The Nursery Curriculum and the Environment
Article 28: Every child has a right to an education.
Our aim is to provide a secure, happy environment in which children can build meaningful relationships through a broad and balanced curriculum enabling them to develop knowledge, concepts skills and attitudes and a life long love of learning.
At Selly Oak Nursery School we are beginning to prepare our children for the opportunities / responsibilities / experiences of later life in modern Britain.
Young children learn from everything around them: the people, the environment, the atmosphere, the routine and the experiences. All of these elements make up "the nursery curriculum". Children access the curriculum through a well planned and appropriately resourced learning environment that takes account of the characteristics of young children as learners and the developmental course they take.
The Early Years Foundation Stage sets out the standards for Learning, Development and care for children age 0-5 years. It emphasises that through play children learn very effectively.
Within the EYFS are goals, which most children are expected to achieve before the end of the year in the Reception class. The steps which children take as they progress towards these goals are clearly defined in the 'Birth to Five Matters Framework'.
The EYFS is divided into seven areas of learning and development, all are important and inter-connected.
These seven areas consist of :
Three prime areas
Communication and Language
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Four specific areas
Literacy
Mathematic
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
All areas of learning are equally as important and children do not separate their learning into subject areas, however, we consider that personal and social skills are vital to children's success, and include:
Forming relationships with others
Having respect for other people
Being an individual and also belonging to a community
Being able to express feelings and emotions
Becoming independent and helping others
Being able to make choices and taking responsibility
Understanding right and wrong
Understanding appropriate behaviour
Empathising with others
Developing persistence and resilience
Enabling environments
Children's learning is best supported when they have opportunities which allow for movement and action, creativity and imagination, independence and collaboration.
At Selly Oak Nursery School our indoor and outdoor environments offer:
Opportunities for negotiation and collaboration
Development of social and language skills
Open-ended play opportunuities allowing imagination and creativity to flourish
Opportunities for challenge and risk taking
Opportunities to understand and care for the natural world
Being outdoors offers children unique possibilities and experiences of the natural world as they feel weather, hear sounds and changes in natural light. Time outdoors is beneficial to children's health and well-being and at SONS we let children experience the outdoors all year round in all weather conditions.