<big>The Foundation Stage Curriculum

The Curriculum for the Foundation Stage

The Foundation Stage, which lasts up to the end of the children's Reception Year, has its own curriculum. It is divided into six Early Learning Goals as below.

• Personal, social and emotional development;
• Communication, language and literacy;
• Mathematical development;
• Knowledge and understanding of the world;
• Physical Development;
• Creative Development;

Most will achieve the Early Learning Goals and some will progress beyond them by the end of the Foundation Stage.

The curriculum for the foundation stage underpins all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children's:

• personal, social and emotional well-being: in particular by supporting the transition to and between settings, promoting an inclusive ethos and providing opportunities for each child to become a valued member of that group and community so that a strong self-image and self-esteem are promoted;
• positive attitudes and dispositions towards their learning: in particular an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning and a confidence in their ability to be successful learners;
• social skills: in particular by providing opportunities that enable them to learn how to cooperate and work harmoniously alongside and with each other and to listen to each other;
• attention skills and persistence: in particular the capacity to concentrate on their own play or on group tasks;
• language and communication: with opportunities for all children to talk and communicate in a widening range of situations, to respond to adults and to each other, to practise and extend the range of vocabulary and communication skills they use and to listen carefully;
• reading and writing: with opportunities for all children to explore, enjoy, learn about and use words and text in a broad range of contexts and to experience a rich variety of books;
• mathematics: with opportunities for all children to develop their understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space by providing a broad range of contexts in which they can explore, enjoy, learn, practise and talk about them;
• knowledge and understanding of the world: with opportunities for all children to solve problems, make decisions, experiment, predict, plan and question in a variety of contexts, and to explore and find out about their environment and people and places that have significance in their lives;
• physical development: with opportunities for all children to develop and practise their fine and gross motor skills and to increase their understanding of how their bodies work and what they need to do to be healthy and safe;
• creative development: with opportunities for all children to explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of art, design and technology, music, movement, dance and imaginative and role play activities