EYFS

We ensure that our EYFS provision fully meets the educational programmes in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and is underpinned by the theory of child development.  We are based on the Marlborough Road site of Queen’s Park Academy.

The indoor and outdoor environments are of equal importance in supporting children’s learning, well-being and development.  Children learn and develop best in caring, supportive environments which respond to pupils’ individual needs enabling them to focus on their play, building on past and present knowledge. 

Our Vision

We aim to create a warm, inclusive, and stimulating environment where children feel safe, valued, and excited to learn. Through play, exploration, and meaningful relationships, we nurture each child’s unique potential and prepare them for the next stage of their educational journey.

What is the EYFS framework

The EYFS framework sets the standards for learning, development, and care across early years settings in England. It ensures that children develop holistically and are supported in becoming resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.

Areas of Learning and Development

At Queen’s Park Academy, we support children across seven areas of learning, grouped into three prime areas and four specific areas:

• Prime Areas – the building blocks for all learning:

• Communication and Language: Developing speaking, listening, and understanding.

• Physical Development: Building strength, coordination, and healthy habits.

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Fostering self-awareness, empathy, and positive relationships.

Specific Areas – expanding knowledge and skills:

• Literacy: Encouraging reading, writing, and a love of stories.

• Mathematics: Exploring numbers, patterns, shapes, and measures.

• Understanding the World: Investigating people, places, technology, and nature.

• Expressive Arts and Design: Inspiring creativity through art, music, movement, and imaginative play.

How  Children Learn: Characteristics of Effective Learning

We celebrate the way children learn, not just what they learn. Our curriculum is shaped by three key characteristics:

• Playing and Exploring – Children investigate and experience the world around them.

• Active Learning – Children stay motivated and keep trying when faced with challenges.

• Creating and Thinking Critically – Children develop their own ideas and strategies.

In the EYFS at Queen’s Park Academy, we integrate the neuroscience-informed teaching into the EYFS provision, our interactions and the environment. By fostering an emotionally safe environment, providing a language-rich space and prioritising play and relationships, the school supports brain development and executive function. Training staff in responsive, evidence-based strategies and engaging families ensures that learning aligns with how children’s brains grow best—strengthening both academic outcomes and holistic development.

	Enriched Learning Environments	We create stimulating, language-rich classrooms that promote exploration, problem-solving, and creativity. We use continuous provision to offer consistent opportunities for children to revisit and deepen learning, supporting neural connections.
	Prioritise Relationships, a feeling of belonging and Emotional Safety	We foster secure, responsive relationships between staff and children to support emotional regulation and social development. Implement attachment-informed practices to help children feel safe, valued, and ready to learn.
	Train Staff in Neuroscience-Informed Pedagogy	We offer professional development on brain-compatible teaching, including how early experiences shape neural pathways. W encourage reflective practice and peer learning to embed research into everyday teaching
	Use Play as a Vehicle for Learning	We recognise play as essential for cognitive and emotional development. Play supports executive function, memory, and flexible thinking. We balance child-led and adult-guided play to scaffold learning and promote independence.
	Support Executive Function Development	We integrate activities that build working memory, attention control, and cognitive flexibility, such as storytelling, games, and routines. We use strategies like visual timetables, modelling, age appropriate retrieval practice and repetition to strengthen neural pathways
	Monitor and Evaluate Impact	We use formative assessments and observations to track developmental progress and adjust teaching strategies. Evaluate how well the children are learning and align further intervention with brain development research
	Engage Families in learning	We share insights with parents about the importance of early experiences, language exposure, and responsive interactions. We encourage home-school partnerships that reinforce consistent, nurturing environments.

At Queen’s Park Academy, our staff will always modify teaching and learning appropriately for children with SEND and/or disabilities.  We value and recognise each child as a unique individual and work closely and in partnership with parents and any other involved agencies to meet the needs of our children through an inclusive provision for all.

Where children cause concern, they will benefit excellent adaptions to high quality teaching and in-class support.

Children with identified Special Education Needs and/or disabilities at Graduated Response 2 or 3 will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP), developed with the support of parents and any involved agencies.  Much of the IEP will be included on the Provision Map, which enables us to engage with a range of children’s needs through regular, planned provision which is additional to the core curriculum.

Mrs McWatt, our SENDCO monitors the progress of all children with SEND to ensure that they are benefitting from an appropriate curriculum which enables them to feel safe and secure, and to learn effectively.  Where children with SEND are making poor progress, further assessment is undertaken or support sought.

Based on our knowledge of the children, we have decided to place a strong emphasis on the area of Understanding the World (UW), recognising its vital role in preparing children for a smooth transition into Key Stage 1. Within UW, key elements of History (Past and Present), Geography (People, Culture and Communities), and Science (The Natural World) are thoughtfully woven together. Children are encouraged to observe, question, and explore the world around them—developing an early awareness of communities, environments, and life across time.

Our curriculum invites pupils to think like scientists, historians, and geographers—considering how these experts work, what they investigate, and how they uncover knowledge. This approach nurtures early disciplinary thinking and lays the groundwork for deeper understanding as children progress through school.

The Early Years curriculum align with our whole-school curriculum design, offering both substantive knowledge (the ‘what’) and disciplinary knowledge (the ‘how’) to help children grow into confident, curious, and capable learners. These materials support staff in building a rich foundation for our youngest pupils, ensuring continuity and coherence as they move into Key Stage 1 and beyond.

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