Curriculum

Early Years Practitioners work closely with our children to meet and extend the individual needs and interests. We do this by:

Long Term Plan

All of our rooms follow a long term plan which is set out in the months and seasons of the year. Each month we investigate a theme of the Early Years Foundation Stage. These are A Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments and Learning and Development. Each month we also deliver equality and diversity by setting out experiences for children that relate to festivals, continents of the world as well as a Bristol heritage month.

Weekly Plan

Every week all our teams have time out of their rooms to plan for their children’s interests. They use the Principle into practice cards relating to the monthly theme and the equality and diversity that is relevant for that month and put these into experiences throughout the week. Each day there must be three pre planned experiences that are then extended throughout the day and at least two spontaneous observations taken and extended on the day.

Evaluation

Each weekly plan is evaluated by the end of the week. They are evaluated in terms of what went well, what could have been improved, were the extensions relevant and what did the children benefit or gain from what was provided.

Routine

We cater for children’s individual varying and unique needs throughout the day. Whether it be quiet times, physical play, a one to one story, a cuddle or asleep Times, our practitioners get to know their children and anticipate their care and emotional needs on a daily basis. Our meal times are set, however if a child is asleep or needing a drink or snack outside these times, they are available. Breakfast is available in the rooms between 8.30 and 9.30, Lunch is served at 12pm and a Light Bite at 3pm.

All About Me Books

These reflect our children’s developmental achievements under the 6 areas of development set out in the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The 6 areas are:
Personal, Social and Emotional
Communication Language and Literacy
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Physical Development
Creative Development

Practitioners must make at least one significant observation for each child on a daily basis. These are then placed under the 6 areas and build up a profile of the child’s development in all these areas. Each month the key worker targets a specific development area to extend and enhance over the month. This is then broken down into weekly smaller targets.

The ‘All About Me Books’ are set out in sections that include the developmental areas as above as well as:

A Child’s special occasions - at nursery and home these might be written, postcards, drawings or pictures for example.

A Child’s Voice - Where the practitioner can scribe for a child or the child can write, mark or draw what they would like. They might even have a photo or event that they would like recorded in their section.

Family Comments - Parents/carers or other family members can add thoughts, pictures, observations to show just how special and unique the child is.

The ‘All About Me Books’ include formative assessments in the form of observations, photos and artwork to give a complete picture of the child’s time at nursery and at home.