Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum Statement

Intent

In the Early Years Foundation Stage at Watling Meadows Primary School, we place a strong emphasis on the holistic development of every child. We recognise that children develop physically, socially, verbally, cognitively and emotionally, and we are committed to providing an inclusive, nurturing environment that values and celebrates all cultures, communities and individuals.

Our intent is for children to develop into confident, independent and curious learners, who see themselves as capable and valued. We aim to support children to become increasingly autonomous, enabling them to make choices, express ideas and begin to direct their own learning journeys.

The EYFS curriculum is designed to:

• Reflect the four overarching principles of the Early Years Statutory Framework: The Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments, and Learning and Development.
• Build upon children’s prior learning and life experiences, ensuring sustained progress over time.
• Remain flexible and responsive, allowing children’s interests, fascinations and needs to shape learning opportunities.
• Enrich vocabulary and develop oracy, recognising spoken language as the foundation for learning and future achievement.
• Enable children to explore, investigate, make decisions and express their own ideas through purposeful play and interaction.
• Prepare children effectively for the next stage of their learning, ensuring a smooth transition into Key Stage 1.

Implementation

In EYFS, our curriculum is delivered through a well-sequenced and coherent approach, aligned with the four curriculum drivers adopted across the school: Excite, Experience, Expertise, Extend and Excel.

We achieve this through:

• Carefully planned, stimulating learning environments that provide rich opportunities for exploration, challenge and discovery, both indoors and outdoors.
• Thoughtful organisation of space, resources, activities and adult interaction, ensuring learning is accessible, inclusive and ambitious for all children.
• A balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning, enabling practitioners to model, scaffold and extend learning while valuing children’s independence and creativity.
• Annual thematic planning that provides structure and progression, while remaining adaptable to respond to children’s emerging interests and developmental needs.

Through high-quality interactions, observation and responsive teaching, we ensure that every child is nurtured, supported and challenged to grow in confidence, skills and understanding.

Impact

The impact of our curriculum is seen in pupils who are:

• Engaged, motivated and excited to learn, demonstrating curiosity and enjoyment across all subjects.
• Inclusive and respectful learners who value diversity, show empathy and collaborate positively with others.
• Secure in their knowledge and skills, able to remember more, understand more and apply learning effectively over time.
• Increasingly confident, articulate and reflective, with strong foundations in literacy, numeracy and wider curriculum areas.
• Well prepared for the next phase of their education, equipped with the academic, social and emotional skills needed to succeed.

We evaluate impact through ongoing assessment, pupil voice, work scrutiny and professional reflection, ensuring that our curriculum continues to meet the needs of all learners and remains ambitious, equitable and effective.

Key Stage One and Two Curriculum Statement

Our Vision

At Watling Meadows Primary School, our curriculum is designed to nurture, grow and aspire. Rooted in our core aim of inclusion, we believe that every child, regardless of background, need or starting point, is entitled to a rich, ambitious and engaging curriculum that enables them to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.

Our curriculum is underpinned by the Trust values of Collaboration, Equity, Aspiration and Trust. Through these values, we ensure that learning is meaningful, coherent and empowering, preparing all pupils confidently for their next educational steps and for life beyond school.

Intent

Our intent is to provide an inclusive, knowledge-rich and skills-based curriculum that excites curiosity, fosters a love of learning and raises aspirations for all children. This is underpinned by our curriculum ex-factor: Excite, Experience, Expertise, Extend and Excel, which ensures learning is engaging, purposeful and progressively ambitious for every pupil.

We aim to:

• Place inclusion at the heart of everything we do, ensuring high expectations and appropriate support so that all pupils can access, participate in and succeed within the curriculum.
• Deliver a curriculum that is ambitious and aspirational, enabling pupils to build strong foundations in core knowledge while developing transferable skills such as critical thinking, resilience and creativity.
• Promote equity by recognising and responding to individual needs, reducing barriers to learning and ensuring fairness of opportunity for every child.
• Support pupils to become confident, reflective learners who are well prepared for the next stage of their education, whatever their age or starting point.

Our curriculum is informed by research-based pedagogy, including:

• The importance of sequenced knowledge and cumulative learning, enabling pupils to make connections and deepen understanding over time.
• The role of oracy, vocabulary development and reading as gateways to learning across all subjects.
• The impact of metacognition, retrieval practice and feedback in supporting long-term learning and independence.

Through this, we aim for children to leave Watling Meadows as enthusiastic learners who aspire to achieve their best and believe in their own potential.

Implementation

Our curriculum is implemented through collaborative, inclusive and carefully structured teaching, ensuring consistency, progression and high-quality learning experiences across the school.

Key features of our implementation include:

• A well-sequenced curriculum that clearly identifies essential knowledge, skills and vocabulary, building progressively from Early Years through to Year 6.
• Teaching approaches that are adaptive and responsive, ensuring that learning is accessible for all pupils, including those with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those who require additional challenge.
• A strong emphasis on collaboration: teachers work together to plan, review and refine the curriculum, drawing on professional dialogue and shared expertise.
• High-quality classroom practice that values modelling, scaffolding, purposeful talk and questioning, enabling pupils to deepen understanding and articulate their thinking.
• Opportunities for enrichment and real-life experiences that bring learning to life, spark curiosity and broaden horizons.

Our school values of Nurture, Grow and Aspire are embedded through:

• A nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, respected and trusted.
• Learning experiences that promote personal growth, confidence and independence.
• High expectations and encouragement that inspire pupils to aim high and take pride in their achievements.

Our Commitment

At Watling Meadows Primary School, we are committed to a curriculum that puts children first, values inclusion and equity, and inspires aspiration. Through trust, collaboration and high-quality teaching, we ensure that every child is supported to nurture their potential, grow in confidence and aspire to achieve their very best.