A Confident Start to School

At St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that every child is precious, unique and deserving of the very best start to their education. Guided by our mission, “You are precious in my eyes”, we strive to create a welcoming, nurturing and ambitious environment where every child feels loved, valued, safe and ready to learn.

Our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is where children's learning journey at St Bernard's begins. We want every child to develop a strong sense of belonging, build positive relationships and discover the joy of learning within our caring Catholic school community.

We recognise that every child is an individual, bringing their own interests, experiences, strengths and personality. Through strong partnerships with families, purposeful learning experiences and high-quality teaching, we nurture children's confidence, independence and curiosity, laying the foundations for future success.

At St Bernard's, every child is precious. Every child belongs. Every child deserves the opportunity to flourish.

Getting to Know Every Child

We understand that starting school is a significant milestone for children and their families. We want every child to feel welcomed, secure and excited about beginning their journey at St Bernard's.

Before children start Reception, we work to establish positive relationships with families and the settings children currently attend. Our transition arrangements, including visits to children's nursery settings, help us begin to understand each child's interests, experiences, strengths and individual needs.

These early connections help us to build a picture of the child before they join us, supporting a smoother transition and helping children feel known, understood and valued from the very beginning.

Once children start school, our experienced EYFS team continues to observe, listen and interact with them carefully. By understanding what children already know and can do, we can plan meaningful learning experiences that build on their starting points and support them to make progress.

We believe that strong relationships are the foundation for successful learning and that working in partnership with families helps every child to thrive.

Our EYFS Curriculum

Our EYFS curriculum is designed to provide children with the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to become confident, independent and enthusiastic learners.

We offer an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum that builds progressively throughout the Reception year. Drawing on current early years guidance, including Strong Foundations, we prioritise the essential building blocks of learning and ensure children have opportunities to revisit, practise and deepen their understanding.

Our curriculum encompasses the seven areas of learning:

  • Communication and Language – developing listening, understanding, speaking and vocabulary.

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development – nurturing confidence, independence, positive relationships and emotional wellbeing.

  • Physical Development – strengthening coordination, control, movement and fine motor skills.

  • Literacy – developing a love of books, early reading, phonics and writing.

  • Mathematics – building a secure understanding of number, patterns, shape, space and measure.

  • Understanding the World – exploring people, communities, nature, science and the wider world.

  • Expressive Arts and Design – encouraging creativity through art, music, movement, imagination and role play.

These areas are interconnected and provide children with opportunities to apply their learning in meaningful contexts. We combine explicit adult-led teaching, guided learning and child-initiated experiences to ensure that children develop essential knowledge while having the freedom to explore, investigate and follow their interests.

Our curriculum reflects our commitment to excellence and wellbeing, helping children to develop academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually within our Catholic school community.

Communication, Language and Oracy

Communication and language are at the heart of our EYFS curriculum. We want children to become confident communicators who can express their thoughts, share ideas, ask questions and listen carefully to others.

Throughout the school day, we create rich opportunities for children to talk, listen, discuss and develop their vocabulary. Through stories, rhymes, songs, conversations, play and carefully planned adult interactions, children learn to communicate effectively and make sense of the world around them.

Our adults model language, introduce new vocabulary and encourage children to explain their thinking, describe their experiences and talk about their learning.

We recognise that strong communication skills underpin learning across all areas of the curriculum and provide an essential foundation for reading, writing, mathematics and positive relationships.

Early Reading and Phonics

At St Bernard's, we want every child to develop a love of reading and the skills they need to become a confident, fluent reader.

Children receive systematic phonics teaching through Red Rose Letters and Sounds, developing their understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds and learning to blend sounds to read words.

Alongside phonics teaching, we provide a rich reading environment filled with high-quality children's books, stories, poems and rhymes. Adults read aloud regularly, bringing stories to life and helping children develop their imagination, comprehension and vocabulary.

We encourage children to talk about characters, events and new words, make predictions, share their opinions and develop a deeper understanding of what they hear and read.

We value the important role parents and carers play in developing early reading and encourage families to enjoy books together at home.

Our aim is to nurture enthusiastic young readers who recognise the pleasure, wonder and opportunities that reading can bring.

Developing Early Writing

We recognise that writing begins long before children can independently write words and sentences. In EYFS, we provide opportunities for children to develop the physical skills, confidence and understanding needed to communicate through marks, pictures, letters and early writing.

