Welcome to EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage - 0-5 year olds)
Our EYFS vision
At Brook Acre, we are incredibly proud of our Early Years provision and the exceptional start we provide for our children and families. In 2026, we expanded our provision to include children aged 0-3 years, opening a dedicated baby and toddler room alongside our well-established Preschool and Reception classes. This seamless Early Years journey enables children to learn, grow and flourish from their earliest experiences through to the start of their school life.
Early education, care and providing the very best start for every child remain at the heart of all we do. We believe that our school and nursery are one family, and we warmly welcome families into our community from the very beginning. Strong, nurturing relationships are central to our approach, and every member of our team understands the importance of connection, trust and belonging as children transition into our Early Years setting.
At Brook Acre, we recognise that children learn best through play, meaningful experiences and positive relationships. We place a strong emphasis on developing the Prime Areas of Learning: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, and Physical Development. By building confidence and competence in these essential areas, we create strong foundations that enable children to thrive across all aspects of learning and development.
Our spacious, inviting learning environments and extensive outdoor spaces provide rich opportunities for exploration, discovery and curiosity. Through carefully planned experiences and responsive teaching, we inspire a love of learning while celebrating each child’s unique strengths, interests and achievements.
Our dedicated and passionate team is committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to shine. Together with families, we nurture confident, resilient and happy learners, preparing them for a successful journey through Brook Acre and beyond.
Our EYFS Curriculum
At Brook Acre, our Early Years curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity, foster a love of learning and provide every child with the strongest possible foundations for future success. Our curriculum is built around engaging half-termly topics, carefully planned using high-quality, language-rich texts and meaningful experiences that capture children's interests and imagination.
We believe that children learn best through first-hand experiences. Therefore, each topic is designed to provide as many opportunities as possible for children to explore, investigate and discover the world around them. Whether through visits, visitors, outdoor learning, creative experiences or practical challenges, we ensure that learning is brought to life in meaningful and memorable ways.
Central to our curriculum are the Characteristics of Effective Learning. We encourage children to become confident, motivated learners who are willing to explore, think critically, solve problems and challenge themselves. We nurture resilience, independence and a positive attitude towards learning, helping children to develop the confidence to have a go, take risks and learn from their experiences.
Strong relationships underpin everything we do at Brook Acre. We invest significant time in getting to know our children and families, creating a nurturing environment where every child feels safe, valued and ready to learn. Our curriculum is responsive and flexible, allowing us to adapt learning opportunities to follow children's interests and fascinations while ensuring progression across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Through a balance of child-initiated play, adult-guided experiences and purposeful interactions, we support children to make excellent progress towards age-related expectations and beyond. Our aim is not only to prepare children for the next stage of their education but to develop confident, independent and enthusiastic learners who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to thrive.
By the time our children leave Early Years, they have developed strong foundations in communication, physical development, personal and social skills, and a genuine excitement for learning. These foundations enable them to transition successfully into Key Stage One and continue their journey through Brook Acre with confidence, resilience and happiness.
Phonics in EYFS
At Brook Acre, we recognise that early reading is the key to future success. Our phonics journey begins in Nursery, where children develop essential listening skills through rhyme, alliteration, sound discrimination, and oral blending and segmenting activities.
As children move into Reception, they begin learning the sounds letters make before quickly progressing to digraphs, trigraphs and tricky words. Through daily phonics teaching, children develop the skills and confidence needed to become successful readers and writers.
We have high expectations for all children and carefully track progress to ensure every child succeeds. Where needed, additional support sessions are provided to help children keep up with the fast pace of phonics learning in EYFS. This ensures children develop secure foundations in reading and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning journey.
Reading in EYFS
At Brook Acre, we believe that every child should develop a lifelong love of reading. Before children learn to read independently, we immerse them in a rich range of stories, rhymes and texts. Carefully chosen books are linked to our topics and areas of learning, helping children to develop their vocabulary, imagination, and speaking and listening skills.
As children become confident with their early phonics skills, they begin to take reading books home and participate in regular 1:1 reading and group reading sessions in school. We focus on developing children's ability to recognise sounds, decode words, read with expression and fluency (prosody), and understand what they have read through strong comprehension skills.
Alongside the teaching of reading skills, we place great importance on reading for pleasure. Children are encouraged to choose books they enjoy, share stories with friends, and listen to others read. Our reading buddy programme provides opportunities for children to enjoy stories read by older pupils, helping to foster positive reading relationships and a genuine enjoyment of books.
Through our nurturing and engaging approach, we aim to develop confident, enthusiastic readers who see reading as both a valuable skill and a source of enjoyment.