The new EYFS framework (2021) states that "Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfill their potential" This is at the heart of everything we do in the Early Years at The Bramble Academy,
At Bramble, we aim to ‘Make Learning Irresistible’. This runs through everything we do, from lessons, our learning environment both indoors and outdoors to visits and visitors. We want to spark interest, enthusiasm and curiosity in our children. Our school values are regularly highlighted and promoted. Our school is an amazing place to be and the staff and children are all very proud to be part of the The Evolve Trust
Children feel valued and loved in school and staff pride themselves on building strong relationships with both parents/carers and children. We treat every child as an individual and are committed to the development of the ‘whole child’. We understand that every child has their own cultural capital which they bring with them to school but we want to recognise, represent and value everyone's culture. We want to educate our children to be 'good people' who care for others and the community, who care for all things around them including animals and the environment. We want children to enter the next stage of their learning in KS1 happy, self-assured, independent learners with a thirst to learn and the confidence to know that they can do anything they want to do and that we will support them on their journey moving forwards.
Our curriculum is driven by giving children opportunities, ensuring engagement, and developing a sense of responsibility. We have given great consideration to the knowledge and the skills that we want the children to learn during the EYFS which all feed into our curriculum. We are committed to the whole child and to the characteristics of effective learning, we want to make sure that our children have the learning behaviours they need to succeed not only in school, but in life. We chose our curriculum by thinking about the children in our school and their needs. We used the Development Matters (2021) and Birth to 5 Matters (2021) non-statutory guidance and our knowledge about the children to devise our curriculum as a team. We also met with all subject co-ordinators in school to go through each area of learning to ensure clear progression through year groups.
We understand the importance of a play based curriculum and acknowledge that play is a vehicle for learning. Play allows children to express themselves in a developmentally appropriate way "Children in the Early Years are in the Early Years because they develop best with this type of Early Years experience, play based, adult supported, unique child initiated, developmentally appropriate learning" (Alistair Bryce Clegg, 2021). Careful thought and planning is put in place not only for our curriculum but also our environment. We want our indoor and outdoor environment to have the maximum impact on children's potential. We strive to provide high quality opportunities for children to be inquisitive, curious, creative, critical thinkers and to give them the chance to consolidate, rehearse and develop their skills and knowledge. Our pedagogy is varied and is a balance of direct teaching and play based learning. We are constantly reflecting on our practise, attending training, reading books to ensure we are providing the best possible education for our children.
We understand that language development is critically important and we want our children to leave Bramble:
Phonics is taught systematically throughout the EYFS. We take into account what comes before phonics before moving onto teaching letter sounds when children are ready. We teach literacy to a high standard and children make strong progress throughout the EYFS. We make sure our curriculum is saturated with high quality texts. Widening the experiences for our children is fundamental to us at Bramble and children all participate in compulsory enrichment which is part of the bramble pledge. We take our children out on trips and visits and they also participate regularly in forest school and we also invite guest in.
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