Squirrels Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2024 - 2025

Our Foundation Stage Unit is a learning environment for Nursery (F1) and Reception (F2) children. It enables a seamless transition from one year group to the next and allows continuity of learning and teaching.

We have 3 classes; Red Squirrels (Reception), Grey Squirrels (Reception) and Squirrels Nursery.

The EYFS is built on guiding principles which inform our work with the children. These are:

A Unique Child – every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured

Positive Relationships – children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.

Enabling Environments – the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.

Importance of Play

In Squirrels, play is an integral part of our learning. Play, carefully balanced with adult-led sessions and continuous provision, ensures that the children reach their full potential and acquire a love of learning.

Adult-Led Activities

The morning starts with settling in activities which lead to a literacy input. A quality text is used for the week to inspire learning and creativity. Later, your child will have the opportunity to participate in our Read Write Inc phonics sessions with Fred Frog!

A daily maths lesson takes place in the afternoon after a short mindfulness session as the children return from lunch play and have the chance to relax and refocus. The day ends with cosy class story time and review of the day. PE and music take place weekly.

Continuous Provision

All the children have opportunities during the mornings and the afternoons to come together to participate in continuous provision, continuing their learning through child initiated play. Children apply and consolidate their new skills. The activities on offer are linked to all 7 areas of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage):

3 Prime areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
Communication and Language
Physical Development
4 Specific areas
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Maths
Literacy

Curriculum

Please follow this link to view our curriculum

Outdoor Learning

At Wellsprings, we have several magnificent outdoor spaces and we make the most of our environment and spend plenty of time learning outside. As well as continuous provision, we often have our adult-led sessions outside.

Snack and Lunch

We provide a snack choice that consists of milk or water and a varying selection of seasonal fruit or vegetables. Children may access their own drinks bottle and top-ups of water throughout the day.

Reception children are all entitled to a free school meal and are supervised eating in the dining hall by the reception staff. Children may alternatively bring their own packed lunch.

Nursery children eat their packed lunches together with their key person in Nursery.

Tapestry

Here in Wellsprings Foundation Stage, we use Tapestry as our online journal. Tapestry is a wonderful opportunity for us to quickly share our observations with you online as well as giving you the opportunity to respond to and make your own observations to share with us. 

Home-School Communication

We use School Spider as a way of sending out our newsletters and links to key events. During the Autumn Term, we will run workshops covering how we teach reading and how we teach maths.