Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/N1

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Listening, Attention and Understanding

Listen and respond to a simple instruction.

Generally focus on an activity of their own choice.

Listen to other people’s talk with interest but can easily be distracted by other things.

Listen to simple stories and understand what is happening, with the help of the pictures.

Understand and act on longer sentences like ‘make teddy jump’ or ‘find your coat’.

Develop pretend play: ‘putting the baby to sleep’ or ‘driving the car to the shops’

Identify familiar objects and properties for practitioners when they are described: for example: ‘Katie’s coat’, ‘blue car’, ‘shiny apple’.

Enjoy listening to longer stories and can remember much of what happens.

Pay attention to more than one thing at a time.

Understand simple questions about ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘where’

Understand ‘why’ questions.

Pay attention to more than one thing at a time.

Understand a question or instruction that has two parts, such as: “Get your coat and wait at the door”.

Understand how to listen carefully and why listening is important.

Listen to and talk about stories to build familiarity and understanding.

Listen carefully to rhymes and songs, paying attention to how they sound.

Engage in non-fiction books.

Listen to and talk about stories to build familiarity and understanding.

Listen to and talk about selected non-fiction to develop new knowledge and vocabulary.

Listen to and talk about selected non-fiction to develop a deep familiarity with new knowledge and vocabulary.

RRSA Links

ELG

• 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

Make themselves understood and can become frustrated when they cannot.

Start to say how they are feeling, using words as well as actions.

Start to develop conversation, often jumping from topic to topic.

Begin to speak in sentences, sometimes using correct tense and pronunciation.

Use longer sentences of four to six words.

Use a wider range of vocabulary.

Use a wider range of vocabulary.

Use talk to organise themselves and their play: “Let’s go on a bus... you sit there... I’ll be the driver.”

Use new vocabulary throughout the day.

Ask questions to find out more and to check they understand what has been said to them.

Engage in storytimes.

Listen to and talk about stories to build familiarity and understanding.

Learn rhymes, poems and songs.

Engage in non-fiction books.

Articulate their ideas and thoughts in well-formed sentences.

Connect one idea or action to another using a range of connectives.

Retell the story, once they have developed a deep familiarity with the text, some as exact repetition and some in their own words.

Use new vocabulary in different contexts.

Listen to and talk about selected non-fiction to develop new knowledge and vocabulary.

Describe events in some detail – talking in full sentences

Use talk to help work out problems and organise thinking and activities, and to explain how things work and why they might happen.

Develop social phrases.

RRSA Links

ELG

• 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.

Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/all N1s

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Self-Regulation

Feel strong enough to express a range of emotions.

Begin to show ‘effortful control’. For example, waiting for a turn and resisting the strong impulse to grab what they want or push their way to the front.

Safely explore emotions beyond their normal range through play and stories.

Select and use activities and resources, with help when needed. This helps them to achieve a goal they have chosen, or one which is suggested to them.

Play with one or more other children, extending and elaborating play ideas.

Talk about their feelings using words like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’ or ‘worried’.

Understand gradually how others might be feeling.

See themselves as a valuable individual.

Begin to identify their own feelings.

Express their feelings appropriately and consider the feelings of others.

Identify and moderate their own feelings socially and emotionally.

RRSA Links

ELG

• Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly;
• Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate;
• Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions

Managing self

Thrive as they develop self-assurance.

Play with increasing confidence on their own and with other children, because they know their key person is nearby and available.

Learn to use the toilet with help, and then independently.

Become more outgoing with unfamiliar people, in the safe context of their setting.

Show more confidence in new social situations.

Show an increasing desire to be independent, such as wanting to feed themselves and dress or undress.

Start eating independently and learning how to use a knife and fork.

Increasingly follow rules, understanding why they are important.

Remember rules without needing an adult to remind them.

Be increasingly independent in meeting their own care needs, e.g., brushing teeth, using the toilet, washing and drying their hands thoroughly.

Make healthy choices about food, drink, activity and toothbrushing.

Develop the skills they need to manage the school day successfully: • lining up and queuing • mealtimes

Manage their own personal hygiene.

Show resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.

