Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables
them to fulfill their potential.

In the early years children learn through play and creatively exploring the world around them. Through play and exploration they develop new ideas and skills. Teachers observe children’s play closely, getting to know the interests and needs of each child and of the group.  They plan topics, resources and experiences related to these and deliver them through a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities both indoors and outdoors. The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum contains seven areas of Learning and Development with the three main areas for children being:  

Personal, social and emotional development

Children build strong friendships. Initially by playing alongside one another and then progressing to develop ideas together, share interests, respect, and demonstrating empathy.  They gain self-confidence in their developing skills and abilities and self-awareness in knowing and expressing their feelings, ideas and in asking for help if they need it. 

Communication and Language

In one-to-one interaction and small group conversations, ‘circle-time’ and storytelling, children listen carefully.  They ask questions and share their thinking while learning to follow instructions.  They tell and re-tell stories and describe to us how things work.  We extend children’s speaking skills by introducing new vocabulary, reflecting correct pronunciation and grammar back to them and by showing real interest in what they have to tell us.

Physical Development

Children develop their fine motor skills in many different ways. For example through drawing, cutting, threading, painting, pouring, cooking, building, sand play and small world play. They learn using simple tools such as fastening buttons and zippers.  They develop motor skills indoors and outdoors, through running, jumping, using climbing and sports equipment, kicking and catching balls. 

The four remaining areas in children’s Learning and Development are: 

Literacy

Reading: We read, tell and retell stories and recite and sing rhymes together every day.  We have an extensive library of books including fiction, non-fiction, rhymes and poetry. 

Writing: Very young children learn to write their name with correct pen grip.  The children learn to form letters correctly and use their phonic knowledge to begin to write words and sentences.  

Maths

Numbers:  Through number games, stories, rhymes and math equipment children count and solve problems, for themselves and together.  We use number lines 1-10 and number grids 1-100. 

Shape, space and measure: Children weigh in cookery, explore capacity in water play, measure how tall they or their sunflower has grown and make patterns using sequences of colours or shapes.  They build with 2D and 3D shapes and learn the mathematical names for the shapes they use.

Understanding the World

People and Communities:  Through circle time, assemblies, festival day events, our Wonderful World Week, and Book Week, children learn about their own and other children’s faiths and culture. We talk to children about the similarities and differences between us all and how we can be kind, happy and caring individuals.  

The World: This is the foundation for science, history and geography.  Children explore and investigate the world around them, finding out how things work, naming different animals and plants and discovering how plants grow then decay.

Technology: This is the foundation for Information & Communication Technology (ICT).  The goal is the children to recognize that a range of technology is used in places such as home and school. The young children are exploring the control technology of toys, showing skills in making toys work by pressing parts or lifting flaps to achieve effects such as sound, movements or new images. Learning that information can be retrieved from computers as well as running a simple program on a computer. 

Expressive Arts and Design

Exploring and using media and materials: Children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing the materials before them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colours, design, texture and etc.

Being Imaginative: We have a wide range of media and materials for children to use in painting, making collages, building dens, playing percussion instruments, dancing, role play and for re-enacting or making up their own stories. The children are encouraged to represent their own ideas and thoughts and we talk to them about what they mean to them.