Early Years Foundation Stage

We follow the Department for Education Early Years Framework, which can be viewed here.

Our EYFS topic curriculum is designed to give children opportunities to learn and develop through a wide range of meaningful adult-led and child-initiated activities.

Activities run throughout the whole afternoon alongside permanent areas of learning and other independent child-led activities. All children have free-flow access to the outdoor area and are actively encouraged to initiate their own learning opportunities through play.

Activities link strongly with the half-termly topic and core book of the week. As such, all activities provide a rich context for children to explore and develop key skills in expressive art and design (EAD), understanding the world (UW), personal, social and emotional development (PSED) and physical development (PD) as well as consolidating their communication and language, maths and literacy skills.

See the curriculum map for our Reception classYou can read more about the Hackney local offer for Early Years here.

Enrichment lessons

Children have physical education lessons once a week with our specialist coach, as well as music, art and Spanish.

We follow a forest school's ethos and our topic curriculum also includes fortnightly outings to nearby Butterfield Green, where the children explore and interact with the natural environment through playful investigations and activities such as mud painting, puddle splashing, shelter building and woodland walks.

Lastly, all reception children are invited to attend a 10-week course of swimming lessons in the summer term. This allows them to explore the water and gain ‘water confidence’ in a structured and safe way, as well as beginning to learn the basic skills needed at an early age.