Nursery
The first 5 years have so much to do with how the next 80 turn out.
Bill Gates Sr.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage focuses on the needs and learning for children from birth until the end of Reception in Primary school. It is delivered through planned play activities to help ensure all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential and experience the best possible start to their education. The EYFS also provides the foundations for life-long learning.
Learning Through Play
Purposeful play is an essential tool for learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Activities are based around a theme, with a balance between adult directed activities (Focus Activities) and independent activities. These will encompass a balance between indoors and outdoors.
The curriculum is delivered across both the indoor classroom and the outdoor area. The classroom is organised into zones, reflecting all 7 areas of learning.
EYFS Principles
A Unique Child: Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive Relationships: Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Enabling Environments: Children learn and develop well in enabling environments in which their experiences respond to their individual needs. There is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers.
Learning and Development: Children develop and learn in different ways. Practitioners teach children by ensuring challenging, playful opportunities across the prime and specific areas of learning and development.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
The Characteristics of Effective Learning and the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning and Development are all interconnected.
The ways in which the child engages with other people and their environment (playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically), underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
Playing and Exploring - Engagement
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to have a go
Active Learning - Motivation
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and Thinking Critically - Thinking
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
Prime and Specific Areas of Learning and Development
Aspect of Learning & Development
Aspect
Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Making Relationships
Self Confidence and self-awareness
Managing Feelings and Behaviour
Physical Development
Moving and Handling
Health and self-care
Communication and Language
Listening and attention
Understanding
Speaking
Specific Areas
Literacy Development
Reading
Writing
Mathematical Development
Numbers
Shape, Space and Measure
Understanding the World
People and Communities
The World
Technology
Expressive Arts and Design
Exploring and using media and materials
Being imaginative
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Children play co-operatively, taking turns with others.
Children show sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings and form positive relationships with adults and other children.
Children are confident to try new activities.
Children are confident to speak in a familiar group.
Children are to understand behaviour boundaries and consequences if they make a wrong choice.
Children can communicate about themselves and their family and friends.
Communication and Language Development
Children can listen attentively to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions.
They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.
Children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.
They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.
Children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listener’s needs.
They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future.
They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.
Physical Development
Children show good control and co-ordination.
They move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space.
They handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils and scissors.
Children know the importance for good health of physical exercise and a healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe.
They manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently.
Literacy Development
Children gain an understanding of structure, characterisation and setting within stories through listening to stories, retelling, role play and drama.
Children will develop a repertoire of nursery rhymes, songs and traditional tales.
Children will gain an understanding of rhyme, alliteration and hearing sounds in words.
Children will begin to differentiate between sounds in the environment.
Children will develop fine motor control to develop emergent writing.
Children will learn to write their own name and some familiar words.
Mathematical Development
Children count reliably with numbers from 1 to 10 and begin to develop number recognition.
Using quantities and objects, they develop 1:1 correspondence, match numeral and quantity, compare sets of objects and begin to estimate.
Children show an interest in number problems and representing numbers.
They recognise, create and describe patterns.
They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.
Children develop a basic understanding and use the language related to size, money, time, position and capacity.
Children order and sequence familiar events and measure time in simple ways.
Understanding the World Development
Children show interest in the lives of people familiar to them and they enjoy joining in with family customs and routines.
They talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members.
They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.
Children show interest in different occupations and different ways of life.
Children comment and ask questions about aspects of their familiar world.
They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes such as growth, decay and change over time.
Children recognise and use technology at home and school, such as using a CD player, completing a simple computer program.
Expressive Arts and Design Development
Children sing songs, make music and dance and experiment with ways of changing them.
They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
Children explore texture and how colours and sounds can be changed.
They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories.
Children play alongside others engaged in the same theme and show imagination such as taking on a role and acting out stories with others.
Forest School
Forest School takes place across Nursery and Reception and we are very lucky at Ulverley to have our own Forest area where children can take part in a variety of outdoor Forest School activities.
There are a number of ways in which Forest School helps children’s learning, including:
Building children’s confidence and self-esteem.
Encouraging team work and interaction.
Developing communication and language.
Encouraging imagination and creativity.
Providing opportunities to explore the seasons and environment around us.
Developing communication and language.
Encouraging imagination and creativity.
Assessment
We collect evidence of the children's learning in the form of photos, recordings, observations and from adult directed focus activities which feeds into their individual learning journals.
All of this information allows us to track progress and form the next steps for children’s learning.
This information will be shared at parent consultations throughout the year but we operate an ‘open door’ policy so please feel free to come and talk to us if you have any questions.
Parents and Carers hold a vital role in assessment to gain a holistic approach to learning and we value the links between home and school.
Nursery children are assessed against age related bands within the EYFS profile.
Nursery Daily Routines
Session Times:
If your child is attending Morning Nursery, the morning session runs from 8.30am-11.30am.
If your child is attending Afternoon Nursery, the afternoon session runs from 12.30pm-3.30pm.
If your child is attending for the full day (30 hours provision), the full day in Nursery runs from 9.00am - 3.00pm.
A typical Nursery session will run as follows:
Register and adult led introduction to the days learning.
Independent learning time/Adult Focus Activities - Children select activities that interest them, both indoor and outdoor. Activities are linked to the weekly learning theme and cover all 7 areas of learning within the EYFS. Adults deliver a Focus session to develop particular knowledge, understanding and skills, or adults support the children’s play in the role of the Play Partner.
Snack Time will take place during the session for children to have milk (registration required) or water and a piece of fruit which is provided by school free of charge.
Phonics (Later in the year) - Children develop an understanding of environmental sounds, rhythm, rhyme, alliteration and sounds in words. Phonics sessions are very practical and interactive, with fun games and activities.
Children have Circle time in their Family groups. In Circle time, we fill in our calendar, the weather, practise counting, name writing, develop speaking and listening skills.
We will reflect on the day’s learning and have a whole class story or song session before going home.
Home Time - 11.30am Home time for Morning Nursery children.
3.00pm Home time for children attending for the full day (30 hours).
3.30pm Home time for Afternoon Nursery children.
TRANSITION AND INDUCTION
Transition Day
You and your child will be invited to come and play in Nursery. This helps you and your child to get to know the Foundation Stage team and will enable your child to settle in more easily.
Home Visits
Home visits will take place. This is a time when the Nursery teacher and one of the teaching assistants will visit your home for a short play and a chat and will allow them to gather some background information about your child.
Stay and Play
You and your child are invited to come for a Stay and Play session in Nursery. This is an important session as it will enable your child to become more familiar with the staff and environment whilst you are there.
‘Welcome To Ulverley’ Parents Session
On this day your child will attend Nursery with children from their class. The session will run for an hour and a half and will allow the children time to settle into Nursery whilst you take part in our ‘Welcome to Ulverley’ programme.