EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage)

Tavy Class is where our youngest children begin their learning journey at St George’s, building the firm foundations they will draw on throughout their time in school and beyond. We believe that early childhood is a precious time, and we are committed to preserving the joy, curiosity and magic of learning while giving children the skills they need to flourish.

At the heart of our Early Years provision is a play-based, child-centred approach that combines thoughtfully sequenced topics, inspired by high-quality stories and nursery rhymes, with responsive floor book planning that reflects children’s interests, questions and fascinations. This approach enables us to provide rich, purposeful learning opportunities across all seven areas of learning and development:

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

Our curriculum is language-rich and carefully structured while remaining flexible and engaging. Through the floor book process, children’s ideas help to shape learning experiences, allowing practitioners to extend, deepen and adapt learning in meaningful ways. We place great importance on communication and language, early reading and phonics, early writing and number, weaving these naturally into everyday learning and ensuring that essential foundational skills are taught systematically and revisited regularly.

We use Twinkl Phonics as our phonics scheme, supporting children to develop strong early reading skills through clear progression and consistency. This is complemented by Rhino Readers reading books, which closely match the sounds children are learning, helping them to practise decoding, build fluency and develop a love of reading from the very start. Children also visit our school library to explore of range of fiction and non-fiction texts to select a book each week.

To support early mark making and the journey into writing, we use Drawing Club, a highly imaginative and child-centric approach that brings stories to life. Each week, the story takes us on a new adventure, sparking creativity, excitement and wonder. Through drawing, talk and emerging writing, children develop the confidence and skills they need to express their ideas, while nurturing imagination, magic and a genuine love of storytelling.

Most of the children’s time in Tavy Class is spent engaged in deep, meaningful play, supported by skilled adults who know each child well. Our environment, both indoors and outdoors, is viewed as an additional teacher. It is carefully designed to be open-ended, flexible and responsive, offering continuous provision that places creativity, collaboration and communication at its heart. We strive to make our environment exciting and full of possibilities, creating moments of magic wherever we can—from fairy houses and small worlds to bug hunting and imaginative role play.

Nature plays a vital role in our curriculum. Children take part in weekly Forest School sessions and make use of our school field and farm. Our learning is closely connected to the natural world, the changing seasons and the rhythms of the year – we go on seasonal welly walks and do lots of gardening in our Reception outdoor area. We also value our place within the wider community, regularly taking learning beyond the classroom through visits to local beaches, shops, cafés, churches and much more, helping children to feel a strong sense of belonging to their world.

As a small, family-feel school, we place great importance on relationships. Children in Tavy Class are known, valued and supported, building strong, positive relationships with adults and peers. This nurturing environment is fundamental to developing confidence, independence and healthy self-esteem, ensuring every child feels safe, secure and ready to learn.

At St George’s, our Early Years provision is about more than preparation for the next stage, it is about celebrating childhood, creating joyful learning experiences and laying strong, lasting foundations for a lifetime of learning.