St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

“Caritas Christi Urget Nos –

The love of Christ urges us to care for each other and strive for excellence in everything we do.”

EYFS

EYFS

EYFS Curriculum Intent

At St Vincent’s we recognise that children learn and develop in different ways and have their own learning styles. In Reception there are 7 areas of learning and development that must shape educational provision. We value all areas of learning and development equally and understand that they are interconnected.

The 3 prime areas are:

  • Communication and language;
  • Physical development;
  • Personal, social and emotional development.

These prime areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

Children are also supported in 4 specific areas, through which the 3 prime areas are strengthened and applied. These are:

  • Literacy;
  • Mathematics;
  • Understanding the world;
  • Expressive arts and design.

All our children have access to a stimulating and challenging environment that has a strong emphasis on learning through play and first hand experiences. Our planning is based on the principle that children learn most effectively when they are interested and motivated by the activities they engage with. Therefore, children’s individual interests are used as a basis for our planning. A balance of planned adult-led activities and child- initiated activities ensures developmentally appropriate differentiation and challenge.

Learning in the Forest

All children in Reception attend our ‘Forest School’ on a weekly basis during their time in the EYFS. We believe that learning in the forest offers pupils a unique educational experience and opportunities they cannot typically get in the classroom. Children gain a range of skills, both personal and social, during their time in the forest which helps support and encourage their development in the prime and specific areas of learning outlined in the EYFS Framework.

Each session consists of planned tasks, games and activities; ‘choosing time’ where pupils are allowed to explore and play using their own imagination and always ends with a reflection of their session and refreshments in the fire circle.

EYFS Statutory Framework

Click link above to download a copy of the Department of Education's Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework.

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Curriculum Intent

At St Vincent’s it is our INTENT is to enable ALL children to thrive through the opportunities we provide them with, in order to:

  • Live their lives by the Gospel and Vincentian values instilled in them at school.
  • Understand that everyone has the right and responsibility to live in our world constructively and ensure that we leave it in a better state than when we entered it by living and working through the principles of Catholic Social Teaching in line with the UNCRC (United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child)
  • Experience creativity across the curriculum through specialist art and dance lessons and opportunities to take part in art, music, dance and creative writing competitions.
  • Know the joy of outdoor learning, the rich biodiversity within our school grounds and locality and develop a responsibility for the environment we share as stewards.
  • Understand their place in the world, globally and locally, knowing the history of our school, Mill Hill and the Daughters of Charity and knowing where our diverse community members have their roots across the world.
  • Be ready and well-prepared for their next steps in life, having high aspirations for themselves and for others because they have experienced success and a belief in learning from mistakes.
  • Have a life-long curiosity, stimulated by the driving questions of Project Based Learning approach to the curriculum fostering inquiry and independent learning skills, which give confidence to ask big questions about the world.
  • Be literate and numerate having experienced a rich variety of texts to stimulate and excite the mind while developing skills in investigating and problem solving to enable them to excel in their future passions.
  • Be confident and happy young people that have a broad understanding and tolerance of the world and others around them with excellent communication skills honed by their experience of Restorative Justice and respect of the dignity and wishes of the individual.

Curriculum Context

St Vincent’s is a 1.5 form entry school with 285 children ranging from 4 -11. Children come predominantly from the parishes of Sacred Heart in Mill Hill and St Anthony’s in Edgware.

Children come from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds, speak 17 different languages and hail from 26 different ethnic groups. The curriculum we present, and promote, to the children is an endeavour to reflect these differences by providing opportunities to explore the different countries, languages and customs our children are part of through the projects they investigate. We have looked closely at the context of our school, the backgrounds of the children and how life is for a child growing up in North London today. We have used the underlying principles of our Catholic Faith and the example of our namesake St Vincent to create a set of values which lie at the heart of our curriculum.

We are aware of the changing nature of society and the pressures faced by young children as they enter the next stage of their education. The rise in Mental Health related issues has been widely documented across the media. Therefore, issues such as internet safety and the enormous impact across society of social media are at the forefront of our minds when planning our curriculum. With the current worldwide concerns relating to Covid 19, racial justice, equality and diversity, as well as gender and economic background, we feel it is our duty to prepare the children through a concerted focus on building independence, resilience and communication skills linked to our Vincentian Values.