"Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support to enable them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up."

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (DfE, March 2021) This has now been updated November 2024

At The Mosley Academy, children join our EYFS class in the year they turn five. Children join us from a few different nurseries and pre-schools or sometimes straight from home. Our EYFS has just one class- The Donaldson Class.  For more information about our EYFS, please see the class pages section. We also post lots of photos on our school Twitter account, now called 'X'. 

 (1) The Mosley Academy (@MosleyAcademy) / X

The EYFS is guided by four principles:

• 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 families
• The importance of Learning and Development. Children develop and learn at different rates.

The EYFS Framework

There are seven areas of learning and development that help to shape educational provision in Early Years settings.  All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.  None of the areas of learning can be delivered in isolation from the others.  Our children’s learning experiences enable them to develop competency and skills not just academically but also socially, emotionally and physically.

The three prime areas which are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, and form relationships are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development

Staff will also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

All of those areas of learning are connected together.  The characteristics of effective teaching and learning weave through them all.  That’s because children in the early years are becoming more powerful learners and thinkers.  These characteristics develop as they learn to do new things, acquire new skills, develop socially and emotionally, and become better communicators.