On this page, you will find information regarding Class 1 staff, Early Year Curriculum Map, information regarding Drawing club, Phonics and Early Maths.

Welcome to Class 1 EYFS! 🌟

We are delighted to share our exciting learning journey with you. Class 1 is a happy, nurturing and welcoming environment where children are encouraged to explore, discover, create and develop their confidence as they learn through play and purposeful experiences.

In our mixed Foundation Stage 1 (FS1 – Nursery) and Foundation Stage 2 (FS2 – Reception) class, we provide a nurturing, stimulating and ambitious learning environment where every child is supported to thrive. Our curriculum is carefully designed around the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, ensuring that children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to become independent, curious and enthusiastic learners. We value children’s individual interests, ideas and experiences, using these as starting points to engage them in meaningful learning opportunities that build upon what they already know.

High-quality core texts underpin our literacy teaching and are brought to life through Drawing Club, developed by Greg Bottrill, which inspires children’s imagination, develops their language and vocabulary, and encourages early mark-making, drawing and writing. Our continuous provision and planned enhancements are purposeful and carefully considered, offering opportunities for children to explore, investigate, practise new skills and apply their learning in increasingly challenging ways. Through a balance of child-initiated play and adult-led experiences, we ensure that learning is accessible and appropriately challenging for both Nursery and Reception children, recognising their differing developmental stages and individual next steps.

Our adults play a vital role in bringing the curriculum to life. Through warm, responsive relationships, skilful questioning, meaningful conversations and sustained shared thinking, they extend children’s ideas, introduce new vocabulary, model language and encourage deeper thinking. Adults observe closely, identify emerging interests and misconceptions, and use these insights to adapt provision and plan purposeful next steps. By creating a safe, inclusive and language-rich environment where children feel valued, listened to and encouraged to take risks, we foster a love of learning and support every child to make progress across all areas of the EYFS, developing the foundations for a successful transition into Year 1 and beyond.

Below you will find Class One’s planned out curriculum map for the academic year and progression of skills that are developed throughout both Nursery and Reception.

Within the document is also our Intent and Implementation statements.

Early Years Curriculum Map

If you want to see regular updates of your child’s journey in education, please check out of school Facebook page.

St. Joseph’s RC Primary School.

 

We use Greg Bottrill’s Drawing Club to support our literacy development and help children develop their early writing skills. Drawing Club combines stories, imagination and drawing with opportunities to develop vocabulary, communication and mark-making.

Through engaging stories and creative activities, children are encouraged to talk, listen, draw and begin to write for a purpose. This helps to build confidence and enjoyment in literacy while developing the foundational skills children need as they progress towards independent writing.

Please see below further information regarding this.

Drawing Club 2026-2027

 

Early Maths (NCETM).

In Class 1, our approach to early mathematics is rooted in the EYFS framework and informed by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM). We focus on developing strong foundations in number, pattern, shape and mathematical language through practical, hands-on experiences, purposeful play and everyday opportunities to explore mathematical concepts. Children develop their understanding of number, subitising (recognising small quantities without counting), counting, comparing quantities and exploring number relationships. Through carefully planned activities, high-quality adult interactions and meaningful mathematical conversations, we build children’s confidence, deepen their understanding and encourage them to explain their thinking, ensuring learning is appropriate to the individual needs of our mixed Nursery and Reception class.
The NCETM’s Early Years approach highlights six key areas of mathematical learning: counting, comparison, composition of number, pattern, shape and space, and measures.

Phonics.

In Class 1, our mixed Nursery and Reception class follows the Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) scheme to develop children’s early reading and writing skills. We recognise that children progress at different rates and tailor our teaching to meet their individual needs.

In Nursery, children build the foundations for phonics through Phase 1 activities, exploring environmental sounds, rhythm, rhyme, alliteration and oral blending. Poetry Basket also supports in develops listening skills, vocabulary and a love of language, while mark-making, drawing and fine motor activities prepare children for early writing.

As children move into Reception, we build on these foundations and introduce the ELS phonics programme at the appropriate starting point for their development. Through carefully planned teaching, children begin learning letter sounds, blending to read words and segmenting to support writing. Our mixed-class approach allows us to provide continuity in learning while ensuring that each child receives the support, practice and challenge they need. Phonics is reinforced throughout the day through stories, continuous provision and purposeful play, helping children develop confidence and strong foundations for future learning.

 

Communication with Parents and Families

We value strong partnerships with parents and carers and use a range of communication methods to keep families informed and involved in their child’s learning.

These include our school Facebook page, Tapestry, weekly EYFS newsletters, Stay and Play sessions, parent workshops, and daily conversations at drop-off and collection.

Together, these provide regular opportunities to share information, celebrate children’s achievements and work in partnership to support each child’s learning and development.