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29/04/25

In Art last week, the Year 3 children practised creating repeated patterns on clay in preparation for their final piece, where they will be making their own canopic jars. pic.twitter.com/mjMjKH31hV

29/04/25

Year 3 loved dissecting a flower and labelling the different parts in their Science lesson this week. pic.twitter.com/JGKVwbyK3h

29/04/25

Some Year 5 children had the opportunity to take part in the VIAT Science Fair where they were able to present their structures they created to withstand an earthquake. They also had the chance to look at the other investigations undertaken by some of the secondary school pupils. pic.twitter.com/E9eMvRKxWA

25/04/25

Edith in Willow class recently cut and donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust. We are so proud of her and her act of kindness! pic.twitter.com/6dAV1I18rm

24/04/25

Photos from our Year 6 Mini Marathon! pic.twitter.com/Yxd5MyxR1Y

24/04/25

Photos from our Year 5 Mini Marathon! pic.twitter.com/0ngW6Pc8D8

24/04/25

Photos from our LKS2 Mini Marathon! pic.twitter.com/D6OEeBp9BE

24/04/25

Photos from our EYFS and KS1 Mini Marathon! pic.twitter.com/B9ZBWLVIh3

24/04/25

Year 5 had a great first session from Adrian at Kent Cricket. pic.twitter.com/iIScUEMb1l

24/04/25

Brilliant team-work developing our fitness and running skills in Year 2 PE, despite the rain this week! pic.twitter.com/z7BiirIe2i

24/04/25

On Tuesday some Year 3 and 4 children had the most amazing experience at taking part in a football tournament at Chelsea FC’s training facility in Cobham. The children were given a tour and played 8 matches against schools from all over the South East. pic.twitter.com/2zdUJCEATc

24/04/25

Year 3 and 4 completing the mini marathon today. Well done to everyone for their fantastic effort! pic.twitter.com/0sD2zTA9sN

24/04/25

On Tuesday some Year 3 and 4 children had the most amazing experience at taking part in a football tournament at Chelsea FC’s training facility in Cobham. The children were given a tour of the and played 8 matches against schools from all over the South East. pic.twitter.com/ZusG4mB3AA

23/04/25

Ash class have worked so hard at their maths this year that they got the daily Nerdle in 1! pic.twitter.com/Hq8mmbckKk

04/04/25

Year 4 have celebrated the end of their geography learning with Brazil Day! They have made carnival masks, done some Samba dancing and made brigadeiro (chocolate truffles). pic.twitter.com/a8TUEtqy3M

04/04/25

Well done to Tristan in Chestnut class who received the “Player of the Week” trophy for his achievements in football last weekend! pic.twitter.com/pH7cwlK5fR

04/04/25

Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed their showcase on Wednesday, reciting poetry from the book 100 Brilliant Poems for Children! pic.twitter.com/qXbxDq3akt

03/04/25

Ali in Willow class has spent some time at home creating a representation of what happened to houses during The Great Fire of London! He was also able to share some wonderful facts such as the date of the fire starting. pic.twitter.com/NJFL0mDsKq

01/04/25

Year 5 had a lovely netball showcase session this afternoon. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend. pic.twitter.com/TrGCIhzNa8

01/04/25

Four Year 5 children enjoyed a visit to for an exciting ambition event run by Mr Still. We loved all of the problem solving games! pic.twitter.com/gZJgP74frW

31/03/25

Ash class enjoyed finishing their afternoon by reading for pleasure. Thank you for the kind donation of the tyres, which the children found surprisingly very comfy! pic.twitter.com/DGmRUlxl0D

31/03/25

Ash class enjoyed their time this afternoon reading for pleasure. Thank you to those who donated the tyres, which the children found very surprisingly very comfy! pic.twitter.com/5VZrb1PhZC

31/03/25

Children had a brilliant time at the Netball Skills event this week. KS1 developed their throwing and catching skills, while LKS2 looked at game rules and tactics and UKS2 got through to the quarter finals in their tournament in the afternoon! 🏐 pic.twitter.com/dcsDMp09m4

28/03/25

Thank you to the very generous parents who gifted Mrs Choudhury with a special gift to celebrate Eid. pic.twitter.com/rk5Y6ec0qQ

28/03/25

Amal in Willow class has completed a wonderful project all about animal adaptations and climate change at home. She has learned some amazing information and facts that she was then able to share with the class! pic.twitter.com/YxrGchezCI

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Our Vision for Early Years

In Early Years at Aylesford, we want parents and carers to feel secure in the knowledge that their child is well cared for and happy at school.

We want our children to be excited and motivated to learn through our rich and challenging learning experiences.

