Welcome To
Early Years Foundation Stage
Early Years Foundation Stage at Poulton St Chad’s CE Primary School
At Poulton St Chad’s, our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides a nurturing, engaging, and inspiring start to every child’s educational journey. We recognise that the early years are a vital time for laying the foundations of learning, behaviour, and wellbeing, and we are committed to ensuring that every child feels happy, safe, valued, and ready to thrive.
A Warm and Welcoming Start
Our EYFS setting is a vibrant and caring environment where children are encouraged to explore, play, and develop a love of learning from the very beginning. We foster strong, supportive relationships with both children and their families, working closely together to create a smooth and positive transition into school life.
A Broad and Balanced Curriculum
Our curriculum is carefully designed around the EYFS statutory framework, with a strong focus on the seven areas of learning and development:
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Communication and Language
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Physical Development
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development
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Literacy
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Mathematics
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Understanding the World
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Expressive Arts and Design
Through a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, we provide rich, purposeful experiences that spark curiosity, build resilience, and promote independence. Children are encouraged to ask questions, take risks, and celebrate their successes.
Learning Through Play
At the heart of our EYFS approach is a strong belief in the power of learning through play. Our indoor and outdoor learning environments are carefully planned to support exploration, creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. Whether building in the construction area, investigating nature, mark-making, or engaging in imaginative role play, children are constantly learning and developing essential life skills.
Christian Values and Whole-Child Development
As a Church of England school, our Christian ethos underpins everything we do. We nurture each child as an individual, helping them to grow not just academically, but also spiritually, morally, and socially. Our children learn the importance of kindness, respect, and compassion from the very start.
High Expectations and Personalised Support
We have high expectations for every child and are passionate about ensuring that all children make excellent progress, regardless of their starting points. Our skilled staff team uses ongoing assessment to tailor teaching and provide timely support, challenge, and encouragement—helping each child to reach their full potential.
The EYFS at Poulton St Chad’s is a place where children feel safe, supported, and excited to learn. We build strong foundations that not only prepare children for the next stage of their education, but also shape them into confident, capable, and caring individuals who are ready to embrace the world around them.
Useful Websites
We love to have fun with our learning at in school and at home! Alongside the schemes of work used in class such as White Rose Early Years, NCETM, NRich, Letters and Sounds and Jolly Phonics you can access extra home learning activities in the links below:
ICT games – Literacy and Numeracy games
Cbeebies – a wide range of activities, with favourite characters – enjoy!
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we promote children’s spiritual development by creating an environment where curiosity, wonder and meaningful connections can flourish. Spirituality in the early years is about giving children time and space to explore the world with fascination to develop a sense of identity and to build thoughtful relationships with others. We support this by encouraging children to pause, reflect and talk about their thoughts, feelings and experiences in ways that feel natural and meaningful to them.
Children are offered frequent opportunities to engage with the natural world—observing seasonal changes, caring for living things, exploring light, shadow, sound and textures and discovering the beauty in everyday moments. These experiences help children develop appreciation, gratitude and a sense of responsibility for their environment.
We also celebrate a wide range of beliefs, traditions and cultural practices. Through stories, celebrations, music, art, and shared experiences, children gain an understanding of the values, customs and ideas that shape different communities. This helps them develop respect, empathy and an awareness of the diversity that enriches our world.
Spiritual development is further nurtured through positive relationships and secure attachments. Children are encouraged to express their emotions, listen to others, show kindness and build friendships. Through reflective discussions, calm spaces and opportunities to explore their own thoughts, children learn to understand themselves more deeply and develop a sense of inner confidence and peace.
By providing a rich, supportive and reflective environment, we enable children to explore big questions, notice beauty, celebrate difference and develop a sense of wonder about life. Spirituality in the EYFS lays the foundation for children to grow into thoughtful, compassionate individuals who feel connected to themselves, others and the world around them.
