Early Years

At Northdown Primary School, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and we are guided in our practise through Development Matters and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years.

The Early Years Foundation Stage is made up of seven key areas. These areas are as follows:

Prime Areas

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas

• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding of the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

For a child to reach their full potential, it is essential to first build strong foundations in the Prime Areas before progressing to the Specific Areas. Each area of development is deeply interconnected and relies on the others for growth.  Children’s learning and development flourish through a balance of adult-led guidance and child initiated exploration. 

Within our Early Years setting, our curriculum sparks curiosity within a rich, engaging, enabling environment, where children take ownership of their learning. We provide hands-on, play-based experiences and meaningful challenges tailored to each child’s age, stage, and individual needs, promoting active learning, exploration, and independence.

At Northdown Primary School, we see children as natural explorers who thrive through nurtured curiosity. Using key concepts and themed, child-centred learning, we encourage deep thinking, problem-solving, and making connections, fostering a lifelong love of learning. Our environment supports engagement, creativity, and sustained involvement.

We provide high-quality interactions, continuous provision, and opportunities to develop communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, and physical development.

Throughout the year, enrichment experiences such as trips, visits, and special visitors help to bring learning to life, making it relevant, memorable, and meaningful.

Assessing Child Development
In the Early Years Foundation Stage assessment is part of daily intrinsic practice. Through regular observations and interactions practitioners gain fundamental knowledge of a child's achievements within the 7 areas of learning and are able to then use this information to identify and plan for individualised next steps.  Development is continuously monitored and at the end of Reception, children are then assessed against the Early Learning Goals which equates to Good Level Development.
 

Throughout the day, children have the opportunity to extend and deepen their learning through play, in what we call ‘Curiosity Time’. This is a carefully planned part of the day where children can follow their own interests while accessing a range of indoor and outdoor activities. It allows them to explore new ideas as well as revisit and strengthen what they have already learned.

‘Curiosity Time’ is a vital element of early learning, as it not only supports children in developing knowledge and skills but also helps them to grow as independent, confident individuals. It encourages important life skills such as resilience, problem-solving, and working with others.

During this time, children show what are known as the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which describe how young children learn best. These are:

• Playing and exploring – showing curiosity, investigating new experiences, and being willing to ‘have a go’.
• Active learning – concentrating and persevering when things are challenging, and celebrating their successes.
• Creating and thinking critically – developing their own ideas, making connections between them, and finding their own ways of solving problems.

The Role of the Adult

During Curiosity Time, adults play a vital role through skilful observation and high-quality interactions, supporting and extending children’s learning within a child-centred, enabling environment. They use sustained shared thinking to guide, challenge, and scaffold learning, while promoting independence, exploration, and ownership of learning.

Across all areas of provision, adults take an active role in observing, responding, and interacting, using children’s interests to extend ideas and deepen learning. Through encouragement, modelling, and purposeful questioning, they support the development of communication and language, problem-solving, critical thinking, resilience, and confidence.

These responsive, high-quality interactions ensure progression across all areas of learning, helping children to build a strong foundation for future learning and development.
 

At Northdown Primary School, we have created an environment designed to spark curiosity and inspire children to become independent, creative learners. Both our indoor and outdoor spaces are carefully organised into areas of provision, each equipped with high-quality resources that children can access every day. These continuous provision areas provide endless opportunities for exploration, helping children to revisit and build on what they already know while also encouraging them to discover new ideas.

To keep learning exciting, we regularly enhance these spaces with new resources and challenges that reflect the children’s interests, support specific areas of development, and link to the themes we are exploring together. This ensures that children are always engaged, motivated, and making meaningful connections in their learning.

Outdoor learning is a vital part of our curriculum. We provide regular opportunities for children to learn outside, where they can develop important skills, enjoy new experiences, and benefit from the physical and emotional wellbeing that comes from being in the fresh air.
 

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we work closely with parents and carers to build strong, positive partnerships, as we believe this is key to fostering an effective learning environment. By working together to support each child’s development, we help lay the foundations for lifelong learning.

Throughout the year, parents are invited to take part in a variety of activities with their children in class. These opportunities allow parents to engage directly with their child’s learning, gain a clear understanding of their progress, and celebrate their achievements together.

At Northdown, we maintain an ‘open door’ policy, welcoming parents to share any concerns or questions they may have. We also use a range of communication tools to keep parents informed and involved. Parent Gateway allows parents to book school meals in advance and report any absences,  while Arbor is used to communicate important information and notices to parents. 

By fostering strong communication and collaboration between home and school, we ensure that each child’s learning journey is supported, consistent, and celebrated.