Early Years - Strong Foundations

At Brierley, we know that the Early Years matter enormously.

Nursery and Reception provide the foundations on which children's future learning, confidence, relationships and wellbeing are built. During these important years, children develop rapidly physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively, alongside significant development in their language and communication.

Our aim is to give every child the strongest possible start. Our Early Years provision reflects our four Brierley values:

• Nurture: children feel safe, known, valued and supported.

• Aspire: children experience an ambitious curriculum and are encouraged to be curious, explore and challenge themselves.

• Believe: children develop confidence, independence and a belief that they can learn, improve and succeed.

• Achieve: children build secure foundations which allow them to make progress and flourish as they move through school.

These values shape our relationships, our teaching and the experiences we provide for children and families.

Our Early Years curriculum is ambitious, purposeful and carefully sequenced. It combines high quality adult interaction, explicit teaching, purposeful play, exploration and rich first hand experiences. We are clear about the important knowledge, language and skills we want children to develop, while responding sensitively to their individual starting points, interests and needs.

Building Strong Foundations

Our Early Years provision is the beginning of the Brierley curriculum. We place particular importance on Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development because secure development in these prime areas provides vital foundations for later learning.

These foundations are strengthened and applied through Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. We want children to experience a rich and exciting curriculum, but we are equally clear that being busy is not the same as learning.

Important knowledge and skills are deliberately introduced, modelled, practised and revisited. Adults understand what children need to learn and carefully decide when to teach directly, when to model, when to practise and when children's play provides the best opportunity to deepen and apply learning. We want children to know more, remember more and gradually become increasingly confident in using what they know.

Communication and Language

Language is at the heart of our Early Years curriculum. Children need language to think, learn, build relationships, express themselves, solve problems and understand the world around them.

Our classrooms are rich in conversation, stories, nursery rhymes, songs and carefully chosen vocabulary. Adults model high quality language throughout the day and make the most of everyday opportunities to talk with children. They listen carefully, extend children's ideas, introduce new words and encourage children to explain their thinking. Children have regular opportunities to listen, talk, ask questions, retell experiences and stories, join conversations and develop increasingly precise vocabulary.

Adults pay particular attention to children who may communicate or engage less readily. Rather than waiting for children to initiate interaction, adults actively create opportunities for purposeful talk and communication. Our aim is for every child to become an increasingly confident and effective communicator, with the language they need to access learning throughout school.

Stories, Rhymes and a Language Rich Childhood

Stories, nursery rhymes, songs and poems are an important part of every day at Brierley. Children hear and revisit carefully selected texts so that stories, vocabulary, language patterns, rhythm and rhyme become increasingly familiar. Repetition is important. Familiar stories and rhymes allow children to join in, anticipate what comes next, develop memory, play with language and grow in confidence.

Our Stay and Play, Nursery Rhyme and Story sessions also give families opportunities to share these experiences with us and take ideas into the home. We want children to leave Early Years with a rich bank of stories, rhymes, songs, vocabulary and experiences on which future reading, writing and learning can build.

Physical Development Every Day

Physical development is a major priority within our Early Years provision. Our children take part in PE every day, with deliberately planned opportunities to develop gross and fine motor skills. We recognise that physical development provides important foundations for healthy bodies, confidence, independence and future learning. Daily practice gives children repeated opportunities to strengthen their bodies, refine their movement and develop increasing control, coordination and confidence.

Gross Motor Development

Children develop core strength, stability, balance, coordination, agility, spatial awareness, body control and stamina.

They regularly practise running, jumping, climbing, balancing, throwing, catching and moving in different ways. Skills are deliberately introduced, practised and revisited. We do not assume that movement skills will simply develop because children are active.

Daily PE also develops much more than physical competence. Through movement, games and challenges, children learn to listen, follow instructions, communicate, cooperate and take turns. They learn how to work with others, solve problems and persevere when something feels difficult. They experience success, learn how to manage disappointment and discover that practice and effort help us improve. This is where our values become visible in everyday practice. Children are nurtured and encouraged, they aspire to improve, they begin to believe in their own capabilities and they experience the satisfaction of achievement.

Our aim is to develop strong bodies, confident learners and resilient children.

