Welcome to the Squirrels, our EYFS department at Eastry Primary School!
At Eastry our Early Year Foundation Stage and Year 1 class are the Squirrels Class. The Red Squirrels are our Reception Class and our Grey Squirrels are our Year 1 class. The Red Squirrels Class follows the EYFS curriculum which is linked below;
Our Squirrels adults for this year are:
Mrs Harvey - EYFS Leader and Class Teacher
Mrs Williams - Teaching Assistant
Mrs Tracey Perry - Teaching Assistant
Our vision for our Early Years department and for our children is as follows:
Children are happy, confident, independent learners with excellent communication and social skills. The children should feel safe, secure and valued. They should feel able to take risks and should have high aspirations for themselves.
Children all make good or outstanding progress from their individual starting points, regardless of their background or individual needs.
Staff in the Squirrels Classroom act as facilitators for children's learning. They engage in purposeful playful learning alongside the children but know when to step back and observe the children thrive independently. Staff know the children very well and are highly skilled in seeking teachable moments that will move children's learning forwards without interrupting play.
Our classroom and outdoor environment aims to activate children's innate curiosity about the world around them and acts as a third teacher. Children can access a range of of resources independently and apply them to different contexts to suit their own plan for their independent learning.
Our outdoor area is set up each morning for the children to access: whatever the weather! Each resource is carefully thought about and has a clear purpose - however the children can move and use the objects in any way or context they see fit! A colander doesn’t have to just be for making spaghetti in the mud kitchen - this week it has been a hat for an astronaut and the turret of Rapunzel’s castle too! Their imagination knows no bounds!
Early Years Environment
Below are some videos which may help you when reading with your child at home.