EYFS Framework

We promote a vocabulary rich environment and celebrate that many children start at Oakthorpe understanding and using lots of different languages. Adults are always engaged and involved within the children’s learning to ensure open-ended conversations are occurring. Our whole school day is planned to promote the use of language and new vocabulary at every opportunity. We use programmes such as Drawing Club and Talk Boost to support children with their language development too.

Our children come to Oakthorpe, knowing they will be able to learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. This security lets our children develop their own self-regulation skills, allowing them to mange their own feelings and emotions. Adults put lots of emphasis on the children becoming independent learners and problem solvers, helping children become well rounded individuals who are able to form positive relationships with those around them.

At Oakthorpe we are very lucky to have large open outdoor spaces, where children can freely and safely develop strong gross motor skills such as running, climbing, balancing and jumping. Children have access to these outdoor spaces each and every day. Each week Reception have a whole morning of PE lessons, delivered by Sports coaches. These lessons include gymnastics, dance and games skills. Adults actively target fine motor skills of the children in the activities they plan for across all the areas of learning. This may be practising cutting skills, using tools such as tweezers or mark making using a variety of pens, pencils and crayons.

We promote a love of reading from the very start of a child’s school journey at Oakthorpe. From weekly visits to our library, access to high quality texts in reading corners in the classrooms, to lessons and activities based upon exciting and engaging texts. In Reception we use books from the CLPE Reading programme, exposing children to high quality texts which they learn to sequence and role play. Drawing club is also used to introduce children to exciting new vocabulary and allow them to develop a love for the English language.

As children develop such a joy for reading, this motivates them to write, and within the early years environment there are constant opportunities for writing and mark making to occur. Adults will also encourage children to carry out focus tasks, aimed at getting children to apply their phonic knowledge the words and sentences they would like to write.

Phonics teaching begins as soon as the children are in school and we follow the Read Write Inc Phonics programme. Phonics is taught daily, often in larger groups in the Autumn term before splitting into smaller groups so that teaching is targeted towards the children’s current phonics ability.

Children continually have the opportunity to problem solve and experiment with their mathematical skills in the Early Years environments, through learning with small parts, construction resources and with our Maths areas too. Mathematics teaching in Reception follows White Rose Maths Scheme of Learning, which mirrors the learning across the rest of the school. Focus is put on children having a broad understanding of the numbers to 10, including skills such as number bonds, doubling and halving.

Lots of the topics and themes we follow in our Early Years curriculum promote this area of learning and we explore them through our super six texts, learning new information and taking part in lots of hands on and practical experiences. We are a Multi Cultural school meaning all children get experience of celebrating a wide variety of different celebrations throughout the year, including performing in plays, watching productions by other year groups and visiting a place of worship. We love to have people from our community come to visit us including the Police, Doctors and Dentists. From Day One, we like to promote a love of the Outdoors and children will spend lots of time in our expansive outdoor space as well as taking part in our weekly Welly Walks.

At Oakthorpe our children are exposed to art from their first day. Continuous provision in the classrooms allows for children to have daily access to different materials, allowing them to create models, structures and pictures from their own imaginations. We also take part in Art Week where children are exposed to a variety of artists, new skills and techniques and take part in a Gallery Walk with the rest of the school.

Children take part in singing assemblies and in the Autumn Term will learn and perform a Nativity for parents and the rest of the school. We have music specialists come in throughout the year, exposing children to new instruments and types of music from around the world. Children are continually encouraged to explore their imagination by encouraging them to learn in the variety of role play areas around the Early Years provision, as well as in their play with different resources.