Curriculum
Intent
All staff at Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools (AFFNS) are dedicated to enhancing the life chances of every child by delivering an inclusive, high-quality curriculum which encourages the children to 'learn through play' in a happy, safe and caring environment.
Children are encouraged to follow their interests and take risks whilst making sense of the world around them. They are immersed in a language rich environment which aims to inspire, motivate and challenge them.
Each day, learning is carefully planned and offers both teacher-led and child-initiated activities, with the aim of enabling all children to reach their full potential. The curriculum is designed around what the children know and can do. Our observations of children enable us to plan and differentiate learning, as well as to enhance the continuous provision areas based on current interests.
Visits take place every term and specialist teachers are invited in to work with the children so they can experience different learning opportunities.
All children are treated as individuals and the differences within our community are welcomed and celebrated.
AFFNS is committed to:
- Ensuring our children are happy, confident learners who develop independence and resilience through a carefully planned and sequenced curriculum
- Providing every child, regardless of background, with the opportunity to succeed
- Extending opportunities for learning and enabling the knowledge and skills required for daily life
- Preparing all children for the next stage of their education by the time they leave Nursery
- Meeting the needs of parents and children by building trusting relationships and working in partnership
- Widening children's knowledge of the world they live in through visits, visitors and new experiences
- Developing a lifelong love of learning
- Celebrating each child's success
Our Curriculum is underpinned by our core values:
- Respect
- Resilience
- Independence
- Aspiration
Implementation
The curriculum provides opportunities for first-hand learning experiences and allows the children to demonstrate their attitudes and behaviours to learning through the Characteristics of Effective Learning - 'playing and exploring', 'active learning', and 'creating and thinking critically'.
During play, practitioners interact with children to enhance / reinforce the activity; and to support, extend, stretch and challenge children further. In planning and guiding children's activities, we reflect as practitioners on the different ways that children learn and build these in our practice. We create a stimulating environment to encourage children to learn both indoors and outdoors.
Throughout each child's learning journey, there is a strong focus on language and developing language, along with vocabulary, to ensure the gap between our most deprived children and their peers diminishes. Language and vocabulary development are key drivers throughout our curriculum.
We recognise that reading is key to unlocking other learning in life and therefore ensure quality phonics sessions are being taught regularly for those who are ready. Letters and Sounds and Jolly Phonics materials are used with small groups. Stories are shared daily and parents are encouraged to support their child's enjoyment and love of reading.
All children are treated fairly; this may sometimes mean treating them equitably but differently in order to meet their needs.
Impact
Children at AFFNS will aspire and know that by working hard, they can achieve their goals. Our children will feel engaged and will take responsibility for their learning within a culture of success. We are confident that our curriculum will prepare each child for the next stage of their education and ensure their learning is underpinned by our core values: respect, resilience, independence and aspiration.
Pupil voice data will indicate that students feel happy, have fun and achieve.
Progress for all will be evidenced by excellent outcomes and readiness for starting school.
Within the EYFS framework there are:
3 Prime areas of learning:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
And 4 Specific areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
The DfE have published a guide for parents to help you to understand more about your child's development and learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage.