AIM:EARLY YEARS
At AIM Federation, our EYFS framework is centred on creating a nurturing, engaging space where young children can explore, play and develop a lifelong love of learning. Through purposeful play, language-rich activities, and continuous provision, we encourage curiosity, creativity and independence in our youngest learners. Our approach incorporates the Characteristics of Effective Learning—playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically—ensuring that every child receives personalised support. This helps them develop the skills they need to thrive as they transition to the next stage of their education.
Growing through play, exploration and learning.
AIM: LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND PROVISION
An effective EYFS learning environment should be well-organised and clearly labelled with photos and key words to help children engage easily with resources through active learning and play. This organisation encourages independence, allowing children to choose what they want to use, how they want to use it, and who they want to work with. It also helps them take responsibility for tidying up afterwards.
Having accessible resources allows children to make their own choices, building their decision-making skills and independence. Additional resources are stored away safely until needed, keeping the space clutter-free and inviting. The environment should support every aspect of children’s development, including their learning, vocabulary, reading, and communication and language skills, while also aligning with the curriculum and teaching approaches.
OUR CURRICULUM
The purpose of our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is to provide a rich and well-rounded educational experience for young children, supporting their learning and development across key areas. It is carefully designed to ensure children engage in meaningful activities and experiences that help them thrive and develop essential skills.
Key Features of Our EYFS Curriculum
• Clear Curriculum Summaries: Our curriculum outlines the key learning content for each area of development, ensuring children have access to a wide range of activities that promote their growth and learning.
• Broad and Balanced Approach: It offers a variety of learning opportunities that build on the prime areas of development, such as communication and language, and extends to more specific areas. This approach is particularly effective in developing language skills and broadening vocabulary.
• Guided by “Development Matters”: Our curriculum follows the government’s “Development Matters” framework, ensuring it is aligned with national standards and provides children with the foundations they need for future success.
By using this structured and thoughtful approach, our EYFS curriculum nurtures every aspect of children’s development, helping them grow as confident, capable learners ready for the next stage in their educational journey.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE
The development of children’s spoken language is central to all seven areas of learning and development. The Department for Education emphasises that children’s back-and-forth interactions with adults and peers from an early age form the foundations for both language and cognitive growth.
A language-rich environment is essential, with a strong focus on the number and quality of conversations children experience throughout the day. Practitioners play a vital role in supporting language development by observing what children are interested in or doing, commenting on these activities, and echoing back their words with additional vocabulary. Regular reading sessions, engaging children in stories, rhymes, poems, and non-fiction, and providing opportunities to use and embed new words in different contexts enable children to thrive.
The DfE highlights that activities such as conversation, storytelling and role play, where children share their ideas with the guidance and modelling of their teacher, alongside sensitive questioning to encourage elaboration, help children become confident in using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.
To support practitioners in developing children’s communication and language skills, our provision plans are carefully designed to include a vocabulary hierarchy and questioning techniques. By integrating this approach into our curriculum and provision, we create an environment where children can build strong communication skills, equipping them with the tools they need to express themselves confidently and effectively.