Know and talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing

Know and talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing: • regular physical activity • healthy eating • toothbrushing • sensible amounts of ‘screen time’ • having a good sleep routine • being a safe pedestrian

RRSA Links

ELG

• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge;
• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly;
• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet, and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

Building Relationships

Find ways of managing transitions, for example from their parent to their key person.

Notice and ask questions about differences, such as skin colour, types of hair, gender, special needs and disabilities, religion and so on.

Develop friendships with other children.

Develop their sense of responsibility and membership of a community.

Play with one or more other children, extending and elaborating play ideas.

Find solutions to conflicts and rivalries. For example, accepting that not everyone can be Spider-Man in the game, and suggesting other ideas.

Talk with others to solve conflicts.

Develop appropriate ways of being assertive.

Build constructive and respectful relationships.

Understand the importance of sharing and turn-taking.

Think about the perspectives of others.

RRSA Links

ELG

• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others;
• Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers;
• Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.

Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/N1

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Gross Motor Skills

Fit themselves into spaces, like tunnels, dens and large boxes, and move around in them.

Enjoy starting to kick, throw and catch balls.

Be able to spin, roll

Use a scooter, ride a tricycle or a balance bike. Continue to develop their movement, balancing, riding (scooters, trikes and bikes) and ball skills.

Go up steps and stairs, or climb up apparatus, using alternate feet.

Use large-muscle movements to wave flags and streamers, paint and make marks.

Enjoy dance movements which are related to music and rhythm.

Match their developing physical skills to tasks and activities in the setting. For example, they decide whether to crawl, walk or run across a plank, depending on its width.

Choose the right resources to carry out their own plan. For example, choosing a spade to enlarge a small hole they dug with a trowel.

Skip, hop, stand on one leg and hold a pose for a game like musical statues.

Start taking part in some group activities which they make up for themselves.

Collaborate with others to manage large items, such as moving a long plank safely, carrying large hollow blocks.

Revise and refine the fundamental movement skills they have already acquired: • rolling • crawling • walking • jumping • running • hopping • skipping • climbing

Use their core muscle strength to achieve a good posture when sitting at a table or sitting on the floor.

Progress towards a more fluent style of moving whilst developing control.

Confidently and safely use a range of large and small apparatus indoors and outside, alone and in a group.

Develop overall body-strength, balance, co-ordination and agility.

Combine different movements.

Develop the overall body strength, co-ordination, balance and agility needed to engage successfully with future physical education sessions and other physical disciplines including dance, gymnastics, sport and swimming.

Further develop and refine a range of ball skills including: throwing, catching, kicking, passing, batting, and aiming.

Develop confidence, competence, precision and accuracy when engaging in activities that involve a ball.

ELG

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others;
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing;
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

Fine Motor Skills

Build independently with a range of appropriate resources.

Use large and small motor skills to do things independently, for example manage buttons and zips and pour drinks

Use one-handed tools and equipment, for example, making snips in paper with scissors.

Be increasingly independent as they get dressed and undressed, for example, putting coats on and doing up zips.

Use a comfortable grip with good control when holding pens and pencils.

Show a preference for a dominant hand.

Develop their small motor skills so that they can use a range of tools competently, safely and confidently. Suggested tools: pencils for drawing and writing, paintbrushes, scissors, knives, forks and spoons.

Confidently and safely use a range of large and small tools indoors and outside

Eg hole punch.

Develop the foundations of a handwriting style which is fast, accurate and efficient.

ELG

• Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases;
• Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery;
• Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.

Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/N1

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Comprehension

Enjoy sharing books with an adult, make comments and share their own ideas.

Pay attention and respond to the pictures or the words.

Have favourite books and seek them out, to share with an adult, with another child, or to look at alone.

Develop play around favourite stories using props.

Engage in extended conversations about stories, learning new vocabulary.

Re-read books, matched to their phonic knowledge, to build up their confidence in word reading, their fluency and their understanding and enjoyment.

Talk about stories read to them, anticipating what might happen next and answering simple questions about the plot/setting/characters.

Re-read books matched to their growing phonic knowledge, to build up their confidence in word reading, their fluency and their understanding and enjoyment.

Retell stories using pictures, props or as part of role play; using new vocabulary as appropriate.

Discuss stories read to them showing an understanding of characters, plot and key events.

ELG

• Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary;
• Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories;
• Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play.

