Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

At the heart of our Early Years Foundation Stage is a joyful, nurturing environment where children feel safe, valued, and inspired to explore. We believe that every child is unique, and our EYFS provision is designed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and lay the foundations for a lifelong love of learning.

Our dedicated team creates rich, play-based experiences that support children’s development across all areas of learning. From imaginative role play and outdoor adventures to early maths and creative expression, every moment is an opportunity to grow.

We are proud to use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme, which provides a clear, consistent approach to early reading. Through daily phonics sessions, children develop strong decoding skills and a deep understanding of language, setting them up for success as confident readers.

Partnerships with families are central to our approach. We work closely with parents and carers to celebrate achievements, share progress, and support each child’s journey.

Come and discover how our EYFS sets the stage for happy, resilient learners who are ready to thrive in school and beyond.

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Here at St Martin's C of E Primary school we have a range of EYFS spaces available.

Nursery:

 

Spaces are limited. If you are interested in a place within our EYFS please contact our school office, for an application form and more information. 

 

Reception:

Full time (30 places) - Please apply via Sandwell Admissions

EYFS Information

Reception Curriculum Overview 

Nursery Curriculum Overview 

EYFS Policy 2024

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Programme Progression

At St Martins, we follow Little Wandle to support our early reading across the whole school. Little Wandle is a synthetic, systematic phonic scheme that builds upon children's prior learning.

Our guided reading sessions all follow Little Wandle guidance. We will send books home on a Friday. These will be books children have read in school Monday-Friday of that week, and will contain only taught sounds and tricky words. We recommend reading with your child daily to help build up fluency. A reading diary is sent home for parents to record in.

Please click the below links to see a parent overview from Little Wandle, as well as a link to look at the parent page.

Little Wandle Parent Page

Communication and language is one of the three prime areas within the EYFS. Each prime area is divided into early learning goals, for communication and language these are:

Listening, attention and understanding

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions;

  • Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding;

  • Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers.

 Speaking

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary;

  • Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate;

  • Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher.

 If you are struggling to support your child's early language development, take a look at the Sandwell Keep Talking Page below for advice, support and services available.

Sandwell Keep Talking Family Page

Throughout the year we will be offering a range of parent workshops and opportunities for you to come in and explore your child's learning.

These may include play and stay sessions, assemblies or workshops focussing on specific areas of learning such as phonics or early maths.

Keep an eye out on newsletters and letters for upcoming dates.

Please take a look at Sandwell Family Hubs website. Our nearest family hub is in Tipton and offers a huge range of services including courses, information, support and fun days.

Family Hubs

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One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.
Malala Yousafzai