The EYFS and Little Peeple Nursery curriculm
At Little Peeple Nursery, we believe that every child has the right to learn in a safe, happy and stimulating learning environment. We strive to implement a rich, challenging and interesting curriculum that considers the individual skills, knowledge and interests that the children and their families bring to the setting and takes into account the varying starting points of each child.
We recognise that no two children are the same and that children learn and develop at different rates and in different ways. Our curriculum has been designed for the children, their families and the communities within which they live.
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This reflects the overarching principles set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework:
- Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
- Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
- Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
- Importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates.
Areas of learning and development in the EYFS
The statutory framework states: ‘There are seven areas of learning and development that set out what providers must teach the children in their settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three prime areas are particularly important for learning and forming relationships. They build a foundation for children to thrive and provide the basis for learning in all areas. Providers must also support children in four specific areas, which help strengthen and develop the three prime areas, and ignite children’s curiosity and enthusiasm.’
The prime areas are:
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development
The specific areas are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
The characteristics of effective teaching and learning
Our curriculum reflects the requirements set out in the early year’s foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework and outlines the progression of knowledge and skills through twelve curricular goals. These goals are broken down into milestones covering the ages and stages within each area of development (prime and specific) and take into consideration the characteristics of effective teaching and learning:
- Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.
- Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
- Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things Statutory framework for the EYFS.
How we put the curriculum into practice at Little Peeple Nursery
Our curriculum is cross-curricular and is implemented through the key person’s knowledge and understanding of their key children. Key people regularly assess the individual children’s level of development against our curricular milestones and use this to inform their approach to the children, extending and enhancing their learning. The practitioners respond to the child in the moment and follow their lead, structuring the learning environment accordingly and scaffolding development.
We use the ORIM framework to support children’s early learning, focussing on the four aspects ‘Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Modelling.’ These provide us with ways to conceptualise how we can – and do – support a child (or adult) to learn. This awareness helps us to value how we or their parents already support the children’s learning and development – and to consider how we might extend them further.
Developing language, communication and a love of books and stories
The importance of developing language and communication is a priority at Little Peeple Nursery. We see it as one of the most powerful skills we can equip children with. We use the ShREC approach to encourage strong communication, and Wellcomm as a tool to screen the children’s levels of speech and language to ensure early intervention where needed.
Books are a fundamental aspect of Little Peeple. We value the importance of reading stories and recognise the significant impact these can have on children’s overall development. We endeavour to foster a lifelong love of books and share stories frequently throughout the day. We seek to incorporate books into all that we do and encourage families to do the same. One way we do this is through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, where children receive a free book once a month from Peeple through the post. The books are carefully selected and full of variety. We also offer the opportunity to borrow or swap books, and take children on weekly visits to our local library.
Learning through play
During each session, there is a mix of adult-led circle times, child-initiated play and group activities, where practitioners stretch and challenge learning whilst providing new and different opportunities. Our carefully selected core experiences and topics provide the children with a chance to learn about the world around us through the exploration of different cultures, environments and experiences. The children are given the opportunity to consolidate their learning and put skills into practice throughout their time with us, through the freedom of choice, autonomy and free play.
At Little Peeple we look at our environment as the ‘third’ teacher and therefore, strive to offer all children a rich enabling space, where children have open access to a wide range of resources, equipment, books, music and tools. The resources in our environments are thoughtfully selected and are provided with a purpose in mind, where the focus is on the process rather than the outcome. We regularly evaluate our surroundings to ensure they continue to foster independence, nurture creativity and encourage critical thinking, as well as meeting the children’s current interests.
We offer free-flow play into our large, beautiful outdoor learning environment where children can access the natural world and make use of the space around them. We go outside all year round with the understanding that ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing!’ Children thrive in the outdoor environment, which has an impact on not only the learning opportunities but also positive mental health and wellbeing.
We operate an open door policy and believe communication is integral. We see ourselves (practitioners, parents and children) as one big family and offer support, guidance and a safe space to talk openly. We strive to support our ‘family’ in any way that we can, however big or small.
