Ethos
Our priority for the children in our context is to embed and secure the Prime areas of Language and Communication, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. This is essential to create children able to learn and reach their potential.c Therefore, we have a language rich environment, which is experiential and experimental. We provide meaningful contexts for language development with a focus on vocabulary across all areas.
We aim to develop independent thinkers with courage and ambition through meaningful contexts and interactions. Experienced staff work alongside children scaffolding learning, promoting independence and critical thinking.
Intent
To create an environment, which meets the needs of all children focused on stage not age. This is totally inclusive as children can be supported and challenged equally according to their individual abilities and needs. This includes children with SEND or other vulnerability.
Implementation
We reviewed our space and considered how the characteristics of effective learning could be implemented in practise across the whole setting. In this environment, children can make choices, solve problems, link ideas and review their progress. In the Emerald (Nursery) room we addressed a need for large scale early mark making activities, both horizontal and vertical. There is also a large scale construction beginning the skills of balance and control. Early number skills involving number rhymes are embedded through practical resources.
In the Star room the focus is in Expressive art and design and language through role-play and small world. The context becomes more involved, requiring more skilful interaction with resources. The number table encourages understanding of composition of number through practical resources and a dedicated area develops shape and measure concepts with visual prompts to encourage mathematical language.
In the Diamond room children can develop higher level physical skills, manipulating and using finer tools and resources. They can develop questioning and understanding of the world skills through motivating and inspirational resources and teaching. The number area introduces concepts of time and money and doubling and halving, challenging children to apply knowledge in different ways as well as deepen their understanding in concepts.
In all areas there are spaces for quiet reading and reflection and opportunities to explore mark making and Number. Staff work alongside children, modelling, encouraging, directing and scaffolding learning. There is direct teaching of Phonics and early reading skills each day.
Impact
Children make excellent progress in the Prime areas and are fully prepared for learning in Year 1.
Children who are three can join Nursery before their chronological year and can access 30 hours of funding if eligible, or if they have additional needs or vulnerabilities and ratios allow. These children have the opportunity to work alongside the Reception children, learning from, and with, them and make substantial progress. Due to the curriculum change, it is more difficult to track the children currently in Reception from their Pre Nursery year, but we can speak anecdotally about their general progress and achievement.
Curriculum
We are developing our curriculum based on the LA template and using our own analysis of our cohort and their needs. We use the development matters statements to provide progression and consolidation of basic skills. This is a skills based curriculum, which is clear in the design of the setting. We enhance the provision and learning with opportunities to improve cultural capital through varied experiences and resources.
