Intent and Implementation Early Years 

Intent

We provide a warm, stimulating environment filled with knowledgeable, caring adults who regularly go above and beyond the curriculum. Teaching staff pounce on educational opportunities that arise on a day to day basis. We are able to do this because of our cooperative and supportive work ethos. Regular Early Years staff meetings take place where any problems can be shared amongst the team. We share information amongst the team in an effective manner. We see the Development Matters framework as the floor, not the ceiling for learning.

Implementation

What is our intention as a school?

Our aim is that all children that enter our setting are able to reach their own independent potential.

Each half term, each classroom will deliver a new scheme of work to the children based around a topic theme. These themes are made to be as flexible as possible to encompass the needs and interests of the cohort as much as possible.

Phonics: We use the Essential Letters and Sounds scheme to teach our phonics sessions. This enables all children to maximise their phonics potential through rigorous daily reading and writing activities. These phonics activities are directly linked to the phoneme taught that day which in turn has been taken from the document Letters and Sounds.

Literacy: Literacy is based around the topic of the half term. Children are encouraged to use their reading and writing skills learnt within Phonics lessons in a different way. Children are taught how to listen carefully and how asking questions can lead to increasing their knowledge and understanding of subjects.

Maths:  High quality learning environments and meaningful interactions with adults, support children in developing mathematical thinking and discussion. Pupils learn through games and tasks using concrete manipulatives and pictorial structures and representations which are then rehearsed applied and recorded within their own child-led exploration. In Nursery, children develop a love of maths through games, songs, rhymes, and play using concrete manipulatives. There is a focus on the following counting principles; one to one correspondence, stable order and cardinal principle. Children’s fine manipulative skills are a focus to develop 1-1 correspondence so children count each object only once.

Self-Care: We teach the children about healthy and unhealthy food and drink choices. We provide the children at school only with a healthy balanced diet. Children are encouraged to try tieing their laces and putting the own coats on before asking for help.

WellComm: All children in the Foundation Stage are assessed using this speaking and listening tool and key children identified for further support, teaching and intervention (if required).

School Readiness: We use the Oxfordshire 3 key tools to ensure that the children leaving the Foundation Stage at the end of their Reception year are school ready. The use of the WellComm toolkit, The Language Lead program and the promotion of the ’50 things To DO Before You Are 5’ app.

Curriculum Impact:

What is the impact of our curriculum and how do we know?

Baseline: During the first week in Reception, teaching staff will complete the RBA baseline for Reception children. This is to ensure a fair and ethical assessment can be taken – ie before the start of formal learning. Further baseline assessments take place in all other EY classrooms to enable each teaching member of staff to provide the right type of education for each child. All staff use ongoing assessments, observations and conversations with the child and the child’s parents and carers to develop a rounder understanding throughout the year. This helps to identify each individual’s starting points in all areas so we can plan experiences to ensure progress. Progress is measured using the same computer program throughout the EY setting and can be easily read by each member of staff.

We have achieved higher than national average for GLD and continue to set high expectations for teaching and learning.

	Orchard Fields Community School	National
2020-2021	71%	NO DATA
2021-2022	69%	65.2%
2022-2023	68%	67.2%