Children learn to give meaning to their marks, talk about their ideas, develop pencil control and begin to understand how spoken language can be represented in writing.

Through stories, drawing, fine motor activities, meaningful writing opportunities and adult modelling, children gradually develop their ability to express and record their ideas.

We celebrate children's efforts and achievements, encouraging them to persevere, take pride in their work and see themselves as successful young writers.

Learning Through Play and Experience

Play is a vital part of early childhood and an important way for children to explore, investigate, practise skills and make sense of the world.

At St Bernard's, our learning experiences are carefully planned to provide opportunities for children to create, imagine, experiment, solve problems and collaborate with others.

Through purposeful play, children develop curiosity, resilience, independence and creativity. Our adults observe children's interests, ask thoughtful questions, introduce new vocabulary and provide guidance that helps deepen learning.

We combine the excitement of child-initiated exploration with clear teaching, carefully selected resources and meaningful adult interactions. This ensures that children enjoy their learning while developing the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their education.

We encourage children to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, celebrate achievements and approach new experiences with confidence and joy.

Our Learning Environment

Our EYFS environment is carefully organised to inspire curiosity, encourage independence and provide rich opportunities for learning.

Indoors and outdoors, children have access to a range of learning areas that support communication, literacy, mathematics, creativity, construction, investigation, imaginative play and physical development.

Our outdoor learning opportunities give children space to move, build, explore and investigate the natural world. These experiences help develop physical confidence, communication, social skills and problem-solving abilities.

Resources and activities are thoughtfully chosen to reflect children's interests while introducing new experiences and challenges that extend their learning.

We want our environment to encourage children to ask questions, follow their curiosity and discover that learning can happen everywhere.

Inclusive, Nurturing and Ambitious for All

Our Catholic ethos reminds us that every child is precious and deserves to be treated with dignity, kindness and respect.

We celebrate the individuality of every child and strive to ensure that all children feel welcomed, included and valued within our school community. We have high expectations for every learner and recognise that children may need different levels of support to achieve their potential.

Our EYFS team works closely with families, colleagues and relevant professionals to identify children's strengths, understand their needs and provide appropriate support as early as possible.

We adapt learning experiences, resources and adult support to help children participate fully, overcome barriers and make meaningful progress.

Through our commitment to Wellbeing, Joy, Resilience, Integrity, Excellence and Compassion, we encourage children to care for themselves and others, develop positive relationships and approach learning with confidence.

We want every child to know that they belong at St Bernard's and that their contributions, achievements and individuality matter.

Working in Partnership with Families

We believe that children flourish when home and school work together.

Parents and carers are their child's first educators, and we value the knowledge, experiences and insights that families bring. We encourage open communication and positive partnerships, sharing achievements, discussing next steps and supporting families to contribute to their child's learning.

Simple activities such as sharing stories, singing rhymes, talking about everyday experiences, counting objects and encouraging independence can make a meaningful difference to children's development.

Our aim is to create a strong partnership in which families feel welcomed, listened to and involved in their child's educational journey.

Together, we can celebrate every milestone, support individual needs and help children develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed.

Ready for the Next Stage

Our ambition is for every child to leave Reception as a confident, curious and increasingly independent learner, ready to take their next steps into Year 1.

Throughout the year, we develop the knowledge, vocabulary, skills and learning behaviours that children need for future learning. We support them to become independent, listen and respond, work alongside others, manage routines and approach challenges with resilience.

Teachers assess children's learning through ongoing observations, interactions, children's work and other appropriate assessment approaches. At the end of Reception, the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile provides a summary of each child's development in relation to the Early Learning Goals.

Parents and carers receive a written report celebrating their child's progress and achievements, identifying strengths and highlighting areas for continued development.

Above all, we want children to leave EYFS with happy memories, a strong sense of belonging, a love of learning and the confidence to believe in themselves.

The St Bernard's EYFS

Our Early Years Foundation Stage is built on strong relationships, high expectations, purposeful learning and our belief that every child is precious.

Guided by our Catholic mission, we are committed to providing the very best start to school: an environment where children feel safe, relationships where they feel valued and learning experiences that inspire them to explore, achieve and grow.

We want every child to flourish as an individual, develop a love of learning and become a valued member of our school family.

“You are precious in my eyes.”

At St Bernard's Catholic Primary School, we are proud to begin this journey alongside our children and families, laying the foundations for a happy, successful and fulfilling future.

Every child. Every opportunity. Precious in God's eyes