Early Years
Early Years at Netherton.
Welcome to the Early Years Unit at Netherton. The staff look forward to welcoming you and your child to our school at the beginning of their Primary school journey.In Early Years we provide a safe, nurturing and creative environment where your children can flourish and grow into independent young learners, ready for the next stage of their school journey. We are proud to have produced an environment in which children can thrive in their learning with plentiful activities on offer, carefully designed to promote discovery and application of skills in an exciting way linked to our topics. Our indoor and outdoor provision areas are well-resourced and facilitate the children in directing their own learning through play.
Staffing.
Early years lead and Reception class teacher – Mrs A Rosamond.
Early years 1 class teacher – Mrs B Harding.
Early Years Nursery Nurse – Mrs J Bould.
Teaching Assistant – Mrs G Cooper, Mrs E Hall, Mrs V Hoyland
Intent
At Netherton, we aim to provide a high-quality, ambitious Early Years curriculum that offers first hand experiences and secures strong foundations for future learning. Our skills based curriculum builds resilience, curiosity, ambition and a lifelong love of learning, ensuring all children make strong progress from their individual starting points.
We recognise that children arrive with a wide range of experiences, skills and knowledge. Our curriculum builds on what children already know and can do while addressing gaps and broadening children’s cultural capital, so they are not expected to aspire to things they have not encountered.
Children are at the heart of our curriculum. It is inclusive, child centered and responsive to children’s interests, whilst being firmly rooted in the EYFS Statutory Framework. We celebrate diversity and ensure every child feels valued and represented.
A strong emphasis is placed on foundational skills that underpin future success;
- Communication and language
- Early reading and phonics
- Early writing and fine motor development
- Early mathematics and number sense
- Self-regulation, independence and resilience
- Social skills and emotional wellbeing.
We explicitly teach and model the Characteristics of Effective Learning, embedding a shared language of learning so children can talk confidently about how they learn.
Implementation
Our curriculum follows the EYFS Statutory Framework and reflects best practice and Ofsted expectations. From September 2025 we have been developing a skills based curriculum that is carefully sequenced to ensure progression while remaining responsive to cohort needs.
Planning is informed by deep knowledge of each child and clear progression in skills, vocabulary and knowledge. Learning is delivered through a balance of adult led teaching, guided group work and child initiated play.
High quality interactions underpin all learning. Communication and language are prioritized through modelling vocabulary, structured talk and sustained shared thinking. Staff use the Well com communication programme to enhance the children’s communication skills.
Early reading is taught through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Children receive daily phonic sessions, with targeted interventions where required. Phase 1 of the programme focuses on listening, attention, rhythm and rhyme to ensure school readiness.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Mathematics focuses on developing secure number sense, mathematical language and problem solving through practical experiences.
The indoor and outdoor environments are carefully planned to provide opportunities across all areas of learning. Children are supported to develop independence, resilience and confidence.
We provide effective and focused intervention for those children who are finding learning challenging and are not on track to meet expectations at the end of the year. This will be provided in an inclusive way and support from parents is also enlisted at an early stage to ensure that the children have every chance to achieve the Early Learning Goals.The EYFS team observe, work and above all play with the children, enabling all staff to really get to know each child as an individual, and to have a good knowledge of their needs both socially and educationally.
We ensure that all of our visits are learning related and will provide the spark for further immersion in a theme or project.
The team in Early Years work tirelessly to ensure that children are surrounded by a kind, caring and happy environment which helps them develop the same skills in their journey through school. It is a positive place to be where resilience, perseverance and successes are celebrated and every child feels valued and respected.
IMPACT
Children leave EYFS confident, resilient and motivated learners with secure foundational skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics. They are well prepared for the transition into Key Stage 1.
Progress is measured through ongoing formative assessment, observations and floor books, leading to summative assessment against the Earl Learning Goals. Outcomes are moderated locally to ensure accuracy.
EYFS is a priority within the school development plan and is monitored by the Local Authority Early Years team, EYFS lead, Senior Leadership team and the Headteacher. Continuous reflection ensures our provision remains ambitious, inclusive and effective.
Transition.
In Early Years 1 the staff hold new parents meetings well before the children come into Nursery. They also undertake home visits and hold stay and play sessions so the children already know the staff and feel safe in the new environment.
In Early Years 2, staff hold new parents meetings in the Summer term before their children start in September. The Early Years Lead/Reception teacher visits any external settings or childminders in order to meet the child in their own learning environment. They also have a transition morning to become familiar with new routines and expectations.
As the children move from Early Years into Key stage 1, the children are taught by the year 1 teacher for story times and science, in the term before they are due to move up. They also undertake a transition morning before the end of Summer term
Useful documentation.
EYFS Safer Sleeping guide V2025
ELG Breakdown mind map nursery (1)
2023/4-unit-risk-assessment Netherton
Intimate Care and Toileting Policy (2)
Useful app/website links for parents
https://www.abcya.com/games/number-bingo
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/apps/cbeebies-little-learners-app
https://whiteroseeducation.com/1-minute-maths
30 hours
Alongside the universal 15 hours offer, Netherton School also offers 30 hour Extended Free Early Years Education places to eligible families with 3 & 4 year old children in Nursery .(EY1) These are offered whenever there are places in EY1. Please contact Mrs Harding on 01924274873 for more details, including costings.
Session times for the 30 hours free education will be 8:45am until :3.30pm. Children can pay for a school dinner or bring a packed lunch.
It is the responsibility of parents to check if they are eligible and are then required to bring their National Insurance Number and the 11 digit code they are given from the online checker into the School office to secure a 30 hour place.
To see if you are eligible for the extended 30-hour offer please Click Here
The entitlement can be also be accessed across more than one provider. This means that a family who is eligible for the 30 hour offer could still attend the Nursery School and then choose to use the other 15 hours with either a childminder or another independent childcare provider.
Schools Charging Policy for Early Years Provision 2025
Summer
This term our topic has been ‘Our wonderful world’ This has focused on looking after our world and nature around us. We have worked from some exciting new books in our curriculum, including ‘Off we go to Mexico’. ‘Where in the world are we’ and ‘Clean up’
We also went on a trip to Leeds City Museum, to learn more about animals in our world.
