Learning and Development
We are given clear requirements and guidance to enable all children to participate, enjoy and achieve in rich play-based activities.

We ensure that the individual needs of all children are met and plan activities to support their development and progress. We are proactive in building positive and effective relationships with parents / carers. All needs are identified through observational assessment, no testing takes place.

We use a balance of adult-led and freely chosen or child initiated activities to take place either indoors or outside. This high quality care goes hand in hand with development and learning.

We work towards the Early Learning Goals incorporating specific requirements linked to learning and development to help the children make progress towards these goals.

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
We provide experiences and support to enable children to develop a positive sense of themselves and of others. We support children’s emotional well-being, helping them to know themselves and what they can do. We help children to develop respect for others, social skills and a positive disposition to learn. We help them overcome any behavioural or communication difficulties.

We work hard to establish constructive relationships with all the children and adults within the nursery catering for all differences.
We enable the children to make warm and caring relationships with a small number of people making sure that each child has a key person within the setting.

We give positive encouragement to the children and act as positive role models. The children work alone and in small and large groups gaining independence.

Through play and learning opportunities we encourage children to acknowledge differences in our society.

2. Communication, Language and Literacy
We support children’s learning and competence in communicating, speaking and listening, being read to and beginning to read and write. We work to give them the confidence, opportunity, encouragement, support and disposition to use their skills in a range of situations and for a range of purposes.

We look out for and identify any particular difficulties in children’s language development and offer appropriate support.

3. Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
We support children in developing their understanding of problem solving, reasoning and numeracy in a broad range of contexts in which they can explore, enjoy, learn, practise and talk about their developing understanding. We offer opportunities for these skills to be practised, in order to give children confidence and competence in their use.

Mathematical understanding is developed through stories, songs, games and play. Many different, practical, imaginative and enjoyable activities focus on mathematical development and learning including observing numbers and patterns in the environment and daily routines.

We encourage and give the children time to use mathematical words, explore problems, to make patterns and to count and match together.

4. Knowledge and Understanding of the World
We support children’s development of the crucial knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of the world. We support children’s learning through offering opportunities for them to: learn to use a range of tools safely; encounter creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments and in real-life situations; undertake practical ‘experiments’; and work with a range of materials.

We offer an environment with a wide range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, that stimulate children’s interest and curiosity mostly through first-hand experiences. We are careful with our speech, modelling of ‘correct’ language and the use of carefully framed open-ended questions, e.g. “How can we?”, “What would happen if…?” We encourage the children to tell each other what they have found out, to speculate on future findings or to describe their experiences.
Some direct teaching of skills and knowledge in the context of practical activities takes place when appropriate.

We give the children opportunities that help them to become aware of, explore and question issues of differences in cultures and people.

5. Physical Development
We encourage the physical development of young children through offering opportunities for them to learn through being active and interactive, improving their skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement. We support children in using all of their senses to learn about the world around them and to make connections between new information and what they already know. We support children in developing an understanding of the importance of making healthy choices in relation to food and drink.

We provide sufficient space, indoors and outdoors, to set up relevant activities giving sufficient time for children to use a range of equipment and to persist and learn from their successes and mistakes.

6. Creative Development
We extend children’s creativity by supporting their curiosity, exploration and play. We provide children with opportunities to explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings, for example through a variety of art, music, movement, dance, imaginative and role-play activities, mathematics, and design and technology.

We endeavour to create a stimulating environment in which creativity, originality and expressiveness are valued and offer a wide range of experiences and activities that children can respond to by using their senses.

The children have time to explore, develop ideas and finish working at their ideas. The children feel secure enough to take risks, make mistakes and be adventurous. We value their ideas in drawing, painting, dancing or model making. We give them opportunities to express their ideas, see and handle artefacts, experience sound using musical instruments and listening to music and other sounds in the environment.

PARENTS/CARERS AS PARTNERS

The nursery team will work with you the parents/carers as partners in providing quality care for your child. We acknowledge that you are your child’s primary carer(s) and know your child better than anyone.

· All parents/carers are welcome to visit the nurseries at any time.

· Parents/carers have access to their child's records upon request and are consulted in respect of the care given.

· Information about activities, curriculum and events is distributed in the monthly newsletters.

· Suggestions for activities at home are included on the weekly planning sheets - displayed alongside descriptions of 0 - 3 matters and Early Learning Goals.

· Parents/carers are able to inspect all our policies at any time. These are on display on the parents’ noticeboard.

· A suggestion box is available for your suggestions and or comments.

· Parents/carers formal consultations are held at least once a year.

· Upon request we will endeavour to provide any information in large print format, on audio tape and/or translated to languages other than English.

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