At Castle Primary School we place great value on the development of children as individuals and providing them with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to prepare them for the challenges in Key Stage One and beyond. Our aim in the EYFS is to build strong foundations rooted in academic success as well as moral and spiritual development, so that ultimately our pupils can be successful at secondary school, go on to be active citizens of society and happy, curious life-long learners. 

Our curriculum is therefore built around what our pupils need so that they can gain the knowledge, skills and understanding they require for success. They can only do that if we embed the right habits for learning through the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning – Play and Exploration, Active Learning and Creative and Critical Thinking. 

In all areas of learning there is a strong emphasis on active learning, play and exploration, and creating and thinking critically.

The seven areas of learning are below

• Communication and Language
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

The progress of all children will be reviewed at the end of the Reception school year. These Early Learning Goals are based on teacher judgement and ongoing assessment.