Nursery Curriculum

Our Early Years Foundation Stage children are taught Phonics daily using the ‘Jolly Phonics’ and the ‘Letters & Sounds’ curriculum. The Oxford Reading Tree & GINN 360 books are also used to re-enforce good reading skills at the foundation stage.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum sets out the standards for development, learning and care of children from birth to age five. It is important that all children are given the opportunity to experience the best possible start to their education. We need to ensure that our children enter school having established solid foundation on which they can build.

Children will start in our Nursery Class having had a range of different experiences. Within the Nursery Class and Reception Year, learning experiences of the highest quality are planned, considering children’s needs and achievements and the range of learning experiences that will help them make progress.

Well-planned play is a key way in which children learn with enjoyment and challenge, both within the indoor and outdoor learning environments. The Foundation Stage prepares children for learning in Key Stage 1 and is consistent with the National Curriculum.

In the Nursery Class and the Reception Year, the curriculum is planned and resourced to take children’s learning forward and to provide opportunities for all children to succeed in an atmosphere where they feel loved and valued. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is designed to ignite children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and to build their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. There are three prime areas which are:

Communication and Language Development: which involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Physical Development: This involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development: involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behavior in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

There are four specific areas through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. These specific areas are:

Literacy Development which involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

Mathematics which involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, spaces, and measures.

Understanding the World: This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

Expressive Arts and Design which involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

Other lessons ...

Individuals

To heighten self-awareness and enhance self-esteem through acceptance.

Practical learning

To encourage the children to be responsible for their own actions.

Open school

To encourage every child to express their individuality appropriately.

Excursions

To provide a wide range of Outdoor Education programmes.

Online resources

To under the digital world and see the many possibilities.

Plan and details

Understand the process of setting a task or goal and how to accomplish it.