The curriculum is the totality of all the learning experiences that children have in nursery.
We follow a mainly progressive approach that puts children at the centre of all that we do. This seeks to develop individual potential through flexible, personalised learning that takes account of children’s individual interests and stages of development. We use a play-based approach with adults supporting children to develop thinking skills, learning skills, collaboration and independence.
We offer learners opportunities to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
Intent
To provide a warm, welcoming, inspirational learning environment and a curriculum that ensures all children receive an exceptional education.
To ensure all the requirements of the EYFS are met to an exceptionally high standard especially with regard to the prime areas as these underpin development across all other areas of the curriculum
To provide and continually develop a curriculum that supports children to be confident, inquisitive and eager learners, who are able to develop their creativity and imagination.
To enable all children, including those who are disadvantaged, children with special educational needs or disabilities to be provided with supportive, relevant and developmentally appropriate experiences that enable them to have a happy, successful time in nursery and make great progress.
To ensure all staff work together ensuring that the curriculum is planned and delivered to support children with language needs, including children with English as an Additional Language, so that all children develop their speech, language and communication abilities as quickly as possible to access the full curriculum
To support children to develop their own personalities, learning styles, ways of working and independence. We want children to follow their own intentions, develop confidence to try new things and express themselves.
To ensure that children’s experiences mean they are all well-prepared socially, emotionally and academically for the next stage of their education.
To enable children to become well-rounded, informed citizens, who are culturally aware and able to participate in cultural activities developing their knowledge, experience and interests and who are confident creators.
To celebrate and embrace the different backgrounds, heritage, language and traditions of all the children in our school and community.
Implementation
Leaders construct a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give children particularly the most disadvantaged the knowledge self-belief and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
All staff put children at the heart of everything they do. They work sensitively to establish caring and nurturing relationships with children, developing activities and an environment that ensure that every individual child feels safe, happy and secure.
Staff are knowledgeable about child development and the areas of learning they teach and understand that the curriculum is made up of all the experiences that children have and work supportively together to make sure that every child has a positive, progressive time in nursery.
Staff are diligent and skilled in their roles and provision is of a high quality. Teaching is consistently strong building on what children know and can do to provide rich, varied and interesting, play-based educational activities.
The curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced. Staff create an environment that supports an ambitious, curriculum that builds on what children know and can do towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for their future.
Observations and assessments are used thoughtfully to monitor pupil progress, shape future learning and develop appropriate learning experiences for all children.
The Characteristics of Effective Learning form an integral part of the learning experiences provided for children.
The nursery adopts a continuous provision approach specifically to ensure that the environment supports the staff’s pedagogy and understanding of how children learn. The environment is resourced and organised to support active, varied, independent, play-based learning
A mixture of child-led and adult-led experiences are provided. The majority of time is given to active, free-flow play activity, following children’s leads. Adults provide enhancements to the environment based on observations of children’s interests and needs, designed to support emotional well-being, learning across the curriculum and engagement
Planning is child centered, capitalised on children’s interests, flexible and responsive to children’s needs, informed by ongoing assessment, grounded in the EYFS framework, responsive to the different ages and stages of the children. It is strengthened by input from staff at all levels and regular evaluation.
Impact
Data analysis and ongoing observations show that children, including those that are vulnerable make substantial progress from their starting points.
The vast majority of children are achieving age-appropriate expectations or above and are well on their way to achieving the Early Learning Goals.
Children are happy and engaged. They are well- supported to develop as individuals and to learn to be in a community with others.
Children develop detailed knowledge and skills across the seven areas of learning in an age appropriate way.
Children demonstrate their positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity, concentration and enjoyment. Alongside high levels of engagement and involvement.
Children are beginning to manage their own feelings and behaviour understanding how these might impact on others. They are developing resilience and take pride in their achievements.
Children show continuous and intense activity. They are concentrated, creative, energetic and persistent throughout nearly all their time in the nursery.