Angels Nursery

Children learn most effectively through play, Our sessions are planned so that free, independent play (often relating to the topic) is available alongside adult-directed activities.

The staff  team create an environment in which purposeful play can take place.  We have an understanding of the educational value of play.  Our role is to observe, interact, enable and extend the children’s play in order that they gradually come to understand the world around them. Most of the curriculum is transferrable to the outdoors and we are continually developing the outdoor curriculum.

We particularly focus on Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL) when we do this

· Playing and Exploring—engagement

· Active Learning—motivation

· Creating and Thinking Critically—thinking

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

The children at Angels Nursery School follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework set out by the DFE. 

The principles which guide the work of all early years providers have been grouped into 4 themes:

•  The Unique Child - every child is a competent learner from birth, who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
•  Positive Relationships - children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/ or a key person
•  Enabling Environments - the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development  and learning
•  Learning and Development - children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected

The Areas of Learning and Development are:

Three Prime Ares:

•  Personal, Social and Emotional Development
•  Physical Development
•  Communication and Language

Four Specific Areas:

•  Literacy
•  Mathematics
•  Understanding of the World
•  Expressive Arts and Design

The seven areas help staff to plan a learning environment, activities and experiences and provide a framework for the early years curriculum.  This does not mean that all of young children’s learning is divided up into areas.  One experience may provide a child with  opportunities to develop a number of competencies, skills and concepts across several areas of learning.  For example, your child may be playing in the sand tray and developing language, problem solving, physical, personal and social, knowledge and  understanding and creative competencies through this one activity.

During your child’s time in Nursery they will progress through the EYFS curriculum   moving towards the early learning goals.  By the end of the EYFS, some children will have exceeded the goals.  Other children, depending on their individual needs, will be working towards some or all of the goals – particularly some younger children, some children with learning difficulties and disabilities and some learning English as an additional language.

The statutory early learning goals establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the EYFS, so laying secure foundations from birth for future learning.

For more information click on the links at the top of the page.