Stoneygate Nursery School Curriculum Intent
- A curriculum based on high quality play experiences that focuses on the Prime areas of learning whilst developing the prerequisite skills in reading, writing and maths
- Resilient, independent, confident, children who are physically and emotionally healthy.
- Children who engage with the local community, allowing them to develop an understanding of the immediate and wider world.
- Children who communicate effectively using an ever increasing vocabulary.
- Children to be motivated, enthusiastic and independent learners with a positive attitude to learning, well-prepared for the next stage in their education.
Implementation
Aim 1
To provide a curriculum based on high quality play experiences that focuses on the Prime areas of learning whilst developing the prerequisite skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
We will implement this aim by;
- Planning and delivering a well-balanced curriculum based on high quality play experiences
- Placing priority &emphasis on the Prime areas of learning
- Teaching Maths and Literacy explicitly through sequenced progression of skills
- Using skills progression planning to support children to develop skills in all areas of learning
- Maintaining robust monitoring systems
- Provision mapping for identified children who may need additional support
- Providing high quality CPD for staff
- Providing high quality resources throughout our provision
- Implementing the Pie Corbett reading spine
- Maintaining effective Key Worker systems
- Creating communication friendly learning spaces in the learning environment
- Providing Forest School sessions
- Maintaining consistent positive behaviour management systems
- Retaining high expectations of behaviour
- Setting ambitious targets for all children
- Building on parental involvement with the reintroduction of parental workshops post pandemic
Aim 2
To enable children to communicate effectively using an ever- increasing vocabulary.
We will implement this aim by;
- The use of Hanen strategies to support children’s communication skills and acquisition of vocabulary
- Adults modelling and extending vocabulary and sentence structure
- The use of Wellcomm assessment tool to asses and set targets for children
- Ensuring we use rapid referral systems to SALT when we have concerns
- Utilising input from SENDCO and specialist teachers.
- Using visual resources and Makaton
- Delivering small group time activities for children
- Using skills of bi-lingual staff in nursery
- Using a variety of Key Texts, key rhymes, action poems, Pie Corbett reading spine and The Poetry Basket resources
Aim 3
To support children to be resilient, independent and confident, who are physically and emotionally healthy.
We will implement this aim by;
- Staff modelling and reinforcing our high behavioural expectations
- Consistently applying our agreed behaviour management system i.e. Golden Rule book, visual reminders and dedicated group time with key adults
- Sharing behavior management strategies with parents, to provide consistent support for children
- Maintaining a consistent approach to supporting conflict resolution
- Placing a high priority in supporting children to develop self –regulation
- Ensuring consistent classroom routines
- Using SSTEW Scales to monitor children’s wellbeing and involvement in their learning
- Adults modelling good care and use of resources
- Providing access to high quality outdoor learning environment throughout all sessions
- Ensuring that children’s learning is reflected in all areas
- Including children to make a contribution to nursery by being given roles and responsibilities
- Providing targeted behavioural support as required
Aim 4
To support children to engage with the local community, allowing them to develop an understanding of the immediate and wider world
We will implement this aim by;
- Planning a curriculum map to ensure that we find out about and celebrate a range of different cultures
- Ensure that a variety of cultures are reflected within the Continuous Provision resources and display areas
- Enabling children to go on visits to the local community and by welcoming visitors from the community to visit nursery
- Re-establishing links to Prince’s Trust, Cardinal Newman College and other local education providers, including providing student and volunteer placements
- Delivering Forest School sessions
- Ensuring that staff respond to children’s questions and discuss important issues in a responsible and reflective way
- Building strong partnerships with parents, to enable good engagement with a variety of cultures and home situations
- Delivering a programme of parental workshops post pandemic
Aim 5
For children to be motivated, enthusiastic and independent learners with a positive attitude to learning, and are well-prepared for the next stage in their education.
We will implement this aim by;
- Ensuring that staff are highly aware of how to support children develop the Characteristics of Effective Learning
- Ensuring that the Characteristics of Effective Learning are reflected and promoted throughout the nursery provision
- Providing high quality open- ended resources to support creative thinking and promote problem solving skills
- Ensuring that self –regulation strategies are supported and developed
- Providing periods of uninterrupted play to enable high levels of involvement
- Ensuring that staff provide high quality interactions to support the development of children’s thinking skills, learning and language development
IMPACT
Our curriculum map ensures that the needs of all children are provided from planning a variety of learning opportunities in our high quality learning environment, both indoors and out, that supports children to achieve and make progress while at Stoneygate Nursery School. The majority of children leave Stoneygate well-prepared for the next stage in their education, with an enthusiasm to continue to learn and to develop the skills they have learnt at nursery.
Key adults use the observe, assess, plan, practice cycle to ensure that they plan for the next steps in children’s learning through a play- based curriculum, building on what children have demonstrated to us, of what they are able to do. Our partnership with parents and carers helps us to support children’s achievements and to develop our curriculum based on children’s interests, including delivering target interventions when needed.
As a team, we carry out regular internal moderation activities to ensure that the quality of our teaching is very good and that children are continuing to make good progress at nursery. This process helps us to check that judgements are consistent and accurate. In addition to carrying out regular observations of children, the progress that they make is monitored each term by the teaching staff. Throughout the academic year we review our nursery provision, curriculum and learning opportunities, making adaptations to match the changing needs of our children. This helps ensure that throughout their time at Stoneygate, children experience a broad range of exciting learning opportunities that help them become happy and confident individuals with a strong foundation of early learning and development skills that they will be able to build on in their next stage of education.
Our curriculum map is an overview of the progression/development of skills. Our curriculum is based on the learning needs and interests of the children and will be changed, adapted and developed in response to need. Please click this to find out more Curriculum-Map