At St Oswald's Primary School, we follow the Department for Education’s Statutory Framework, ensuring that every child is kept safe and supported to reach their full potential.

How Your Child Learns

In our Early Years setting, we believe that children learn best through play, exploration, and active involvement. Our curriculum is designed to be flexible, following the interests of the children while ensuring they gain the essential skills needed for Year 1 and beyond.

We focus on seven key areas of learning, divided into two categories:

The Prime Areas

These are the most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

• Communication and Language: Developing the confidence to express themselves and listen to others.
• Physical Development: Improving coordination and control, from running and climbing to holding a pencil.
• Personal, Social & Emotional Development: Learning how to manage feelings, make friends, and build self-confidence.

The Specific Areas

As children grow, the prime areas help them to develop skills in four specific areas:

• Literacy: Building a love for stories, rhymes, and the beginnings of reading and writing.
• Mathematics: Exploring numbers, patterns, and shapes through hands-on play.
• Understanding the World: Investigating the environment, technology, and different cultures.
• Expressive Arts & Design: Encouraging creativity through art, music, movement, and role-play.

Working Together: Our Partnership with You

We know that you are your child’s first and most enduring educator. We use Tapestry, our regular digital newsletters and parents evenings to share "wow moments" from the classroom and invite you to share your child’s achievements at home.  

Toward the end of the Reception year, we complete the EYFS Profile, which provides a well-rounded picture of your child’s knowledge and stage of development. This ensures a smooth and happy transition into Key Stage 1.

In September 2025, the Department for Education updated the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). While the way your child learns and plays remains the same, there are strengthened safety measures that we have implemented to ensure the highest standards of care.

What’s New for 2025?

We have updated our school policies to reflect these new national requirements:

• Extra Safety at Mealtimes: We have enhanced our allergy awareness and choking prevention protocols. Our staff receive specific training to ensure snack and lunch times are both social and incredibly safe.
• Emergency Contacts: To ensure we can always reach someone in an emergency, we now require at least two emergency contact numbers for every child. Please ensure your records are up to date at the school office.
• Safe Recruitment: We follow rigorous Safer Recruitment guidelines. This now includes a mandatory requirement for all staff references to be checked and verified before they begin working with your children.
• First Aid Excellence: Every member of our Early Years team is trained in Paediatric First Aid, ensuring that expert help is always immediately available should your child have a bump or scrape.
• Attendance & Wellbeing: We have a new "Absence" policy. If your child is unexpectedly absent and we haven't heard from you, we will contact you promptly to ensure everything is okay.

Why these changes matter

These updates are part of a national move to make Early Years settings the safest they can possibly be. By choosing a school that follows the 2025 Framework, you can be confident that your child is in a secure environment where their welfare is the absolute priority.