Early Years at Wolvercote

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential.  A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances.  A safe, secure and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides a foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.”

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

At Wolvercote Primary School we recognise that every child is a competent learner who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.   We recognise that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates.   Children’s attitudes and dispositions to learning are influenced by feedback from others.   We use praise and encouragement as well as celebrations and rewards, to encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning.

All children begin school with a variety of experiences and learning.  It is the privilege of the practitioners working in Foundation Stage to take on the task of building on that prior learning and experience.   This is done through a holistic approach to learning, ensuring that parents, carers, support staff and Reception teachers work effectively together to support children’s learning and development.

Children in our Early Years Unit learn through a mixture of direct instruction and continuous provision. It is here that we begin to build the first stages of independent enquiry and meta-cognitive skills. Play is an essential part of our practice.

It is in play that children bring together everything they think about feel about and know about people and their lives as a whole. We could say that play co-ordinates a child's learning. It helps to make sense of what they learn.

(Tina Bruce, Tuning Into Children)

You can find out more about our Early Years in our EYFS Policy.

For details about what our children learn please follow the links below which will take you to our curriculum cycles for Nursery and Reception.

Nursery Curriculum

Reception Curriculum