Intent
At St Mary's, we believe that a child’s early experiences shape how they approach life—developing their confidence, resilience, and readiness for new challenges. That’s why we view the Reception year as a vital stage in each child’s learning journey.
We recognise that every child is unique, with their own interests, needs, and ways of learning. Our approach builds on their previous experiences and provides new, rich opportunities to help them grow and develop essential skills for the future.
We are committed to creating a supportive and caring environment where children feel safe, valued, and inspired. We know that the people around them—and the spaces they learn in—make a big difference in how they grow.
Our curriculum and practice are guided by the four key principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework:
Every child is a unique individual
Strong, positive relationships are central to learning
The environment plays a crucial role in development
Children learn and grow in a variety of ways and at different rates
Through these principles, we aim to nurture confident, curious, and capable learners, ready to flourish both now and in the future.
Implementation
EYFS Learning and Development
At St Mary's, our Early Years curriculum is built around the seven areas of learning and development, which are all connected and equally important in helping children grow.
Three of these areas are especially important during the early years, as they build the foundation for children to develop a love of learning, form positive relationships, and flourish. These are known as the prime areas:
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
The other four areas support and build on the prime areas. These are the specific areas:
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Our Reception curriculum is ambitious and thoughtfully planned to build knowledge and skills in a logical, progressive way, leading to the goals we aim for at the end of the Reception year. It follows the latest guidance from Development Matters (2023).
We believe that children learn best through a mix of play, adult-led modelling, peer learning, guided activities, and direct teaching. We also keep our plans flexible so we can respond to the children’s interests and individual needs as they arise.
Running through all areas of the curriculum are the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which guide how children learn:
Playing and exploring – trying new things and being curious
Active learning – staying focused, not giving up, and feeling proud of what they achieve
Creating and thinking critically – coming up with ideas, making connections, and solving problems
These characteristics help us understand how each child is learning so we can adapt our teaching to support them best. By observing their play and interactions, we can better support their development and help them become confident, motivated learners.
As Nancy Stewart said in How Children Learn (2011):
"What children learn is important, but how children learn is even more important if they are to become learners in today’s society."
Learning Journeys
Each half term follows a learning journey designed to build and deepen children’s knowledge and skills. Below is an example Reception learning journey: