Early Years Foundation Stage

At Addington Valley Academy, we recognise that Early Years is at the heart of the school. We use the Characteristics of Effective Learning to support children in becoming motivated, curious, and independent learners. Our practise is built on the understanding that every child learns in their own way and at their own pace, but this can be further supported through the development of enabling environments and have warm, trusting relationships with their class team.

We utilise a broad variety of specialist approaches, such as Attention Autism, a total communication approach and TEACCH within our universal offer, to ensure that we are providing students with the skills they need to develop the foundations for life-long learning and achieving their best outcomes. However, as mentioned, we recognise that each child’s needs are unique and there are times when we require the use of more individualised and intensive approaches. We also offer The Curiosity Approach and Intensive Interaction to ensure we are working at the child’s level and focusing on the development of those foundational skills for learning.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Guidance (2025) and we use the Differentiated Early Years Outcomes (DEYO), an adapted version of the Birth To 5 Matters document which includes targets from the Autism Education Trust Progression Framework, to help us assess and plan learning that is suitable and appropriate for our students. Whilst we still work towards Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception, we also focus on meeting the ‘End of EYFS’ targets that are written within the child’s EHCP. We ensure students have access to a broad range of the curriculum, where and when appropriate. We focus on securing skills within the Prime Areas of Learning before moving on to more complex and Specific Areas of Learning. Please see below for more information on what this looks like –

From the Summer term, we will begin preparing students for their transition to Key Stage 1. This is taken on an individualised basis and will be focused on the Pathway which the student will be accessing the following year. More information on what this looks like will be communicated to parents by the class teacher.