EYFS Rolls Crescent Primary School

Intent

At Rolls Crescent Primary School, we believe every child deserves an education that sparks curiosity, fuels excitement, and inspires a lifelong love of learning. Our aim is to provide purposeful knowledge and skills alongside memorable experiences and essential life lessons during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We strive to nurture respect, care for others, and the development of self-regulation and social skills. By offering an education that achieves all of this, we give children the best opportunity to grow into confident, happy, and well-rounded individuals, ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Our Early Years curriculum is carefully designed to be broad, balanced, and inclusive, meeting the needs of all pupils, including disadvantaged children and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It equips children with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need as they begin their educational journey, supporting progress from their unique starting points and preparing them for the next stage of learning.

We place a strong emphasis on personal, social, and emotional development, creating a safe and supportive environment built on trust and mutual respect.

Our learning spaces are thoughtfully arranged to encourage independence, allowing children to access resources freely, lead their own learning, and feel comfortable and confident in warm, inviting areas.

Through the seven areas of learning, we offer topics that captivate and engage, building on children’s interests and expanding their understanding of the world. Recognising that every child arrives with different experiences, our dedicated staff work hard to provide opportunities that broaden knowledge and set ambitious expectations for all.

Our curriculum celebrates diversity and promotes spiritual, moral, social, and cultural growth. Disadvantaged children and children with additional needs, including SEND, receive tailored support to ensure they can succeed and flourish.

Implementation

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum that builds on each child’s knowledge, understanding, and skills, regardless of their starting point. Our approach follows the Early Years curriculum, using themed topics as a foundation. Each topic begins with a ‘Big Question’ designed to spark curiosity and inspire children to engage in learning.

The purpose of our curriculum is to foster curiosity, a love of learning, and create memorable experiences by:

Offering child-led activities tailored to individual starting points, enhancing learning and supporting progress.
Creating an engaging, language-rich environment that allows children to access all areas of learning—indoors and outdoors—at any time.
Delivering high-quality adult interactions that positively impact every child’s development.
Keeping ‘The Unique Child’ at the heart of all interactions, with a nurturing approach for those who need reassurance to succeed.
Using effective questioning and dialogue to check understanding and address misconceptions.
Ensuring staff model strong speaking and listening skills for children to emulate.
Assessing learning through observations, some recorded on Insights and shared with parents, to inform next steps and meet individual needs.
Encouraging success in activities while providing verbal feedback and appropriate challenge to build resilience.
Suggesting home learning opportunities linked to classroom experiences, enabling parents to extend learning at home. We adapt topics regularly to reflect children’s changing needs and interests.

Children develop literacy skills by imitating stories through actions and story mapping, then innovating by adding their own ideas. Literacy and phonics are embedded in continuous provision activities throughout the week. High-quality texts form the basis of topic planning, often introduced with an exciting hook to engage children in both the book and the theme.

Phonics is taught daily using the systematics and synthetic accredited ‘Little Wandle’ scheme, based on Letters and Sounds.

Mathematics is taught through daily sessions using the ‘NCTM Mastering Number’ scheme in Reception and ‘Story Time Maths’ in Nursery. Our goal is for children to become confident mathematicians who can apply their learning to real-life situations.

Extra-curricular opportunities include:

Visits from guests to enrich learning
Trips within the local community
Educational visits further afield

Parents and carers are kept informed through Insight reports, which record significant observations. Class Dojo is used to share weekly updates and key messages. Families are invited to regular stay-and-play sessions and workshops, and receive videos and information to support learning at home, alongside weekly home learning activities.

Impact

Starting from their individual points, children will make significant academic and social progress, developing a strong sense of identity and confidence to ensure a smooth transition into Key Stage 1.

They will show high levels of engagement in activities, strengthening their speaking and listening skills, which will enable them to access a wider range of learning opportunities and communicate effectively with both adults and peers.

Children will acquire skills across all areas of the curriculum—including Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Development—and learn to apply these in different contexts. They will broaden their understanding of the world and draw on these experiences during interactions, linking them to new learning.

Through developing the Characteristics of Effective Learning, children will learn to apply their knowledge in varied situations, make connections, and explain their ideas clearly. They will grow in confidence, take risks, and reflect on both successes and challenges, using feedback and experience to improve and adapt.

By the end of the Foundation Stage, children will be successful learners, fully prepared for the next stage of their education as they move into Year One. Our aim is also to help children make sense of the world around them, fostering tolerance, compassion, and an understanding of their own rights and the rights of others in an ever-changing society, supported by the Think Equal programme.

Ultimately, children will leave the Foundation Stage equipped with essential knowledge and skills for everyday life and lifelong learning.

Little Wandle - Phonics resources for parents and carers