Fine Motor Development

Fine motor development is given the same deliberate attention. Children require strength and stability through their whole body before increasingly precise movements of their hands and fingers can become controlled and efficient. Throughout the day, children draw, paint, cut, thread, manipulate objects, construct, use tools, model, make marks and develop pencil control. Adults observe children's physical development carefully and provide additional opportunities and practice where these are needed. These experiences develop hand strength, dexterity, hand eye coordination and control. They support children's independence in everyday tasks and provide important physical foundations for writing.

Building the Foundations for Writing

We recognise that successful writing begins long before children independently produce sentences. The foundations are established through communication, vocabulary, storytelling, nursery rhymes, phonological awareness, physical development, fine motor control, drawing and purposeful mark making. Children are encouraged to have ideas, talk about them and communicate meaning.

As children progress, these foundations develop alongside systematic phonics, spelling, handwriting and sentence composition. Children are explicitly taught how to hold and control writing tools and how to form letters correctly. They have frequent opportunities to practise so that these physical skills become increasingly secure and fluent.

Spoken language remains central. Before children can successfully write an idea, they need to be able to formulate and communicate it orally. We therefore provide frequent opportunities for children to say sentences aloud, rehearse ideas, extend vocabulary and listen to high quality models of language.

Early Reading

We want children to develop both the skills required to read and a genuine love of books. Children encounter stories, rhymes, poems and non fiction every day. Adults talk with them about characters, events, vocabulary, information and ideas.

Systematic synthetic phonics is taught explicitly and systematically. Children practise reading using books that are closely matched to the phonics knowledge they have been taught. Alongside learning to decode, children continue to develop their language comprehension through high quality stories, conversations and vocabulary teaching. Reading is therefore something children learn to do and something we want them to learn to love.

Mathematics

Our approach to early mathematics focuses on developing secure understanding and fluency in important foundational knowledge. Children explore number, pattern, shape, space and measure through carefully planned teaching, practical experiences, discussion and purposeful play.

Adults model mathematical language and encourage children to explain what they notice, make comparisons, recognise relationships and solve problems. Important mathematical knowledge is revisited frequently so that children have time to practise and become increasingly secure and confident.

Our aim is not to move children quickly through content. It is to give them strong mathematical foundations on which later learning can be built.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Children learn best when they feel safe, secure, valued and understood. This is where our value of Nurture begins. Warm and trusting relationships underpin everything we do. Adults get to know children as individuals and help them build friendships, recognise and communicate emotions, cooperate with others, make choices and become increasingly independent.

Children learn to share, take turns, follow routines, resolve disagreements and understand how their behaviour can affect other people. We deliberately develop self regulation and resilience. Adults initially provide the support children need to manage emotions, maintain attention, follow instructions and respond to challenges. As children develop, this support is gradually reduced so that they become increasingly confident and independent. We want children to believe in themselves, understand that mistakes are part of learning and develop the resilience to try again.

Learning Through Play and High Quality Teaching

Play is an essential part of Early Years learning. Through play, children explore, imagine, communicate, negotiate, practise, solve problems and apply what they know. However, our curriculum is not simply a collection of activities from which children choose.

Adults are clear about what children need to learn. They carefully decide when children require direct teaching, modelling and guided practice and when purposeful play provides the best opportunity to explore, practise and apply knowledge.

Adults observe children's play closely and know when to join in, question, demonstrate, introduce vocabulary, address a misconception or extend thinking. This balance enables children to benefit from both skilled teaching and the powerful learning that takes place through purposeful play.

Understanding the World

Young children are naturally curious and we use that curiosity to extend their knowledge. Through stories, visitors, outdoor learning, Forest School, exploration, celebrations and first hand experiences, children develop their understanding of people, places, communities, the past and the natural world. Children are encouraged to observe, question, compare, investigate and talk about what they discover. Adults deliberately introduce knowledge and vocabulary that children may not encounter through their everyday experiences. These early experiences establish foundations for later learning in Science, History, Geography and Religious Education.

Creativity and Self Expression

Art, music, movement, dance, imaginative play and design provide children with different ways to explore ideas and express themselves. Children experience a range of materials, tools, techniques, music and creative experiences.

Adults teach children the knowledge and skills they need to become increasingly confident in making their own choices and creating for a purpose. We value exploration and imagination alongside children's growing ability to use what they have learned.

