At Breckon Hill Primary School we provide a full range of Early Years Education, catering for children from 2 to 5 yrs old.

Nursery

We are able to offer parents 15 free hours for 2 year olds for families eligible. We offer all families 15 hours for 3 and 4 year olds.

Reception

We have places for 90 children.

The Learning Environment

Our learning environment supports children’s learning and development by fostering confidence, curiosity and independence. Children are encouraged to explore and learn within secure, safe and stimulating indoor and outdoor spaces that also provide appropriate challenge.

We aim to create an attractive, welcoming and purposeful environment where children are motivated to explore, investigate and learn through first-hand experiences. It is also a place where children feel safe, valued and confident, enabling them to develop independence and resilience.

Learning opportunities are planned for both indoor and outdoor areas and are informed by children’s interests, needs and next steps in learning. The environment is organised into a range of clearly defined areas, including role play, book areas, writing, numeracy, ICT, creative, malleable, sand, water, outdoor provision, construction, small world and puzzles.

These areas are thoughtfully arranged to balance quieter spaces with more active areas, supporting different types of play and learning. Children are encouraged to become independent learners by accessing resources independently and by initiating their own ideas, enquiries and investigations.

EYFS Curriculum

Key Documents

The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first.

  • Communication and language;
  • Physical development;
  • Personal, social and emotional development.

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas:

  • Literacy;
  • Mathematics;
  • Understanding the world;
  • Expressive arts and design.

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. We will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it’s suitable for very young children, and it’s designed to be really flexible so that we can follow your child’s unique needs and interests. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.

Learning Through Play

Play is essential to learning and your child will tell you this is what they do a lot of at school in the Early Years. The 6 Stages of play are helpful in uderstanind how we can develop children’s play.

When your child is 5 years old

At the end of reception, in the summer term, teachers complete an assessment which is known as the EYFS Profile. This assessment is carried out by the reception teacher and is based on what they, and other staff caring for your child, have observed over a period of time. Another important part of the EYFS Profile is your knowledge about your child’s learning and development, so do let your child’s class teacher know about what your child does with you: such as how confident your child is in writing their name, reading and talking about a favourite book, speaking to people your child is not so familiar with or their understanding of numbers. All of the information collected is used to judge how your child is doing in the 7 areas of learning and development. Finding out at this stage how your child is doing will mean that the teacher your child has in their next school year – Year 1 – will know what your child really enjoys doing and does well, as well as helping them decide if your child needs a bit of extra support, what that support should be and if they are already getting it. We will give you a report of your child’s progress, including information from his or her EYFS Profile at the end of the summer term.