Foundational Knowledge Builder - EYFS & KS1 Curriculum Tool

A complete EYFS and KS1 Foundational Knowledge Builder to help schools identify and prioritise the essential knowledge children need for future learning.

The Early Years & KS1 Foundational Knowledge Builder is a flexible curriculum design tool that helps schools define the key knowledge and skills they want children to secure by the end of Reception and Key Stage 1.

This is not a curriculum scheme or progression map. Instead, it provides a carefully structured bank of foundational knowledge statements that schools can review, select, adapt and prioritise according to their own curriculum intent and pupils’ needs.

Designed for curriculum leaders, subject leaders and school leadership teams, this resource supports schools to answer an important curriculum question:

“What are the essential things every child needs to know and be able to do before moving to the next stage of their education?”

The Builder includes foundational knowledge statements across key curriculum areas, including:
✓ Communication, Language & Oracy
✓ Early Literacy Foundations
✓ Mathematics
✓ Science
✓ Humanities
✓ The Arts
✓ Handwriting
✓ Executive Function and learning behaviours

The resource is designed as an editable Excel tool. Schools can:
✓ select statements that represent their own curriculum priorities
✓ use the Yes/No selection column to filter chosen expectations
✓ adapt statements to reflect their school context
✓ organise KS1 priorities across Year 1 and Year 2 if desired
✓ create a shared understanding of essential knowledge across staff teams

The aim is not to prescribe what schools must teach, but to provide a high-quality starting point for curriculum decision-making.

Created by Boost Primary - used and trusted by schools nationwide.