Development and Learning

Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. We belive that the love and care given to your child in our setting and the education offered, helps children to continue to do this, by providing them with interesting activities that are appropriat for their age and stage of development.

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.

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

The Early Years Foundation Stage

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

For each area, the level of progress that children are expected to have attaind by the end of the early years foundation stage is defind by the early learning goals. These goals state what is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reseption year of their education.

The Early Years Outcomes

The early years outcomes guidance sets out the likely stages of progress a child makes along their progress towards the early learning goals. Our setting has regard to these when we assess children and plan for their learning. Our program suports children to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need for:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development:

Making relationships
Sense of self
Understanding feelings

Physical Development:

Moving and Handling.
Health and self-care.

Communication and Language:

Listening and attention,
Understanding,
Speaking

Literacy:

Reading
Writing

Mathematics:

Mathematics

Understanding the world:

People and communities
The world
Technology

Expressive arts and design:

Creating with materials
Being imaginative and expressive

Learning Through Play

Being active and playing supports young children’s learning and development through doing and talking. This is how children learn to think about and understand the world around them. We use the EYFS statutory guidance on education programmes to plan and provide opportunities which will help children to make progress in all areas of learning. This programme is made up of a mixture of activities that children plan and organise for themselves and activities planned and led by practitioners.

characteristics of Effective learning

We understand that all children engage with other people and their environment through the characteristics of effective learning that are described in the Early Years Foundation Stage as:

Playing and exploring - engagement,
Active learning - motivation,
Creative and critical thinking - thinking.

We aim to provide for the characteristics of effective learning by observing how a child is learning and being clear about what we can do and provide in order to support each child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

Assessment

We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs or videos of the children, to document their progress and where this may be leading them, to record this each child is given an online learning journal, which parents can view and access. We believe that parents know their children best and we will ask you to contribute to assessments by sharing information in your child’s learning Journal about what your child has done at home and how you, as parents, are supporting their development.

We make periodic assessment summaries of children’s achievement based on our on-going development records. These form part of children’s records of achievement. We undertake these assessment summaries at regular intervals, as well as times of transition, such as when a child moves into a different room or when they go on to school.

The Progress Check At Age Two

The progress check at age two

The Early Years Foundation Stage requires that we supply parents and carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the three prime areas of learning and development - personal, social and emotional development; physical development; and communication and language - when a child is aged between 24 - 36 months. Your child’s key person is responsible for completing the check using information from on-going observational assessments carried out as part of our everyday practice, taking account of the views and contributions of parents and other professionals.

Record Of Achievement

We keep a record of achievement for each child. Your child's record of achievement helps us to celebrate together his/her achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for his/her well-being and to make progress.

Your child's key person will work in partnership with you to keep this record. To do this you and the key person will collect information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will enable the key person to identify your child's stage of progress. Together, we will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage of development.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The term Special Educational Needs has a legal definition. Children with special educational needs all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age.

All children are welcome to apply for a place at Angels Nursery School, including children with Special Educational Needs who we will always strive to accommodate. Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) may have:

Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) may have:

Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and/ or physical needs

Children who have already been identified as having SEN will have their needs met appropriately with additional specialist support, resources and advice. Regular consultation and discussion with parents will be an integral part of this policy. The Nursery aims to identify children experiencing any difficulties which may affect any area of development as soon as possible and to address these needs appropriately. The first point of contact will usually be the parent/carer. The support of health visitors and social workers may also be appropriate.

We recognise that early identification and intervention is in the best interest of the child. We follow the guidance of the special educational needs Code of Practice which sets out the processes and procedures in a step-by-step graduated approach. More details of the SEN Code of Practice are available in the Nursery.

Leeds local offer, is an essential resource center designed to provide comprehensive information about services and support available for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the local area. It aims to ensure that families can easily access relevant guidance, resources, and provisions tailored to their child's unique needs. The local offer enhances support systems and promotes the well-being of all children, ensuring that no child is overlooked in their developmental journey.

Leeds Local Offer.

SEND Policy

Please download a parents guide, what to expect in early years foundation stage.

Parents Guide