At St Oswald’s we consider the Early Years Foundation Stage to be crucial in securing solid foundations that children can continue to build upon.  Our Early Years curriculum supports children to develop physically, verbally, cognitively, and emotionally, whilst embedding a positive attitude to learning.  We believe that all children deserve to be valued as an individual and we are passionate in enabling all children to achieve their full, unique potential.  We consider the different starting points of children and develop our flexible Early Years Curriculum to enable all children to learn in a way suitable to their unique needs.

At St Oswald’s we believe that all children deserve an education rich in wonder and memorable experiences, that allow children’s natural creativity and curiosity to flourish alongside the purposeful acquisition of skills and knowledge.  An education that does all this provides children with the best chance of becoming well-rounded, happy individuals, ready to succeed in an ever-changing world.  We understand the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers and keep them well informed which supports transition and learning for the children.

Children in both Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Curriculum which has seven main areas of learning.

The Prime Areas: -

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development

The Specific Areas: -

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts

The teaching of these areas of learning is practical and playful with support and challenge from adults in the environment.  There is a combination of adult-led, child-initiated sessions as well as a stimulating continuous provision opportunities.  Throughout all these areas of learning and at the heart of the Early Years curriculum are the ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’.  All the crucial skills, knowledge, and vocabulary we teach are taught through a range of topics, which are designed with their interests in mind.

Our learning environments, both inside and out are enhanced regularly to meet the developing needs of the children in our care.  We strive to ensure that all areas of provision are stimulating and exciting as that, importantly, they are accessible to all children regardless of where they are on their learning journey.  The environments are developed to support our children to become independent learners and provide challenge for all.

Children in both Nursery and Reception are assessed continuously through accurate and important observations within child-initiated play.  These provide practitioners with information used to inform future planning for both whole class and the needs of the individuals, in the form of next steps.

At St Oswald’s we strongly believe that the Early Years Foundation Stage has an important role in creating the spark that supports children to have the confidence to try new things, build resilience in a safe environment and thrive on challenge.