Word Reading

Repeat words and phrases from familiar stories.

Notice some print, such as a bus or door number, or a familiar logo.

Understand the five key concepts about print: the names of the different parts of a book • page sequencing • print has meaning • print can have different purposes • we read English text from left to right and from top to bottom

Develop their phonological awareness, so that they can: • spot and suggest rhymes • count or clap syllables in a word • recognise words with the same initial sound, such as money and mother

Read individual letters by saying the sounds for them.

Blend sounds into words, so that they can read short words made up of known letter– sound correspondences.

Read a few common exception words matched to the school’s phonic programme.

Read simple phrases and sentences made up of words with known letter–sound correspondences and, where necessary, a few exception words.

Re-read books, matched to their phonic knowledge, to build up their confidence in word reading, their fluency and their understanding and enjoyment.

Confidently orally blend.

Read some digraphs and trigraphs and say sounds for them.

Read simple phrases and sentences made up of words with increasingly complex known letter–sound correspondences and tricky words.

Re-read books matched to their growing phonic knowledge, to build up their confidence in word reading, their fluency and their understanding and enjoyment.

Read more common exception words matched to the school’s phonic programme.

Confidently read simple sentences using taught phonemes and common exception words.

Read most common exception words matched to the school’s phonic programme

ELG

• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs;
• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending;
• Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

Writing

Enjoy drawing freely.

Add some marks to their drawings, which they give meaning to. For example: “That says mummy.”

Make marks on their picture to stand for their name.

Use some of their print and letter knowledge in their early writing. For example: writing a pretend shopping list that starts at the top of the page; writing ‘m’ for mummy.

Write the first letter of their name

Mark make/write for different purposes.

Write some letters from their name with correct formation

Begin to segment words into sounds to spell and sometimes write the graphemes down.

Begin to form some lower-case letters correctly.

Write first name with correct letter formation

Spell words by identifying the sounds and then writing the graphemes.

Form most lower case letters correctly.

Write short sentences with words with known sound-letter correspondences, often using a capital letter and full stop.

Re-read what they have written to check that it makes sense.

Form most lower-case and some capital letters correctly.

ELG

• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed;
• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters;
• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be ready by others.

Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/N1

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Number

1 2 3

Climb and squeeze themselves into different types of spaces.

Build with a range of resources.

Complete inset puzzles.

Compare sizes, weights etc. using gesture and language - ‘bigger/little/smaller’, ‘tall’, ‘heavy’.

Talk about and explore 2D and 3D shapes using informal and mathematical language: ‘sides’, ‘corners’; ‘straight’, ‘flat’, ‘round’.

Say one number for each item in order: 1,2,3,4,5.

Develop fast recognition of up to 3 objects, without having to count them individually (‘subitising’).

Show ‘finger numbers’ up to 5.

Understand position through words alone – for example, “The bag is under the table,” – with no pointing.

Make comparisons between objects relating to size, length, weight and capacity.

Select shapes appropriately: flat surfaces for building, a triangular prism for a roof, etc.

Know that the last number reached when counting a small set of objects tells you how many there are in total (‘cardinal principle’).

Begin to recognise some numerals

Link numerals and amounts: for example, showing the right number of objects to match the numeral, up to 5.

Discuss routes and locations, using words like ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’.

Count objects, actions and sounds.

Subitise up to 5

Link the number symbol (numeral) with its cardinal number value.

Explore the composition of numbers to 5.

Name and describe 2D shapes.

Automatically recall number bonds for numbers 0–5 and some to 10.

Explore the composition of numbers to 10.

Name and describe 2D and 3D shapes.

Use a balance to compare weights and measure mass

Explore the composition of numbers to 10 and to 20

Automatically recall number bonds for numbers 0–5 and some to 10.

Compose and decompose shapes, recognising a shape can have other shapes within it, just as numbers can.

Categorise 3D shapes, based on their properties.

ELG

• Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number;
• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;
• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

Numerical Patterns

2 4 6 8

Compare amounts, saying ‘lots’, ‘more’ or ‘same’.

Develop counting-like behaviour, such as making sounds, pointing or saying some numbers in sequence.

Count in everyday contexts, sometimes skipping numbers – ‘1-2-3-5’.

