EYFS at The Mendip School

Curriculum Vision and Intent

At The Mendip School our Early Years Foundation Stage aims to provide a nurturing and inclusive learning environment that supports the unique needs of our children. We are committed to fostering social, emotional, and cognitive development through individualised learning, a sensory-friendly environment, and effective communication strategies. Our goal is to equip children with the essential skills and confidence to thrive in their educational journey and into adulthood.

We want our children to feel happy and safe around their familiar adults in school. Learning through play is at the heart of our practice, which is balanced with implementing clear routines and structures, so they understand what is happening during their day. We use both child initiated, ‘In the moment Planning’ and adult led experiences to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, adapted for our learners.

We have a focus on communication and work hard to develop effective communication strategies for all children. Pupils have access to a range of highly engaging indoor and outdoor play opportunities throughout the day which enables the children to develop their skills in the Prime Areas of Learning in Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal Social and Emotional and play skills within the school environment.

Children will have access to daily speech and language activities as well as opportunities for sensory play and physical exercise.

Supporting social engagements and friendships is also a key priority.

Developing life skills play a huge part of the daily routine, helping to develop the children’s independence in all areas.

Most of all we want out children to love coming to school and feel happy and safe in their school environment.

Curriculum Implementation (Formal, Life skills and Holistic)

Classroom Teams will ensure the following:

Develop deep and meaningful relationships with the pupils and their families
Provide a fantastic and enabling environment
Have clear and consistent boundaries and expectations
Give children long periods of child-initiated play where they follow the child’s interests and teach next steps ‘in the moment’
Use communication strategies personalised to each learner
Play alongside and with children to support their play and social interaction

Our Core Non-Negotiables

Sounds Write
Talk 4 Writing
In the Moment Planning (ITMP)
TEACCH Tasks
Numicon
Attention and Engagement (Bucket)
Therapy Sessions; e.g. Rhythm & Rhyme, Tactile Play, Communication Club
Visits to the Sensory Room
Visuals, rewards and motivators.

A Holistic Approach – Independence and Self-Care

We focus on creating independence, supporting families with the following:

Eating
Sleeping
Toilet training
Behaviour
Danger awareness
Community access
Routines such as sitting at mealtimes

Curriculum Impact

Our Early Years curriculum is designed to give the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage a lifelong love for learning. When children are engaged in interesting and stimulating activities, they are more likely to be motivated to learn. This can have a lasting impact on their academic success. At The Mendip School, children’s individuality is valued, and every child has every opportunity to achieve and excel, based upon their own personal strengths and interests.

Through adult interactions and observations staff can monitor what children are learning and move children on in their learning ‘In the moment’. Staff record observations as a Learning Journal on Evidence for Learning (EfL) and then these observations are tagged against our frameworks.

Our bespoke Early Years Curriculum shows clear progression from Birth to 5 and by using our assessment frameworks, progress can be measured at various points in the year. Progress is then measured against Statutory Early Learning Goals as well as the children’s own bespoke Personal Learning Goals (PLG’s), linked to their SEN needs and EHCP targets.

Engaging activities: Providing activities that are interesting and stimulating, which helps keep children motivated to learn.
Valuing individuality: Recognising that every child is different and giving them opportunities to succeed based on their own strengths and interests.
Monitoring progress: Using adult interactions and observations to keep track of what children are learning and help them move forward.
Recording observations: Recording observations in a Learning Journal and tagging them against frameworks, which helps you track progress over time.
Bespoke curriculum: EYFS curriculum is designed to show clear progression from birth to 5, which helps ensure that children are learning and growing at each stage.
Assessment frameworks: Bespoke assessment frameworks to measure progress at different points in the year.
Personalised goals: Setting Personal Learning Goals for each child, which helps ensure that their individual needs are being met. Measuring progress towards these goals at key points across the year.