Nursery Curriculum

The following outlines are to provide parents with brief details of the Early Years curriculum which is followed in the pre-school nursery room. The planning is based on the six areas of learning set out in the Early Years curriculum document, published by the DFES.

This document provides you with general information of the curriculum which begins in the pre-school nursery room and continues into the Reception classes.

The six areas of learning are detailed below and are incorporated through a wide range of exciting, stimulating and challenging themes and topics.

This area of learning is about emotional well-being.

• Children learn to trust key adults
• Children will develop a sense of belonging
• Children will respond to pattern and routine of the day.
• Children form positive relationships
• Children gain a knowledge of understanding of their culture
• Children share emotions, and experiences with their peers and familiar adults
• Children have feelings of self-confidence and self-control
• Children practice solving problems of their own and their peers.

Communication, language and literacy depend on learning and being competent in a number of key skills, together with having confidence, opportunity, encouragement, support, and disposition to use them.

This area of learning includes:- communication, speaking and listening in different situations and for different purposes, being read a wide range of books, reading simple texts and writing for a variety of purposes.

• Children will be given opportunities to imagine and recreate experiences.
• Children will explore situations, events and ideas.
• Children will be encouraged to develop a love of books, stories, rhymes and poems and music.
• Children will be encouraged to extend their conversation.

Our Nursery aims to link language with physical activities through action songs, role-play and other practical activities. Our Nursery provides opportunities for children to observe and help adults to write signs, labels, posters, captions etc. and to develop the confidence and ability to eventually produce these themselves.

This area of learning includes, counting, sorting, matching, pattern, shape, space and measure. Mathematical understanding should be developed through stories, songs, games and imaginative play, so that children enjoy using and experimenting with numbers.

Children will be given opportunities for:

• Lots of practical activities, working with number, shape, space, measuring, weighing etc. The emphasis being upon problem solving and learning through discovery and play.
• Joining in with activities that are imaginative, enjoyable and open ended.

In this area of learning children are developing the crucial knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of the world. This learning forms the foundation for later work in science, design technology, history, geography and information technology

Children will be given opportunities to; -

Develop their knowledge and understanding of the world through first hand experiences that will encourage exploration, observation, problem solving, prediction, decision making supplemented by lots and lots of discussion.
Children will experience a wide range of activities both indoors and out that will stimulate their interest and curiosity to learn.

Physical development in the Early Years is about improving skills of co-ordination, control, manipulation and movement. Physical development has two other important aspects:

It helps children gain confidence in what they can do Enables them to feel the positive benefits of being healthy and active.

Children will be given opportunities to: -

• Explore the space around them both indoors and out, and to devise and take part in activities which will assist their physical development.
• To experience a wide range of equipment
• To use the language of movement alongside their actions.

Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. Being creative enables children to make connections between one area of learning and another and so extend their understanding. This area of learning includes, art music, dance, role-play and imaginative play.

Children will be given opportunities to: -

• Experience a stimulating environment in which creativity, originality and expressiveness are valued and recognised.
• Experience a wide range of activities.
• Express their own ideas.