Notice patterns and arrange things in patterns.

Recite numbers past 5.

Talk about and identify the patterns around them. For example: stripes on clothes, designs on rugs and wallpaper. Use informal language like ‘pointy’, ‘spotty’, ‘blobs’, etc.

Compare quantities using language: ‘more than’, ‘fewer than’.

Extend and create ABAB patterns – stick, leaf, stick, leaf.

Notice and correct an error in a repeating pattern.

Begin to describe a sequence of events, real or fictional, using words such as ‘first’, ‘then...’

Compare numbers.

Understand the ‘one more than/one less than’ relationship between consecutive numbers.

Continue, copy and create repeating patterns.

Count beyond ten.

Compare quantities, saying which has more/less or the same.

Begin to recognise odd and even numbers

Know what a double is.

Verbally count to 100, beginning to recognise counting patterns.

Know some doubles to 10.

Share amounts to 10 equally.

Recognise odd and even numbers to 10.

ELG

• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity;
• Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/all N1s

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Past and Present

Show interest in different occupations.

Begin to make sense of their own life-story and place in their family.

Begin to understand the difference between past and present in their own lifetime.

Talk about members of their immediate family and community.

Compare and contrast characters from stories, including figures from the past.

Compare and contrast characters from stories, including figures from the past.

RRSA Links

ELG

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;
• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

People, Culture and Communities

Make connections between the features of their family and other families.

Notice differences between people.

Recognise there are different celebrations and families celebrate in different ways.

Recognise there are different celebrations and families celebrate in different ways.

Continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people.

Name and describe people who are familiar to them.

Understand that some places are special to members of their community.

Recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways.

Draw information from a simple map.

Recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways.

Draw information from a simple map.

Recognise some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries.

Recognise some environments that are different from the one in which they live.

RRSA Links

ELG

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts, and maps;
• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.

The Natural World

Explore and respond to different natural phenomena in their setting and on trips.

Use all their senses in hands-on exploration of natural materials.

Explore how things work.

Explore and talk about different forces they can feel.

Explore collections of materials with similar and/or different properties.

Talk about what they see, using a wide vocabulary.

Plant seeds and care for growing plants.

Begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things.

Talk about the differences between materials and changes they notice

Explore the natural world around them.

Understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them.

Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter

Understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world around them.

Describe what they see, hear and feel whilst outside.

Understand the key features of the life cycle of a plant.

RRSA Links

ELG

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants;
• Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

Nursery- F1

Reception-F2

Autumn N2/N1

Spring N2

Summer N2

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Creating With Materials

Express ideas and feelings through making marks, and sometimes give a meaning to the marks they make.

Explore lines and shapes with paint and mark makers.

Print with body parts and natural materials.

Explore different materials, using all their senses to investigate them.

Manipulate and play with different materials.

Make simple models which express their ideas.

Begin to represent simple objects in paintings and drawings. For example, a person, flower, house

Explore print and collage with a wide range of materials.

Explore different materials freely, to develop their ideas about how to use them and what to make.

Develop their own ideas and then decide which materials to use to express them.

Draw with increasing complexity and detail, such as representing a face with a circle and including details.

Explore colour and colour mixing.

Join different materials and explore different textures.

Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.

Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.

Create collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources and skills.

RRSA Links

ELG

• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form, and function;
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used;
• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

Being Imaginative and Expressive

Start to develop pretend play.

Listen with increased attention to sounds.

Enjoy and take part in action songs, such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’.

Use a range of simple percussion instruments to explore sound and rhythm.

Take part in simple pretend play.

Begin to develop complex stories using small world equipment like animal sets, dolls and dolls houses, etc.

Remember and sing entire songs/rhymes.

Play instruments with increasing control.

Make imaginative and complex ‘small worlds’ with blocks and construction kits, such as a city with different buildings and a park.

Create their own songs or improvise a song around one they know.

Play musical instruments along to songs they are singing.

Express their thoughts and feelings through creative activities.

Use props to retell a story in their own way.

Sing in a group or on their own.

Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs

Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.

Watch and talk about dance and performance art, expressing their feelings and responses.

Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.

Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.

RRSA Linls

ELG

• Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher;
• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs;
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate try to move in time with music.