Curriculum

We work hard to provide a broad and balanced range of age and stage appropriate learning experiences. We acknowledge that children learn in different ways and at different rates and plan for this accordingly.

For the highest quality of teaching and learning to take place activities must be fun, exciting, motivating, challenging, at the appropriate level and include real life memorable experiences. Our learning activities include all the above. We understand how children learn and recognise that each individual learns differently. Our teaching and activities are planned to ensure that each child reaches their full potential whilst in our care.

Staff encourage children to think critically, to explore the equipment available to them and to be creative during their play. Children are inspired to challenge what they are doing and our childcare practitioners offer support and ideas to help develop each individual child’s knowledge. Children love playing in our positive, encouraging and supportive environment. Our children are motivated and excited to try new activities.  We provide resources to enable self-discovery to take place and children use their imagination and creativity to learn as they play. Children play and learn together. They share resources and negotiate together during child initiated, and adult initiated play. 

The EYFS consists of a statutory framework for the Early Years which sets the standards for learning development and care for children from birth to five years. The framework helps to support staff when assessing a child's progress and enables them to provide the highest quality learning experiences for all babies and children. 

In order to support all children to fulfil their maximum potential within our care we establish a personalised record of each individual child’s development which outlines their abilities, progress made, interests and areas needing support, or additional challenge, using staff and parental assistance. 

We work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure that daily routines for babies and children in our care accommodates the needs of the individual child and family including meal times, snack times, rest, sleep, toileting and play.

Each child has their own key worker. A child’s key worker maintains a record of how their children are developing. We then develop tailor made activities based on observations, in our planning, and draw on children’s needs and interests. This is promoted through a balance of adult led and child-initiated opportunities both indoors and outdoors.  We acknowledge each child is unique and that children develop at different rates and in their own ways. 

For children to become effective learners they are encouraged to participate in activities that focus on finding out, playing and exploring. Play time at Ashdon allows children to try new things, take calculated risks, make mistakes and challenge themselves. Children in our care enjoy their own achievements and use their existing knowledge to help them learn new things, come up with their own ideas, make links and choices, solve problems and be creative and imaginative.

Planning activities in the nursery happens in different ways. Sometimes learning takes place spontaneously or in the moment. For example, a child may show a particular interest in something, or want to take learning in another direction. We follow children’s ideas, allowing them to use their imagination and creativity. This learning gives children many opportunities throughout the day to make their own choices and decisions within our free flow environment. At other times learning is planned through themed topics following discussions with children to ensure we cover the things they would like to learn about. Throughout the year the nursery aims to cover a wide range of topics such as road safety, healthy eating and fairy tales. There is always a new learning experience either taking place or ready to happen both of which excite and engage the children attending Ashdon Childrens Nursery.