At Colburn Community Primary School, our Early Years Foundation Stage provision provides children with the strong foundations they need to thrive, both in school and in life. Rooted in our CARE values – Communication, Achievement, Resilience and Empathy – our EYFS curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and carefully designed to meet the needs of our community.

We recognise that the early years are a critical stage in children’s development. Our provision reflects the statutory EYFS framework and the expectations of the Ofsted inspection framework, ensuring children are supported to develop the foundational knowledge, skills and behaviours required for future learning.

Context

Children enter our Nursery and Reception classes with a wide range of starting points. Many arrive with lower levels of communication and language development than typically expected. Experiences of early socialisation vary considerably, as do opportunities for shared talk, storytelling, access to books and time spent engaging with attentive adults.

In recent years, children’s early development has been further influenced by:

• Increased exposure to screen-based technology, often replacing sustained conversation and play
• Reduced opportunities for social interaction during and following the COVID-19 pandemic
• Limited experiences of shared reading, imaginative play and adult-led language modelling

As a result, some children require additional support to develop vocabulary, listening, attention, emotional regulation and confidence in social situations. Leaders understand these barriers and ensure that high-quality inclusive teaching, particularly in communication and language, is the most effective way to reduce them. This contextual understanding informs curriculum design, teaching approaches and targeted support, ensuring all children are supported to keep up, not catch up.

Intent

Our EYFS curriculum is designed to ensure that every child gets the best possible start and develops the strong foundations required for later success.

We intend to:

• Prioritise Communication, developing spoken language, vocabulary, listening and interaction skills so children can access the full curriculum.
• Promote Achievement by setting high expectations and ensuring all children experience success and make progress from their starting points.
• Build Resilience by encouraging independence, perseverance and safe risk-taking within a secure and nurturing environment.
• Develop Empathy through respectful relationships, emotional literacy and an inclusive culture where every child feels they belong.

Our curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, particularly for children who are disadvantaged, have SEND, or face other barriers to learning. It is carefully sequenced to ensure children gain the foundational knowledge and skills needed for Year 1 and beyond, including early language, personal development and positive attitudes to learning.

Implementation

Our EYFS curriculum is implemented through high-quality teaching, purposeful play and strong relationships, ensuring learning is meaningful, engaging and developmentally appropriate.

Key features include:

• Language-rich environments, where adults model vocabulary, extend talk and explicitly teach children how to communicate effectively.
• High-quality interactions, with skilled practitioners scaffolding learning, checking understanding and responding in the moment.
• A balanced curriculum, combining child-initiated play with short, focused adult-led sessions that develop early language, phonics, number and personal, social and emotional skills.
• Carefully planned indoor and outdoor environments that promote exploration, independence, collaboration and resilience.
• Ongoing observation and assessment, used to identify gaps in learning early and provide timely support and challenge.
• Inclusive practice, where adaptations and reasonable adjustments ensure all children can access high-quality learning.
• Strong partnerships with parents and carers, built on open communication, shared understanding and mutual trust.

Leaders ensure that teaching is consistent with curriculum intent, that staff are well trained, and that assessment informs teaching rather than creating unnecessary workload, in line with inspection expectations.

Impact

As a result of our EYFS provision:

• Children make strong progress from their starting points, particularly in communication and language.
• Children develop the foundational knowledge and skills needed to access the wider curriculum, including early reading, number and self-regulation.
• Children demonstrate increasing confidence, independence and resilience, showing positive attitudes to learning.
• Children build secure relationships and show empathy and respect for others.
• Children are well prepared for Year 1, both academically and emotionally.

Impact is evident through children’s engagement, wellbeing, learning behaviours and progress over time. Leaders use assessment, professional dialogue and parental feedback to evaluate effectiveness and refine provision, ensuring that barriers to learning are identified early and addressed swiftly. Most importantly, children leave EYFS as happy, confident learners who are ready for the next stage of their education.