Early Year Frameworks

Early Years Foundation Stage

In our setting we follow and refer to the birth to five matters document as well as the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2024.

Children working together

The EYFS focus’ on all children from birth to the end of their Reception Year at school and should support the transition through the stages of development and learning of every child.

At The Strawberry Patch our children are able to freely access a wide variety of resources and activities. Most of the resources are available for “free choice” play. Children are able to make decisions, select and choose activities from resource trolleys, these are all at child height and the resource boxes have pictures and labels to help the children select their activity.

We have created zones to support the children’s personal and language development through communication friendly spaces. Both indoors and out there are craft trolleys where children can freely access a wide variety of craft materials. This allows them to be able to make their own and very personal creations using a wide range of recycled and natural materials.

Quiet times and areas are available where children can sit quietly in a cosy environment, they can listen to a story, do puzzles or just sit quietly for a while.

The EYFS is based upon four principles:

  • A Unique Child
  • Positive Relationships
  • Enabling Environments
  • Learning and Development
Story time at the Strawberry Patch Nursery, Norfolk

Through knowing our children’s interests staff set up the environment each day to encourage, support and develop confidence and independence through activities that involve:

  • creativity, communication, language and literacy
  • problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
  • knowledge & understanding of the world
  • physical development both gross and fine motor
  • personal and social development.

These are the areas of learning which present themselves as development targets for the EYFS.

The children are able to self select activities that are of personal interest to them.

The children’s choices and ideas are observed by the key person and these activities are extended into planned activities where a particular development or learning is sort.

This means that learning and development is relevant and individual to each child, their needs and interests.