At Carr Infant School, our Early Years curriculum is designed to give every child the best possible start to their learning journey. We offer a rich, stimulating environment where children feel safe, valued, and excited to explore the world around them. Our approach blends structured teaching with purposeful play, underpinned by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework.

Areas of Learning

The EYFS curriculum is built around seven areas of learning and development, divided into Prime Areas and Specific Areas. These areas are interconnected and together support children to grow as confident, capable learners.

Prime Areas

The Prime Areas are the foundations for all learning. They focus on essential skills and relationships and are particularly crucial in the early stages of development.

• Communication and Language: Children are supported to become confident communicators. Through songs, storytelling, and conversation, they build vocabulary, develop listening skills, and learn to express themselves clearly.
• Personal, Social, and Emotional Development: We help children form positive relationships, understand emotions, and build resilience. This area supports children in managing their feelings, making friends, and developing independence and a sense of self.
• Physical Development: Children develop both fine and gross motor skills through active play, outdoor learning, and activities like mark-making, climbing, dancing, and building. They also learn about healthy choices and how to take care of their bodies.

Specific Areas

The Specific Areas build on the foundations of the Prime Areas and introduce more subject-focused learning.

• Literacy: We nurture a love of reading and writing through phonics (using the Little Wandle programme), storytelling, and early mark-making. Children learn to recognise letters and sounds, write their names, and begin forming simple sentences.

• Mathematics: Children explore numbers, patterns, shapes, and measures through play-based activities. They develop number sense, counting skills, and an understanding of how maths is used in everyday life.

• Understanding of the World: This area encourages curiosity about the world. Children learn about people, places, nature, and technology, developing a sense of time, place, and belonging through real-life experiences and discussion.

• Expressive Arts and Design: Children express themselves through music, movement, art, and role-play. We provide open-ended resources and time for children to explore their creativity, imagination, and original ideas.

Our EYFS Provision: Rationale

Basic Provision includes the essential, everyday resources children need to explore all areas of learning. This includes things like books, construction materials, writing tools, dressing-up clothes, and role-play items, all carefully planned to reflect children’s interests and support key skills.

Continuous Provision refers to the resources and activities that are always available in the classroom and outdoor area. These are thoughtfully arranged so children can revisit and deepen their learning, make choices, and work independently in areas such as the home corner, writing station, sand tray, or construction zone.

Enhanced Provision adds new, targeted resources or adult-led activities to enrich children's learning experiences. These enhancements might link to a topic, story, seasonal event, or a skill we want to develop—for example, setting up a veterinary surgery in role play, adding natural objects to the maths area, or offering clay and sculpting tools in the creative zone.