“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me”. John 10:14"
The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development in the EYFS. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. Here in the Good Shepherd EYFS we encourage plentiful, high quality conversations with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners build children’s language effectively. We read frequently to children, and engage them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, then provide them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts. Our vision is to give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, storytelling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.