The Nursery Curriculum

 

The curriculum is delivered through six learning areas via various play activities as this is how young children learn most effectively.  Your child will have access to a wide variety of interesting and stimulating activities, each with an underlying educational learning intention. 

 

Here are the learning areas and an example of a few activities offered in the Nursery:-

 

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

Opportunities will be provided to help children develop personal and social skills, values and attitudes throughout the daily routine learning to co-operate, to take turns, to share and to explore their emotions.  Through activities such as circle time, playing together and helping each other.

 

The Arts 

The children will develop imagination, creativity and self-expression during art, craft, drama, music and movement.  These will be delivered through activities such as dressing up in the role play area, painting, singing and dancing.

 

Language Development

The children will have access to a wide variety of play activities and will be encouraged to talk about their experiences, feelings and achievements to their peers and to adults during the course of play.  The children will be encouraged to appreciate books as being enjoyable, informing and      stimulating, becoming aware that printed word has meaning.  They will also be encouraged to engage in mark making activities.  Language can be developed in all activities such as story time, rhyme time, playing, drawing and writing.

 

Early Mathematical Experiences

Early mathematical concepts are important for everyday life and develop slowly in young children.  They will begin to understand early concepts of number, size and quantity, shape, space, pattern, sequence/time and relationships.  Through play they will be given opportunities to sort, match, order, sequence make patterns and count and to develop their mathematical language. 

 

Physical Development

Children enjoy physical play both indoor and outdoors and will have opportunities to experience large and small equipment developing their fine and gross motor skills, hand and eye co-ordination, and spatial awareness.  These will be developed by activities such as climbing, riding bicycles, building, using scissors, jigsaws and threading.

 

The World Around Us

Children are naturally curious about their environment and the people around them.  Opportunities will be provided to help children develop a knowledge and understanding of their Nursery environment, local environment and the wider world.  This will be developed through activities such as planting and caring for flowers, talking about the weather, using the computer and digital camera.

 

Within Nursery each child is given opportunities to:

 

  • Settle smoothly into the nursery environment.
  • Enjoy good relationships with other children and with adults.
  • Develop confidence, independence and self-discipline.
  • Use his or her own initiative.
  • Respect others and acquire social skills.
  • Experience success and enjoy the consequent satisfaction of achievement.
  • Develop at his or her own rate through challenging, progressive play.
  • Make an informed choice from a range of activities and materials available.
  • Have fun - Children who are not happy will not learn effectively.

 

Physical Education

Within the Nursery we have the use of the school assembly hall for PE on a Monday and Friday.  Could the girls please wear tracksuit bottoms on these days.  Please send your child a pair of PE Pumps to leave in school.

 

Outdoor Play 

We will be playing outdoors in all weathers for a period of time each day so please provide your child with a pair of wellington boots (to stay at Nursery) and when appropriate gloves, hat and scarf and on sunny days please apply sun cream before school and send a sun hat.  We have waterproof coats for all children to use during outside play and also when we go on trips.