Learning and curriculum 

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum through a combination of adult-led and child-initiated activities. The children are actively encouraged to access their own resources during ‘free play’ times and are encouraged to join in with more structured one to one or group adult-led activities.

Evidence of the children’s experiences and achievements are recorded in their individual ‘learning journeys’ folders. They consist of staff observations that link to the EYFS curriculum and photographs. The learning journey is a great keepsake of your child’s time with us and an opportunity for you to include your own photos/observations as part of your child’s journey at this time.

A communication book is also allocated to each child upon entry for you to add your comments about things that your child does at home, their interest and changes to their routine or development. (As mentioned previously). This is a very important tool to use as everything that is written in it can help with planning for your child’s individual needs and also support them during times when things have happened or changed at home such as a bereavement in the family. This book is also filled in by the staff in your child’s room, showing what they have been experiencing during their time with us and if there has been any problems that need addressing.  In the Turtles room, the book is also used to inform you of when your child’s nappies were changed, time of sleeps and what they have eaten.

  We provide opportunities to extend children’s rapidly expanding language skills through role play, small world activities, songs/rhymes, ring games and active story times using story sacks/puppets.  We also do sing and sign with the children to help their language skills as sign language is a powerful part of their growing language skills.

  The children are given lots of opportunities to explore numbers and number problems throughout the day in ‘real’ situations, such as ‘How many plates will we need at dinner time?’ or ‘How many boys/girls are there’?. We also have numbers around the rooms and outside, eg, foam numbers in the water play or telephones in the role play area.  We feel that this is more meaningful to the children whilst enhancing their learning and education.

  Our group circle times aim to build on the children’s emerging self confidence and self esteem, through sharing news or objects of interest from home, singing their favourite songs or listening to rhymes and stories, as well as sing and sign.

  We provide a large range of creative materials to support the children’s preferences from painting, to model making, clay and dough, to jelly and corn flour play.  Children are able to freely express themselves and explore using all of their senses.

  We ultimately want the children to feel excited, interested and motivated to learn through play which lays the foundations to becoming an independent learner.