Our Curriculum

The aim of our curriculum is to equip children with the skills and knowledge they need to explore and understand the world around them.

We believe that children grow and develop when they have access to well thought out learning environment and engaged adults.

The teaching and learning of new skills and knowledge is delivered through both adult and child led opportunities both indoors and outdoors.

We focus on the importance of knowledge and skills that will support children in every way possible so that they can make the most of opportunities and fulfil their potential along with promoting their independence.

There are seven areas of learning and development within the Early Years curriculum.

Prime areas of learning

  • Personal, social, emotional development
  • Communication and language development
  • Physical development

Specific areas of learning

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive Arts and design

                                                                                                                
In planning for children, we consider the different ways in which children learn. The three characteristics of effective learning are

  • Playing and exploring
  • Active learning
  • Creating and thinking critically.


Overtime we offer a range of experiences to support the children’s knowledge and skills development. Some of these include:

  • Planting seeds watching them grow and learning what has been grown
  • Baking Activities
  • PE sessions with sports for kids
  • Raising money for charities
  • Meeting people from local community who help us such as dentist and police.
  • Trips to local parks and walking around the local area.

We will celebrate a range of festivals and share special occasions with the children through out the year. Some of these ideas include:

  • Shared meals and food tasting
  • Dressing up
  • Dancing to music
  • Books and stories
  • Visitors
  • Making cards

 

Assessment

Assessment links our children’s learning and to our curriculum.

Most of the assessments we do at nursery are formative, so that it quickly helps us to make a difference to children’s learning, however we also need to have an overview of children’s progress, so that we can take further action where needed. We notice what children can and can’t do. We are good at deciding when it will be helpful to step in and support, and when it’s best to be encouraging and hang back. It is important that we are certain that children are secure in what they know and can do, before introducing them to something new.

We complete:

  • A baseline assessment of the child’s development shortly after they start with us. This is completed in partnership with parents.
  • Termly summative assessment of where the child’s development is in relation to typical milestones and the characteristics of effective learning.
  • Leavers
  • Summative assessment ( learning Journey) of where child’s development is in relation to typical milestones, the characteristics of effective learning, child’s interests and any other relevant comments about the child’s time with us.

 

Assessment helps with:

  • The early identification of children who need temporary extra help, and children who may have special educational needs.
  • Checking that individual children, and groups of children are making progress and taking prompt action where this is not the case
  • Reporting formally and involving parents in the statutory 2-year-old progress check
  • Celebrate children’s achievements with parents and share focus for learning
  • Discussions with other professionals who maybe involved with a child and family, for example, a health visitor or social care worker.
  • Sharing information with receiving schools in the summer so that children can continue their learning journey through the EYFs as seamlessly as possible.


Evaluation

We will check that our curriculum is meeting the needs of our children by

  • Gathering feedback from children, parents and other professionals
  • Review the progress children are making and how they are accessing the learning environment
  • As a team discuss our observations of the educational programmes we offer
  • Individually with the manager of the setting discuss the curriculum