Montessori and the EYFS

‘Education is not the learning of facts, but the teaching of the mind to think’ Albert Einstein. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the UK’s standard of education for the Early Years. The parallels between the Montessori approach and the main themes of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are clear and the Montessori way blends seamlessly with the EYFS. The EYFS principals are that: Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, where their experiences respond to their individual needs and where there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents/carers.

The Early Years Curriculum

This covers the period from Birth to the end of Year R.

Our work with our youngest children is guided by four principles:

• The Unique Child
• Positive relationships
• Enabling environments
• Learning and Development

The characteristics of effective learning are:

• Playing and Exploring
• Active Learning
• Creating and Thinking Critically

The Early Years curriculum is planned around the seven Prime and Specific areas of development.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This prime area focuses on supporting children's sense of confidence and independence, helping them to feel good about themselves and teaching them to get along with others.

This covers:

• Self-confidence and self-awareness
• Making relationships
• Manging feelings and behaviour

Communication and Language

This prime area focuses on children being able to focus attention and listen.

It covers:

• Listening and Attenetion
• Understanding
• Speaking

Physical development

This prime area underpins all other areas of learning. movement supports the growth of the brain and nervous system and is involved therefore in all aspects of development.

It covers:

• Moving and Handling
• Health and Self-care

Literacy

This specific area covers Reading and Writing.

Mathematics

This specific area is a hands-on, practical and exploratory area of learning using exciting , stimulating and real objects that the children can explore, count, talk about and move.

It covers:

• Numbers
• Shape and Space and Measures

Understanding of the World

This specific area focuses on the beginnings of history, geography, science and technology and covers:

• People and communities
• The World
• Technology

Expressive Arts and Design

In this specific area there is a strong focus on children's experiences of exploring and learning through their own creative expression and covers:

• Exploring and using media and materials
• Being Imaginative

Our Early Years practitioners provide the children with freedom within a structured environment. This allows the children to develop their skills within a range of teacher-led and self-chosen activities. A range of records and observations are kept of each child and next steps are used to continually take each child's learning forward.

To find out more about the EYFS curriculum, please go to the Department for Education website at www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage