It is essential that we get to know and value all young children. All children learn more in the period from birth to five years old than any other time in their lives. Every child can make progress, if they are given the right support.  

“When we succeed in giving every child the best start in their early years, we can give them what they need tomorrow. We also set them up with every chance of success tomorrow”(Development Matters 2020) 

At Rushwick Primary School, the Early Years Foundation Stage is viewed as a distinctive phase of education which integrates the care and education of our youngest children. We believe that all children are unique and bring with them a diverse range of previous experiences and learning which must be acknowledged and built upon. It is vital that parents are valued as children’s first educators and that they are active partners in their child’s school education.

Our strong Christian ethos underpins our rationale as we are always here to support families and to build a long-lasting partnership with our school.  

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Our curriculum is intended to recognise children’s previous learning, both from earlier settings as well as their experiences at home. We work in partnership with parents, carers, and other settings to provide the best possible start for children and families at Rushwick CE Primary School, ensuring that everyone reaches their full potential from their various starting points. At our school, our curriculum has been planned to ensure it meets the needs of our learners and their families, and to reflect the values of our Church of England Primary School.

In Reception, we understand the importance of development in the Prime  Areas of learning; Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Communication and Language. We feel that developing these skills will give the children a strong foundation to access their learning throughout their time at Rushwick Primary School. Our enabling environments, and warm, engaging adult interactions, support the children as they begin to link learning to their play and exploration right from the start. We believe that high-level engagement ensures high-level attainment with meaningful connections at the heart of everything we do. We provide a lively and engaging curriculum that maximises opportunities for purposeful cross-curricular links and learning experiences, as well as celebrating the unique child by offering lots of opportunity for play and independent exploration. We reflect the children’s interests and ideas to foster a lifelong love of learning both in and outside of school. By the end of the Reception year, our intent is to ensure that all children make at least good progress from their individual starting points and that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to have a smooth transition to Year 1.