The Discover term is the starting point of our Early Years curriculum and focuses on the big question: “What makes me unique?” This term is carefully designed to help children settle into the new academic year by building secure relationships, a strong sense of belonging, and confidence in who they are. Through rich play-based experiences, children explore concepts such as value, individuality, choice, consent and belonging, which are woven through all areas of learning. These ideas are developed through both adult-led and child-initiated opportunities across the EYFS curriculum, supporting communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, and understanding of the world in meaningful and connected ways. The Discover term provides a vital foundation for the year ahead and has an underlying focus on early history knowledge. This term will ensure the children feel safe, known and valued as they begin their learning journey with us.
Discover
What makes me unique?
How we'll be doing it...
Wow day
The suitcase of me Children bring bag to school of their personal belongings to talk about themselves and express their individuality
Authentic outcome
All about me representations – Children to make self-portraits using different materials Come and Learn with parents – Parents invited into setting for children to show their classroom YOU CHOOSE day – Children to choose everything we do in the day to understand decision-making, consent and inclusion
Autumn trips
This year we will be having a special visit in school!
Prime Areas & Specific Areas
Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
In Autumn, our PSED curriculum focuses on helping children settle into school life, build positive relationships and develop confidence in themselves as learners. Children are supported to manage separation from home, follow routines and begin to understand expectations within the classroom. They learn to identify and talk about their feelings, develop friendships and begin to understand the importance of kindness, sharing and turn-taking. As the term progresses, children are encouraged to become more confident in new situations, work alongside others and begin to show empathy and awareness of how their actions affect those around them.
Physical Development
In Autumn, our Physical Development curriculum focuses on developing children’s coordination, strength and control through a wide range of movement experiences. Children explore fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, hopping, balancing, climbing, throwing and catching, using both small and large equipment. They are supported to develop increasing control over their bodies, learning how to move safely and confidently in different spaces and on different apparatus.
Communication and Language
In Autumn, Communication and Language is a key focus as children settle into school and develop confidence in expressing themselves. In Autumn 1, children are supported to listen to simple instructions, engage with stories and talk about themselves and familiar people, building secure foundations in listening, understanding and speaking. As the term progresses
into Autumn 2, children develop their ability to listen for longer periods, follow more complex instructions and retell or sequence familiar stories. They are encouraged to use increasingly full sentences to describe events, explain ideas and begin to make predictions. High-quality interactions, stories and discussions support children to build vocabulary, confidence and early conversational skills across all areas of learning.
Specific Areas
Literacy
In Autumn, our Literacy curriculum is built around high-quality texts that support language development, imagination and early writing skills. In Autumn 1, children explore stories such as The Colour Monster, Ruby’s Worry and Giraffes Can’t Dance, using them as a starting point for discussing feelings, identity and self-expression. In Autumn 2, children engage with texts including The Day You Begin, The Smartest Giant in Town and Only One You, which support themes of belonging, friendship and individuality. Across both terms, children are encouraged to use mark-making, drawing and emergent writing to express ideas, label images, retell stories and begin forming simple sentences. Writing is always purposeful and linked to children’s interests, helping them develop confidence as early writers.
Maths
In Autumn, our Mathematics curriculum follows White Rose Maths and focuses on building strong early number sense alongside shape, space and measure. Children begin by developing confidence in sorting, matching and comparing objects, before progressing to counting, recognising and representing numbers within 5 and then within 10. Through practical, hands-on experiences, they explore concepts such as subitising, composition of numbers, and early understanding of “one more” and “one less”. Alongside number, children develop their understanding of 2D shapes, patterns and early positional language, using mathematical vocabulary to describe what they see and do. Learning is embedded through continuous provision and real-life contexts, ensuring children can apply their mathematical thinking in meaningful and engaging ways.
What will we discover?
Understanding the world
In Autumn, our Understanding the World curriculum supports children to explore themselves, their families and the world around them as they begin their school journey. In Autumn 1, children focus on developing a strong sense of self and belonging, talking about their own experiences, families and routines, and beginning to recognise similarities and differences between themselves and others. They explore their immediate environment and develop curiosity about the people and places around them.
Expressive Art and Design
In Autumn, our Expressive Arts and Design curriculum encourages children to explore creativity, imagination and self-expression through a wide range of media and materials. In Autumn 1, children are supported to express themselves through drawing, painting, role play and music, using creative experiences to represent their feelings, ideas and sense of identity. They are encouraged to explore colour, texture and materials freely, developing confidence in making independent creative choices.