The Early Years at Rugeley John Taylor – Nursery and Reception
Our Aims and Goals
At Rugeley John Taylor we aim to support all our children to become curious and independent learners through a rich, broad and balanced curriculum that will ensure they develop personally, socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, creatively and intellectually to their full potential.
We aim to:
• Provide a happy, safe, stimulating and challenging programme of learning and development for all children to experience and enjoy.
• Provide a broad, balanced, relevant and creative curriculum that will set in place firm foundations for further learning and development in Key Stage 1 and beyond and enable choice and decision-making, fostering independence and self-confidence.
• Value and expand on what each child can do, assessing their needs and helping each child to progress in all areas of learning.
• Develop excellent relationships with parents and carers to ensure true parent/school partnerships.
• Provide a caring and inclusive learning environment, which is sensitive to the needs of each child including those who have special educational needs or disabilities.
• We understand and value the importance of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in providing a secure foundation through play and experiences for future learning and development.
We recognise children’s skills and previous secured learning from their previous settings, and experiences at home, and we provide first hand play based learning experiences. Every child is recognised as a unique individual, and we celebrate and welcome differences within our school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. Children are encouraged to be independent in their learning. Adults facilitate learning through quality interactions, role modelling, questioning and moving learning on. We track the learning and development of all children and adapt teaching strategies where necessary to ensure all children make progress.
• We recognise that children learn through play and offer exciting activities which support their curiosity, growth and development.
• We provide enhancement opportunities to engage children in their learning and believe that their first experiences of school should be happy and positive, enabling children to develop a lifelong love of learning.
• It builds on what our children already know and can do.
• It ensures that no child is excluded or disadvantaged.
• It offers a structure for learning that has a range of starting points, content that matches the needs of young children, and activities that provide opportunities for learning both indoors and outdoors.
• It provides a rich and stimulating learning environment, both indoors and outdoors.
• It acknowledges the crucial positive partnership with parents and carers.
The Early Years education we offer our children is based on the following principles:
The EYFS Framework: Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework – GOV.UK.
In the EYFS there are seven areas of learning and development that help shape the educational provision in our nursery and reception classes. All areas of learning and development are important and connected.
The three prime areas are:
➢ Personal, Social and Emotional Development
➢ Communication and Language
➢ Physical Development
These are important to ensure children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning are developed, which leads to children ready to learn, and form relationships. It is important to us that, children are enthusiasm and curious and want to explore through play.
Staff will support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied:
➢ Literacy
➢ Mathematics
➢ Understanding the World
➢ Expressive Arts and Design
All of those areas of learning are connected. The characteristics of effective teaching and learning run through them all. Children in the early years will be powerful learners and thinkers.
These characteristics develop as they learn to do new things, acquire new skills, develop socially and emotionally, and become better communicators.
We plan learning experiences considering both the children’s individual needs and achievements as well as a range of learning experiences that will assist them to make progress.
Well-planned and deliberate play is an effective method in which children learn with enjoyment and challenge during the Foundation Stage. Children deepen their understanding by playing, talking, observing, planning, questioning, experimenting, testing, repeating, reflecting and responding to adults and to each other.
Our learning environment is made up of areas which reflect all areas of the curriculum. Here children can make their own choices, encouraging them to play and explore. They can be active learners and are able to create and think critically. We operate indoor/outdoor learning experiences for our young children, as well as Forest School provision. Links are made between all learning environments, to ensure that all children receive a rich and varied curriculum that supports their learning and development.
Assessment for Learning
We begin our assessment process by getting to know each child, using close observation in structured and incidental ways. Observation and responding to children’s thinking inform our planning of experiences and opportunities, how we create our environment for thinking, the strategies the adults use to extend learning (modelling, scaffolding, questioning, discussion, shared sustained thinking) and how we capitalise knowledge of children’s interests to ensure high levels of engagement.
All adults record ‘Wow!’ moments – when a child does or says something that demonstrates progress or skill in a particular area. Further evidence of learning includes observations, work samples, photographs and contributions from parents which are stored to ensure we are celebrating each child’s journey of success.
In the final term of the Reception year, children will be assessed against the 17 Early Learning Goals to ascertain if they have reached the expected levels of development, or if they have not yet reached the expected levels. This EYFS Profile will be shared with both parents and the Year 1 teacher with a dialogue as to children’s readiness for Year 1.
