Early Years

Early Years Leader: Miss Wood (Holme School)

Vision

At Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School, we are guided by our core values. These values shape our vision for Early Years Foundation Stage and underscore our commitment to nurturing well-rounded, confident individuals who are equipped with the skills to transition into the next stage of their school life.

To Be Honest:
In Early Years, we teach children the importance of honesty as a foundation for trust and positive relationships. Through play, discussions, and real-life experiences, we encourage children to communicate openly, express their feelings truthfully, and act with integrity in their interactions with others.

To Communicate Clearly:
We support children in developing clear and confident communication skills. Through storytelling, role play, and collaborative activities, children learn to express their ideas, listen attentively, and engage meaningfully with those around them, laying the groundwork for effective communication.

To Be Respectful:
Respect is woven into everything we do in Early Years. By exploring the feelings, needs, and ideas of others, children learn to value diversity and practice kindness. Whether sharing resources, taking turns, or celebrating cultural differences, children develop an appreciation for the world around them.

To Have Confidence:
We nurture confidence by encouraging children to explore, take risks, and believe in themselves. Through supportive relationships and carefully designed challenges, children build self-esteem and learn to tackle new experiences with a positive mindset.

To Embrace Responsibility:
We guide children to take responsibility for their choices and actions, from looking after their belongings to caring for the environment. By fostering independence and accountability, we help children develop a sense of ownership and pride in their achievements.

To Support One Another:
In our Early Years setting, collaboration and kindness are key. Children learn to support their peers by sharing, helping, and working together. These experiences foster a strong sense of community, teaching children the value of empathy and teamwork.

To Have Resilience in All That They Do:
We encourage children to view challenges as opportunities to grow. By supporting them to persevere, learn from mistakes, and adapt to change, we help children develop resilience, enabling them to approach life’s ups and downs with confidence and determination.

Our vision is to cultivate pupils who are not only proficient in the academic skills needed for the next stage of their education at Hinchliffe Mill but who also embody these values. 

Intent, Implementation, Impact

Intent-

Our Plan, The Journey, What It Means

Our intent for Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School is to inspire, engage and enthuse our pupils to be resilient and independent learners so that they become creative and aspirational thinkers.  It is important that our children feel happy, safe, secure and cared for within an enabling and nurturing environment.  

Before children start at Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant school, staff make regular visits to Pre School settings to help build valuable relationships with the children, ensuring a smooth and confident transition in September.

Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School is at the heart of the community.  We take part in many community events, giving children a sense of belonging and understanding of their locality.  Our high-quality provision areas both indoors and outdoors ignite curiosity and enthusiasm and promote the development of skills needed to learn, form relationships and thrive.  These areas include construction, mud kitchen, creative area, sand and water and many more.  High aspirations are instilled in our pupils from a very early age and pupils’ self-belief and ownership of learning allow them to take risk and develop resilience.  

 Our aim on leaving Reception is that children are: 

• Confident learners, who are resilient and willing to take risks. 
• Positive about their learning and are able to self-regulate. 
• Able to effectively express themselves.
• Able to form positive relationships and work collaboratively with others. 

Implementation-

Our Vision, Making it Happen, What it Brings

Our approach is implemented through our EYFS curriculum. All areas of the EYFS curriculum are followed and planned for to ensure there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum. The children learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum.   

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development 
• Physical Development 
• Communication and Language
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Our learners are encouraged to explore, take an active part in their learning, and use their creative and critical thinking through a range of purposeful and engaging activities, both indoors and outdoors

We love to learn through play and activities are based around the children’s interests and fascinations so that children have ownership of their learning. Play is enhanced through meaningful interactions with highly effective practitioners to ensure that the development of the whole child is supported and extended. All adults in EYFS are highly skilled at furthering the children’s development through open ended questioning and they have excellent knowledge of the children’s next steps so that they can facilitate opportunities and extend learning within the moment that is personal to each child. The provision both indoors and outdoors encourages independence so that children can access and select a range of creative materials, from junk modelling to our home corner.

Loose parts provision supports the children’s creativity and imagination through carefully selected and versatile objects. 

Impact-

Our Heartfelt Goals, Bringing Lessons to Life, The Hinchliffe Mill Effect

The impact of our curriculum is measured by assessment procedures which allow us to measure outcomes against all schools nationally. We measure the percentage of pupils achieving age related expectations throughout the academic year, put supportive interventions in place if and when needed. Class teachers use observations to make formative assessments which inform future planning for adult-led activities and ensure that all children build on their current knowledge and skills at a good pace. This ensures that children make good progress from their starting points. The impact of our Early Years approach is that children become independent and curious thinkers who carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens.