We know that your child will be curious and excited to engage with the world around them. Their natural curiosity and desire to learn from an early age make it vital that their experiences in their first years at school are of the highest quality. The Early Years Foundation Stage at Willowdown Primary School will foster children’s curiosity, ignite their imaginations and provide them with outstanding opportunities to engage with their learning through first hand experiences and meaningful contexts. 

Children will be at the centre of everything we do. Every child at Willowdown Primary School will be supported to reach their highest potential and for some this starts in our Nursery, and for others, this starts in our Reception class. By creating an environment where understanding children’s needs is given high priority, our staff can plan, develop and implement opportunities for children to flourish. 

Our curriculum

We provide a high quality, inclusive education for all pupils by providing a relevant curriculum led by practitioners who understand the specialist nature of early years’ practice. Learning activities and opportunities value the inquisitive nature of the pupil and allow them to develop as autonomous learners, showing initiative and independence. The importance of play is recognised in all aspects of pupils’ learning and a curriculum is provided which covers all areas of a pupil’s development.

A learning environment is created where emotional wellbeing is seen as paramount to successful learning. Past learning is valued and used as a basis to plan for future progress. Individual differences are acknowledged and all pupils treated equally, regardless of age, attainment, ethnicity, gender, language and special educational needs.

Parental contribution is valued and used to establish an atmosphere of trust and respect between home and school.

There is a flexible approach to learning which allows activities that encourage pupils to develop the characteristics of ‘Exceptional Learners.’

Opportunities are created to enable children to develop language skills i.e. fluency, coherence and understanding by providing opportunities to ‘talk’, as well as access to language through stories, songs and rhymes.

Early Years Policy 

Early Years Policy

Communication and language strategy

Willowdown Communication and Language Strategy