Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) applies to children from birth to the end of the Reception year. Within the Early Years we help children to learn through play and exploration.

The EYFS seeks to provide quality and consistency so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind. At Red Lane, we seek to provide a secure foundation through learning and development opportunities which are planned around the needs of each child and are assessed and reviewed regularly. We believe that all of our pupils have potential and we strive to give them the necessary foundations to enable them to succeed in the rest of the schooling and future. We do this by ensuring partnership working between parents and practitioners and where necessary adopting a multi-agency approach.

Our school provides equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring every child is included and supported. We are passionate about developing respectful children who will become successful future citizens that contribute positively to a society in which all members are equally valued.

Lifelong Success

At Red Lane, we know that the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a critical time for building the foundations of lifelong learning. Our curriculum is designed to nurture both foundational knowledge and executive function skills in young children, helping them develop the key abilities they need to thrive in school and beyond. We believe that by prioritising both foundational knowledge and executive function, we are empowering children to become confident, independent learners who are ready to take on new challenges with resilience and curiosity.

Learning within the EYFS at Red Lane

Our EYFS unit is devoted to providing young children with the ability to develop, consolidate and deepen their current knowledge, understanding and skills across all the areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. It builds on what children know and can do, towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for their future learning.  Each and every pupil has access to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum and through knowing our children well, adaptive teaching ensures that all individual needs are met. We focus on providing a broad and balanced curriculum that helps children develop essential early knowledge across key areas, including literacy, numeracy, communication, and social skills. Through a carefully designed coordination between direct teaching as well play, we engage children with learning activities that stimulate curiosity, build vocabulary, and introduce fundamental concepts in a meaningful and fun way. By fostering a love for learning early on, we ensure that every child develops a solid foundation for future educational success.

Children within our Under 3s and Nursery have a mix of child-initiated and adult-led learning through continuous provision and small group activities. In Reception, the children are offered a higher number of adult-led experiences (which increases throughout the year) in order to ensure the children are school ready. We feel it is important to offer new ideas and thoughts to our children, which they may not have been exposed to before. The Early Years curriculum has regard to supporting individuals in terms of ability, gifts, talents and any additional needs they may have. The EYFS curriculum provides no limits or barriers to the children’s achievements, regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances or needs. The high ambition it embodies is shared by all staff. We provide an enriching and exciting curriculum that offers challenge to all pupils, including those with SEND and our disadvantaged pupils.  

We have designed a curriculum which is used to enhance pupil experiences and give opportunities that pupils may not have access to outside of school. Some of these experiences include visiting a park and visiting a farm. These fundamental experiences give children the necessary foundations for the rest of their schooling.

Developing Executive Function

At Red Lane Primary, we know that executive function skills—such as self-regulation, problem-solving, and working memory—are crucial for academic and personal growth. In our setting, children are encouraged to take on challenges that require them to plan, think critically, and collaborate with others. Through directed teaching as well as structured activities, free play, and daily routines, we support the development of skills like impulse control, attention, and cognitive flexibility. These skills enable children to make decisions, follow instructions, and manage their emotions, laying the groundwork for success in school and life.

Working in Partnership

At Red Lane we believe that working in partnership with our parents is key to the success of our pupils. That is why throughout a child’s time in EYFS parents are regularly invited into school to take part in not only reviews of their child’s learning but also to take part in learning activities with their child through our successful stay and play sessions. We also provide a wealth or resources and support for parents so that they are able to support your child at home, this includes parent workshops and also take home activity bags. You will find a wealth of resources for all ages through our parent guide section of Learning and Development. 

At Red Lane Primary, we know that executive function skills—such as self-regulation, problem-solving, and working memory—are crucial for academic and personal growth. In our setting, children are encouraged to take on challenges that require them to plan, think critically, and collaborate with others. Through directed teaching as well as structured activities, free play, and daily routines, we support the development of skills like impulse control, attention, and cognitive flexibility. These skills enable children to make decisions, follow instructions, and manage their emotions, laying the groundwork for success in school and life.