Parents as Partners

We believe that parents and carers are children's first educators. We place strong emphasis on supporting families, improving children's early development and recognising the crucial role parents play in helping children learn, grow and thrive.

We believe children make the strongest start when home and school work in genuine partnership. Building positive and trusting relationships with parents begins before children enter our classrooms and continues throughout their Early Years journey. We want families to feel welcome, valued and confident in talking to us about their child.

Parents know their children exceptionally well. By listening to families and sharing what we know about children's learning and development, we develop a fuller picture of each child and can respond more effectively to their individual strengths and needs.

We provide regular opportunities for parents and carers to spend time learning alongside their children through Stay and Play and Nursery Rhyme and Story sessions. These sessions are designed to be enjoyable while also helping families understand how everyday activities such as talking, playing, sharing stories, singing rhymes, counting, drawing and being physically active support children's development. We also provide workshops and practical guidance to help parents understand important aspects of children's learning and development.

Where a child requires additional support, we work closely with parents so that home and school have a shared understanding of the child's needs and can work consistently together.

An Ambitious Curriculum for Every Child

Our ambition applies to every child. Children begin their Early Years journey with different experiences, knowledge, strengths and needs. Our staff know their children well and pay particular attention to those who may have had fewer opportunities to develop important foundational knowledge and skills.

We identify emerging gaps early. We do not wait for children to become ready or assume that development will simply happen over time. Adults provide additional interaction, explicit teaching, modelling and practice so that children can secure earlier foundations and continue to progress.

Where children have SEND or face other barriers to learning, we work closely with families and appropriate professionals to understand their needs and provide effective support. Children's backgrounds should not determine their future opportunities. At Brierley, our aim is to remove barriers while maintaining ambition.

Knowing What Children Have Learned

Assessment in our Early Years is purposeful and proportionate. Our most important assessment tool is knowing our children exceptionally well. Adults observe, listen, talk, teach and play alongside children. They use these interactions to understand what children know, what they can do and what they still need to learn. Assessment has a purpose. It informs what happens next.

If a child has not secured important knowledge or skills, adults adapt their teaching and provide further opportunities to learn and practise. Staff reflect regularly on what children are learning and use this knowledge to strengthen curriculum and provision. We value useful professional knowledge about children far more than unnecessary paperwork.

Transition and Continuity

Transitions are important moments for young children and their families. We work closely with families when children join us so that we understand their experiences, routines, interests, strengths and individual needs. Transitions within Early Years and into Year 1 are carefully planned.

Reception staff share meaningful information with Year 1 teachers about what children know and can do, alongside areas where individual children may require further teaching and practice. Year 1 builds upon the foundations established in Reception rather than assuming that every child begins from the same point.

Preparing Children for What Comes Next

We want children to leave Reception ready for Year 1, but we do not achieve this by narrowing the Early Years curriculum. We prepare children by building secure foundations. We want children to become confident communicators, enthusiastic listeners, curious thinkers, developing readers, writers and mathematicians, physically confident movers, creative learners, kind friends and increasingly independent individuals. We want them to have the resilience to keep trying, the confidence to ask for help and the enthusiasm to discover what they might learn next.

We want every child to feel nurtured so that they can aspire, believe and achieve. The stronger these foundations are, the more successfully children can access the increasingly complex learning that follows.

An Evidence Informed Approach

Our Early Years curriculum is informed by the EYFS statutory framework and Development Matters, alongside relevant national research, evidence and guidance. We do not use research or guidance as a checklist. We use it to challenge our thinking, evaluate what we do and continually strengthen the quality of children's experiences and learning.

We combine evidence with the expertise of our staff and, most importantly, our detailed knowledge of the children, families and community we serve.

The Impact of Strong Foundations

Our ambition is that every child leaves the Early Years having made the strongest possible start. Through rich language, skilled adult interaction, purposeful play, carefully sequenced teaching, daily PE and physical development, strong relationships and close partnership with families, we aim to build foundations that last far beyond Reception.

We want children to enter Year 1 happy, confident, curious, physically secure and ready to learn. More importantly, we want to begin developing children who can communicate, cooperate, think, move confidently, solve problems, manage challenges, build relationships, work with others and believe that they can succeed.

This is what Nurture, Aspire, Believe, Achieve looks like from the very beginning.

These are the foundations on which the rest of the Brierley curriculum is built.