Welcome to Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at The Duston School.

At The Duston School, our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is designed to support and nurture every child’s curiosity, helping them build confidence and a love of learning, regardless of their background or needs. Our approach creates independent, enthusiastic learners who have a positive attitude towards school and sets the foundation for successful lifelong learning.

Our curriculum is diverse, ambitious, and carefully planned, ensuring that lessons link meaningfully to the seven areas of learning, while providing opportunities to develop key skills and knowledge that support children in achieving the Early Learning Goals by the end of Reception. By the time our pupils transition to Year 1, they are equipped with the confidence and skills they need to succeed.

The EYFS curriculum at The Duston School incorporates the statutory requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, along with additional opportunities and experiences that meet the developmental needs of our children. We place a strong emphasis on vocabulary development, encouraging children to communicate effectively about what they’ve learned. Through carefully planned lessons and opportunities, pupils are introduced to specific key vocabulary, which they are encouraged to use confidently.

A central part of our EYFS curriculum is the development of early reading and writing skills. We use the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme, which is carefully structured to ensure children build a strong foundation in phonics, enabling them to read and write with increasing fluency and confidence. By the end of Reception, pupils can decode words and read simple sentences independently, setting them on the path to becoming confident and enthusiastic readers and writers.

In addition, our EYFS Primary Knowledge Curriculum (PKC) engages children with the world around them with curriculum content that focuses on the EYFS ‘Understanding the World’ area of learning. With a carefully sequenced and stimulating programme, children begin to explore their sense of identity, ask questions about the world, and discover their place within it. Topics such as all about me, growing and changing, transport, kings and queens, space and stories from the past, provide opportunities for learning through investigation, imaginative play and stories.

Our EYFS curriculum is ambitious and scaffolds learning to enable all children to meet the Early Learning Goals alongside developing a love for learning and reading that will last a lifetime.

RWI Parent link- https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parentsandcarers/

White Rose Maths EYFS scheme of learning- https://whiteroseeducation.com/resources?year=reception&subject=primary+maths

The Best Start in Life- https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/school-readiness