Welcome to EYFS at Tame Valley Primary Academy. Our dedicated team of practitioners consists of Mrs Hannan, Miss Christie, Miss March, Mrs Harrison and Mrs Urch.. Across our EYFS, all staff contribute to developing a nurturing environment where children feel secure, valued, and prepared to embrace the positives as well as the challenges during their journey throughout school. Our team within EYFS prioritise a holistic approach to learning, placing both continuous and enhanced provision at the heart of our practice. 

We understand that children thrive in environments that encourage exploration and curiosity. We know that carefully planned continuous and enhanced provision, alongside open-ended learning opportunities will give our children confidence and a desire to learn. Our carefully curated learning environments both inside and outside offer a balance between structured learning and free choice, promoting creativity, independence, and enjoyment when exploring new ideas. We have worked hard to develop an outdoor environment as well as an outdoor ethos and children across Nursery and Reception use outdoors every day, come rain or shine! Outdoor learning offers non-threatening learning opportunities as well as space to explore concepts that don’t lend themselves to an indoor environment- den building, obstacle course making, balance bike riding and transporting water are just a few of the opportunities children access in our outdoor area.    

Both Nursery and Reception curriculums are carefully planned around captivating, high-quality texts. In addition, our Curriculum Promise extends beyond this, immersing children in the exploration of significant figures, historical events, festivals, authors, artists, composers, and much more. For example, children in EYFS explore the Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, Easter and Christmas; develop positive community links with a local residential home, experience visitors on career day and walk to, and become a member of, the local library.  

Aligned with our dedication to development within EYFS, we also promote the ‘Ready Steady Reception’ goals in nursery- a newly established set of skills identified by the Birmingham Early Years DLP project for children on entry to reception; We understand and strive for all children to achieve these goals before they start school.  

Children will also benefit from our well established RWI Phonics scheme, Mastering Number sessions, Talk for Write which develops storytelling as well as innovating skills, Concept Cat (a language programme within Nursery which teaches early verbal concepts) as well as in-house SALT support where needed.  

Personal, Social and Emotional –  This year we will be learning how to be a kind friend.  We will be developing our listening skills and working together to take turns and share our toys at Nursery.

We will be learning how to self regulate when somebody has upset us and   discuss our feelings and emotions every day.

Communication and Language – We will be developing the children’s language development through sharing stories and listening to new songs and rhymes.  We will be encouraging your children to share stories and talk about their home life. Please support your child by talking to them and sharing every day to extend their language.

We will be developing the children’s language development through sharing stories and listening to new songs and rhymes. Please support your child at home by practising nursery rhymes e.g. Humpty, dumpty sat on the wall, humpty dumpty had a great ……., practising rhyming strings e.g. cat, hat, mat, sat…… ¨ Listen and share stories with your child ¨ Retelling stories in their own words. ¨ Practise threading and jigsaws at home.

Physical -Our outdoor classroom is a very important part of the education your child will receive this year. Many learning opportunities occur outside and as a result we encourage the children to explore the outdoors in all weathers. The outdoor is planned and designed to reflect learning taking place indoors and enables pupils to make links in their learning.

Literacy

Autumn 1

Guess how much I love you, Elmer, Oliver’s Vegetables , Oliver’s Fruit Salad, 5 Little Pumpkins, Pete the Cat and Dear Zoo 

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Sleeping Bunnies, Rainbow song, 1 potato, 2 potato song and Dingle dangle scarecrow. 

Autumn 2  

Goldilocks and the three bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Snow White and Dear Santa 

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears. 

Spring 1

Whatever next, Lost and found, The Blue Train, Mr Gumpy’s Motorcar, Driving the tractor and I wish I were a Pilot. 

The Wheels on the bus. 

Spring 2

Walking through the Jungle, Duck in the Truck, The Tiger who came to Tea, Pig in the Pond  and Farmyard Hullabaloo 

Old McDonald Had a farm and Peter rabbit had a fly upon his nose

Summer 1

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, What the Ladybird Heard, 10 Little Ladybirds, Spinderella, Mad about Minibeasts and Tiny Seed 

Incy wincy spider and There was an old woman who swallowed a fly. 

Summer 2

Sharing a Shell, Pirates love underpants, Singing Mermaid, Olly the Octopus, Smiley Shark, Clumsy Crab and Kipper’s Beach Ball 

1,2,3 4, 5 once I caught a fish alive and Baby shark 

Maths

In Nursery we will be  focussing on counting and recognising numbers from 1- 10. We will learning about more and less  for example are there more red bears or yellow bears?  Additionally we will be exploring 3D shapes by making different vehicles. Understanding of the World- Talking to your child everyday about the things they have been doing at school. Can you discuss the changes of the weather with your child? Can you discuss with your child how you travel to and from Nursery. Can you draw a map of how you get to Nursery?

Expressive Arts and Design

Can you paint a picture of a car, lorry, train.  Can you design your own train and make one out of junk modelling materials. This term we will be learning about colour mixing and how to make light and dark colours.

Early Years Themes

Autumn 1 – Marvellous Me – This half term we are talking all about ourselves; naming and labelling body parts (chin, leg, head, arm, foot, etc), our families, painting self portraits, learning about our five senses and how we use them in everyday life. 

Autumn 2 –  Once Upon a Time – This term our topic is all about Traditional Tales where we will listen and join in with key phases and stories. We will be learning about different festivals. Also we will be learning about the changes in the weather. 

Spring 1 – Up, up and away, around the world- This term our topic is all about Transport and different ways we can travel around the world. The children will have the opportunity to explore and investigate how different forms of transport work and to create their own forms of transport.

Spring 2 – Amazing Animals – This term we will be learning all about different animals, discussing wild animals and farm animals.  We will be learning which animals live at the zoo and which animals live on the farm.   We will also be learning about Spring time and new life.  Encourage your child to go on a Spring walk and look for new signs of life and the changes in the weather. 

Summer 1- All creatures great and small –This term we will be looking at the changes of the weather and exploring the outdoors.  •Exploring and looking for mini beasts outside and we will be discussing life cycle of a butterfly and frogs. 

Summer 2- Land Ahoy- This term we will learning about Under the sea, we will be learning about different sea creatures, pirates and mermaids.