Nursery Class
Welcome to Woodlands Nursery, we understand that this is an important first step in your child’s learning journey, and we are here to support both you and your child through this exciting transition. We are committed to developing a partnership with you that will help us deliver high standards in the education and care of your child in a safe and happy environment. By the end of their Nursery Education, your child will be prepared for their Reception Year at a Primary School with friends they have made along the way.
Our Intent for Early Years / Foundation Stage
We are committed to providing the best possible early education for all our children in Greenshaw Learning Trust.
The unique child
We want our children to be independent thinkers and effective communicators who are capable, confident and self-assured. We want our children to be constantly developing their curiosity and resilience whilst learning to be strong through positive relationships where there is equality of opportunity for all.
Enabling environments
We believe in providing all children with a safe and stimulating environment that builds on each individual’s wants, needs and interests. We value the importance of our outdoor and indoor environments and believe that these offer children the opportunity to think creatively and critically and develop problem-solving skills.
Learning and development
Our children have the opportunity to learn through play. Learning will be active, engaging and suitably challenging; recognising that children develop and learn at different rates.
Adults provide high quality interactions, are role models for learning, teach children skills and provide experiences which ensure their well-being and success now and in the future. Fundamental to this is consistently high quality learning opportunities that develop a rich vocabulary, practise and review skills and knowledge so that what children know, can remember and do is strong. Our children benefit from strong partnerships between all adults and parents/carers.
Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning
Through playing and exploring we want children to be given opportunities to investigate activities with a ‘have a go’ attitude. We expect learning to be active and encourage children to use their own ideas and make links within their learning by creating and thinking critically.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
The provision for children’s development and learning is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Our provision reflects the four overarching principles of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
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 and there is a strong partnership between practitioners, parents and carers.
Learning and Development
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in Early Years provision including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
How we provide for development and learning
The Learning Environment provides a range of carefully structured play based activities, following the interests and learning needs we develop with your child. These rich learning experiences, across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage, are both teacher-led and created by children using their own ideas. Throughout the day your child will have a wonderful time discovering, exploring, observing and creating within the high quality learning environment. We positively encourage indoor and outdoor play, ensuring we nurture all interests and learning styles.
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education we offer helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting and motivating activities that are appropriate for their stage of development.
For each area, the level of progress that children are expected to have attained by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage is defined by the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know, and be able to do, by the end of the Reception Year of their education.
Development Matters sets out the likely stages of progress a child makes along their learning journey towards the Early Learning Goals. Our School has regard to these matters when we assess children and plan for their learning.
Learning through play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. We use the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to plan and provide a range of play activities, which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities, information from the Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.
Characteristics of effective learning
We understand that all children engage with other people and their environment through the characteristics of effective learning that are described in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance as:
- playing and exploring – engagement
- active learning – motivation
- creating and thinking critically – thinking.