In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. In Nursery, children begin by developing the 3 prime areas. These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. 

Prime Areas and their aspects:

Communication and Language

• Listening, Attention and Understanding
• Speaking

Physical Development

• Gross Motor Skills
• Fine Motor Skills

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Self-regulation
• Managing self
• Building Relationships

Specific Areas and their aspects:

Literacy

• Comprehension
• Word Reading
• Writing

Mathematics

• Number
• Numerical Patterns

Understanding of the World

• Past and present
• People, Culture and Communities
• The Natural World

Expressive Arts and Design

• Creating with Materials
• Being Imaginative and Expressive

At the end of Reception all children should be at the expected level in all 17 aspects of the 7 Areas of Learning.

Emerging: Your child is working below the expected level for a child at the end of the Reception year in the aspect of the area of learning.

Expected: Your child has reached the expected level for a child at the end of the Reception year in the aspect of the area of learning.

Exceeding: Your child has exceeded the expected level for a child at the end of the Reception year in the aspect of the area of learning

At the end of EYFS, we have to submit statutory assessments to the Local Authority. These levels are calculated as: Emerging = 1, Expected and Exceeding = 2.

Statutory Assessments

These take place at various times during the Summer term. You will be given more information about them during the year.

Year 1 - Phonics Screening Check

Year 4 - Multiplication Tables Check

Year 6 - Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests

School Assessments

Throughout the school year, teachers make professional judgements about how well pupils are meeting the age-related expectations for each year group set out in the National Curriculum. This enables us to make sure that the children know, understand and can do what we are teaching them.

We use specific language when describing the extent to which pupils are meeting age-related expectations throughout the year.

• Working Below means that your child is starting to work within their year group expectations, i.e. they are currently working below expectations.

• Working Towards means that your child is working towards their year group expectations, i.e. they are currently working just below expectations.

• Working At means that your child is working within their year group expectations.

• Greater Depth means that your child shows a deeper understanding of their year group expectations.