Early Years Foundation Stage

Welcome to Early Years Foundation Stage at Queen's Park CE/URC Primary School

At the heart of our EYFS provision is our school vision: Everything is Possible. We believe that every child deserves a happy, inspiring and nurturing start to their learning journey, where curiosity is celebrated, confidence is developed, and every child is encouraged to thrive.

The first years of school are incredibly important. They lay the foundations for future learning, relationships, communication, and wellbeing. In our EYFS classrooms, we create a safe, engaging, and stimulating environment where children feel valued, supported, and excited to learn each day.

Our curriculum is carefully designed to develop the whole child through play, exploration, creativity, and meaningful experiences. Through a balance of adult-led learning and child-initiated discovery, we help children grow in independence, resilience and confidence while building strong foundations in communication, language, literacy, mathematics, and personal development.

On this page, you will find information about our EYFS curriculum, curriculum maps, learning experiences, and helpful resources to support learning at home. We are proud to work in partnership with families to ensure every child has the very best start to school life and leaves Reception believing that truly, everything is possible.

In EYFS, we value how children learn as much as what they learn. Through play, exploration, active learning, and problem-solving, children develop confidence, resilience, creativity, and independence. These Characteristics of Effective Learning are embedded throughout our curriculum, helping every child become a curious and motivated learner who believes that everything is possible

Children learn skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate their understanding through the seven areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the three prime areas first. These are:

Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Communication and Language

At Queen's Park, we recognise that strong communication and language skills are the foundation for children's learning, development, and future success. Through meaningful interactions and rich language experiences, we help children develop the confidence to express themselves, understand others, and build positive relationships.

We provide a language-rich environment where children are encouraged to listen, speak, ask questions, and share their ideas. Daily opportunities for conversation, storytelling, role play, and discussion help children extend their vocabulary and develop their communication skills.

Reading is the beating heart of our curriculum. We share stories, non-fiction texts, rhymes, and poems every day, encouraging children to engage with books and develop a love of reading. Through these experiences, children are introduced to new vocabulary and are supported in using and applying new language in a range of contexts.

We use the SHREC approach (Sharing Attention, Responding, Expanding and Conversing) to support children's communication and language development. Through high-quality interactions, adults carefully model language, respond to children's interests, extend their ideas and vocabulary, and encourage meaningful conversations. This approach helps children develop their understanding, confidence, and ability to communicate effectively

Strong speech and language skills support all areas of learning by helping children to:

Develop early reading and writing skills.
Access the wider curriculum.
Build positive relationships and friendships.
Grow in confidence and self-esteem.
Support their emotional wellbeing and behaviour.
Express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas effectively.

To promote communication and language development, we provide a variety of engaging experiences, including:

Daily story and rhyme sessions.
Discussions about books, characters, and illustrations.
Show and tell opportunities.
Circle time activities that encourage speaking and listening.
Singing songs, nursery rhymes, and performing poetry.
Imaginative play and storytelling activities.

By nurturing children's communication and language skills from the earliest stages, we help them become confident learners who are well prepared for future success.