Curriculum Intent

We believe that all children deserve an education rich in wonder and filled with memorable experiences that allows for their natural creativity and curiosity to flourish. We acknowledge the crucial role that our Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum plays in developing the whole child. Our setting’s priorities are unique to our children. We equip children with knowledge and skills in readiness for their school journey. At Portfields, a love of learning is instilled in every child, engaging them from their very first day of school. Our BRIDGE values ensure that our children: Believe I can, Respect and kindness, Involve everyone, Dream big, Grow minds and Empower Learners.

The statutory framework’s ‘four guiding principles’ lay at the centre of all that we do:
• every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
• children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
• children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
• importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates.

We see every child as an individual who has their own qualities, talents, needs and ambitions. Our inclusive Early Years setting nurtures this individuality by adults having a strong knowledge of every child. By knowing our children well, we know what we want them to experience and learn, where they are starting from and where we want to get them to. Positive, meaningful and supportive adult interaction allows each child’s individual needs to be met. Children are immersed in a rich learning environment that supports their development so that our curriculum drivers of diversity, resilience, communication and aspiration are embedded. Children are well- equipped to embrace a variety of social situations and supported to develop positive relationships with peers and adults. Our school staff play a vital part in each child’s development. As role models, every one of them act as ‘teachers’, always demonstrating and modelling our high expectations through interaction between themselves and with the children in their care. 

We strive to ensure our children believe in themselves and their abilities and we have the highest ambition and aspirations for every child. Our ambitious curriculum supports and enables our children to succeed across all areas of learning and to meet the Early Learning Goals. It enables the children to become successful learners, ensuring to always include opportunities linked to the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning (playing and exploring, active learning, creating and thinking critically). ‘Development Matters’ and the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals act as the foundation for our carefully sequenced curriculum plans and provision. The rich curriculum in our EYFS is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all pupils. Coverage of the three prime areas (communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development) is interwoven throughout all that we do. For children to become well-rounded individuals and successful learners the three prime areas are paramount. These are reinforced through the four specific areas (literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, expressive arts and design). We ensure the children are provided with wide and rich opportunities to develop and apply themselves in these areas.

Our enabling environment, both indoors and outdoors, supports and challenges each individual. It is language rich. We encourage and facilitate meaningful opportunities for children to demonstrate perseverance and resilience, as well as the ability to be attentive and focused. Our inclusive approach ensures that all children learn together and are provided with additional intervention and support when required. Children develop at different rates and we strive to provide an accessible curriculum for all. We aim for all children to ‘keep up’, not ‘catch up’.

We hold traditional values and exceptionally high behaviour expectations at the heart of all that we do. Our motto of ‘Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe’ reminds the children of their core responsibilities. Through learning in an environment that is based on consistent routines and fairness, children are enabled to work independently, with their peers and adults to become ‘knowledge rich’ in all curriculum areas. Children have a clear understanding of rules and are able to identify right from wrong. They are encouraged to reflect on their choices and take responsibility for their actions. We support children to develop core social skills and knowledge that they require to become well-rounded individuals. The children are taught to celebrate and respect differences and diversity through frequent opportunities to explore one another’s beliefs and cultures.

We see parents and carers as partners and highly regard strong links between home and school as the key to a child’s successful development. From open days to curriculum workshops, we look to provide as much information as possible to parents and carers so that their child experiences mirrored support at home and at school. The importance of building a strong school community is put at the forefront of our work with parents. We value their thoughts and feedback to support the school’s successful development and build strong links that are built upon during their child’s school journey.