7 areas of learning in EYFS. Data from both the Reception Baseline and the EYFS Profile are submitted to the DfE. Throughout the year, we gather termly summative data, tracking pupil attainment using Development Matters against the 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs).

Both formative and summative assessments are collated throughout each week through discrete taught sessions and objective-led planning. The assessments gathered from these activities then inform the planning and the provision. Phonics assessments are also carried out each half-term to track the progress of each child, ensure that reading book are appropriately matched and if needs be, additional support can be provided. More information on the teaching of Phonics in EYFS can be accessed in the ‘Reading and Phonics’ section on the school website.

Support in EYFS

Here at Albany Infant and Nursery School, we strive for all our children to achieve. For this reason, our staff prioritise daily pedagogical discussions and ensure that our children are at the forefront of the decisions we make. Sometimes, children require additional support in the form of an intervention, therefore we offer:

• Little Wandle Letters and Sounds ‘Catch Up’ and ‘Keep Up’ Phonics
• 1:1 precision teaching
• SMART focused activities
• ELSA 1:1
• ELSA Nurture group
• SALT support including WellComm
• Funky fingers

Parents and Carers in Collaboration

The communication between a child, their family and school is fundamental. At Albany, we take pride in this and ensure that effective communication is achieved between our staff and the school community.

Families are kept updated via Class Dojo and the school website on a regular basis. Class updates are sent to families three times per week and key events are viewable on both platforms. Families can message staff directly via Class Dojo and/or speak in person at the morning drop-off and/or end of the day collection. No question or query is ever too small and staff will always be happy to help.