We have high expectations for all our children and recognise that children have different starting points to their learning. We plan according to children’s interests and stage of development so all can thrive and develop.

We aim for children to be well-rounded individuals who are independent, resilient, and confident in themselves and with others.

Our Early Years

Children settle quickly into our Early Years setting at Aylesford. In the summer term, teachers visit nurseries to spend time with the children in a familiar setting and find out more information from key workers. The parents and children have the opportunity to visit our EYFS setting, where they can meet the practitioners and their new peers. The PTA provide our new entrants with a ‘welcome learning pack’ which contains resources, activity ideas and information which support starting school. In September, practitioners complete home visits to see the children in another familiar setting and for parents and teacher to have time to ask questions and find out more information. The children have a gradual start to the term with part time hours in the first full week and then increase to full time hours in the second week.

Every day in our Early Years, there is an opportunity for every child to learn, make links and apply their knowledge.

Termly topic lead learning provides opportunities for children to receive high quality teaching to secure basic skills. There is an equal amount of both adult and child lead learning allowing children to gather new skills and knowledge, then consolidate their understanding through play.

Our Early Years Learning Environment

We are immensely proud of our learning environment and are privileged to have large and mature outside natural areas as well as our Year R Garden.

We take pride in our classrooms, and the children learn to respect their environment.

Our learning environment provides children with carefully planned opportunities which allow them to explore, create and learn through exciting, stimulating, interactive and accessible resources. It also facilitates child-initiated play both inside and outdoors.

About the Early Years Foundation Stage

The EYFS is a very important stage in a child’s life as it helps prepare for school ‘readiness’ as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. Children’s EYFS experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs.  Children develop quickly; experiences before the age of five will have a major impact on their future life chances.

The EYFS framework explains how and what children will be learning to support their healthy development and provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.

The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. 

Children will learn skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:

  • Communication and Language;
  • Physical Development;
  • Personal, Social and Emotional development.

These prime areas are those most essential for a child’s healthy development and underpin a child’s future learning.

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

  • Literacy;
  • Mathematics;
  • Understanding the World;
  • Expressive Arts and Design.

All 7 areas of learning are used to plan children’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child at school will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. It is designed to be responsive and flexible so that staff can follow your child's unique needs and interests. Opportunities to develop a number of skills and concepts across several areas of learning is also crucial.

Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside. It is very important that they develop social skills, such as turn-taking, sharing and independence, which help them greatly in the next stages of their learning. 

The guiding principles that shape our practice in the Early Years are that children are born ready, able and eager to learn. They actively reach out to interact with other people, and in the world around them. Development is not an automatic process, however. It depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments.

Phonics teaching and learning are a key part of the Foundation Stage and help to develop early reading and writing skills. We use a proven, systematic phonics programme called Read Write Inc. You can find about more about how we teach phonics here:

https://www.aylesford.viat.org.uk/2240/early-reading-read-write-inc-rwi

You can read more about Read, Write Inc itself here:

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/

Early Learning Goals

The EYFS curriculum consists of 17 aspects of learning and final Early Learning goals.

Children are assessed at the end of the EYFS (end of Reception year) against these Early Learning goals. From September 2021 onwards, each child’s level of development will be assessed against the Early Learning Goals (ELGs).  Practitioners will indicate whether children are meeting expected levels of development:

  • Emerging = not yet reaching expected levels of development for age;
  • Expected = reached expected levels of development for age.

At Valley Invicta Primary School at Aylesford, we provide our pupils with the opportunities to meet the Early Learning Goals in all these aspects.

Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs and to plan activities and support. Ongoing assessment is an integral part of the learning and development process.  It involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles. Then using this to shape learning experiences for each child reflecting observations made.

To this end, we make systematic observations and assessments of each child's achievements, interests and learning styles.  We then use these observations and assessments to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child.

At Valley Invicta Primary School at Aylesford, we use Tapestry to capture assessment detail and track progress towards the Early Learning Goals. We further strengthen this with detailed Maths and Literacy commentary and recordings of children’s work within their ‘My Learning’ books.

Year 1 teachers will communicate closely with Reception practitioners about each child’s skills and abilities in relation to the three key characteristics of effective learning. These will inform transition meetings to plan for learning needs and ensure all children can continue to flourish as they move into KS1.

To find out more about the EYFS framework please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-early-years-foundation-stage-eyfs-framework/changes-to-the-early-years-foundation-stage-eyfs-framework

Early Years Curriculum at Aylesford

To find out more about our curriculum at Valley Invicta Primary at Aylesford, please click here.

Find out more by watching our video: