Early Years

Welcome to the Early Years at St. Gabriel's

The Foundation Stage begins when children reach the age of three and it continues into a child's first year of school, known as the Reception year. Children learning in Pre-school and Reception classes are known as Early Years Children and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework.

In the Early Years, we foster the child's own interests, needs and stages of development and offer activities which extend, enrich and develop potential. The EYFS is an incredibly important stage in a child's life as it prepares them for their future learning and successes.

In the Early Years at St. Gabriel's, we provide a safe, happy and caring environment where children develop a love of learning. If you visited our Reception class, you would see children working and playing independently, with an emphasis on making choices and sustained concentration, as they learn through purposeful and carefully planned play. There would be a range of activities taking place around the classroom and outdoor area: construction, small world play, reading, listening to stories and songs, various different role play activities, performances on the stage, cutting, sticking, painting. We learn through seven key areas of learning which include:

3 Prime Areas of Learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development – Self Regulation, Managing Self and Building Relationships

Communication and Language – Listening, Attention and Understanding and Speaking

Physical Development – Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills

Four Specific Areas of Learning:

Literacy – Comprehension, Word Reading and Writing

Mathematics – Number and Numerical Patterns

Understanding the World – Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities and The Natural World

Expressive Arts and Design – Creating with Materials and Being Imaginative and Expressive

Play is at the forefront of the Early Years curriculum and through this play, children are encouraged to learn new skills and practise skills they have already acquired. Play is important for children's all round physical, emotional, intellectual and social development. Throughout each week, there are both adult-led and child-initiated activities, depending on the children's stage of development. We provide opportunities for our children to share their experiences and have lots of fun whilst learning. As a result, the children make good progress, both socially and academically and are well prepared for the National Curriculum and Year 1.