Our Vision for Early Years
Places
We accommodate a range of needs within our Nursery unit and offer places for mornings, afternoons, 2.5 days and 30 hours full time education.
Our Early Years setting comprises of a Nursery classroom and two Reception classes. Together we share an outdoor area which is open all year round.
Children
In the Early Years at Bramley Park Academy our children are happy. They are excited and motivated to learn through rich and challenging learning experiences; opportunities to explore and take risks, with a strong emphasis on first-hand experiences.
We have high ambitions for all our children and recognise that children have different starting points to their learning. We plan according to children’s stage of development so all can thrive and develop. We aim for children to be well-rounded individuals who are independent, resilient, and confident in themselves and with others.
Parents
Our partnership with parents means that parents have the opportunity to work closely with our Early Years practitioners to support children’s transition into the setting. We would like parents to feel secure in the knowledge that their child is well cared for and happy at school.
Our parents are welcome to be actively involved in their children’s learning in school and are able to share learning experiences through ‘stay and play’ sessions, school trips, learning journeys and parent workshops.
What is it like in the Early Years on a day to day basis?
Every day, we provide opportunities for children to come together to share their experiences and have fun. Our children are happy, proud and feel secure knowing that we celebrate their successes and value their achievements. The curriculum is centred around children’s interests with a balance of child-initiated and adult-led learning. Our topics and themes are carefully mapped out to ensure children are given the firm foundations they need for future success as they move through school. We have a huge focus on vocabulary and language development which is enriched by high quality stories, songs and rhymes.
We are a Spread the Happiness accredited school so on a daily basis your child will take part in Dough Disco, Squiggle While You Wiggle, Rap to Read and they will develop their language and literacy skills by planning their play and reviewing their own day.
Learning Environment
Our learning environment facilitates child-initiated play and provides children with carefully planned opportunities which allow children to explore, create and learn through exciting, stimulating, interactive and accessible resources. We have recently revamped both Early Years settings with new furniture and toys; which provides a rich and stimulating place for your child to learn.
Role of our Early Years practitioners and teachers
We are a united team with play-based child centred learning at the heart of our practice. We work closely together to plan for your child’s needs and next steps; incorporating both a stimulating theme and activities based on interests. We aim to communicate and work cooperatively with parents and carers to support our children’s development.
The Curriculum
Children learning in Nursery and Reception classes are known as the Early Years. We follow the national Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Our curriculum is planned and sequenced using Birth to Five and Development Matters objectives to ensure all children are given the opportunity to thrive across all 7 areas of learning.
The EYFS is a very important stage in a child’s life as it helps prepare them for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. Children’s early years experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs. Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences before the age of five will have a major impact on their future life chances.
We believe at the heart of all early childhood education is play! Our curriculum and classrooms are designed to give the children opportunities to rehearse, revisit and review concepts and skills taught by an adult in a play based activity. Our times tables are divided to give children the maximum time in provision; working alongside skilled staff to support, extend and challenge their thinking and development.
Children will learn skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.
Children are given activities and teaching to support their development in the prime areas as this underpinned all other future learning. These are:
- Communication and language;
- Physical development; and
- Personal, social and emotional development.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:
- Literacy;
- Mathematics;
- Understanding the world; and
- Expressive arts and design
Characteristics of Effective Learning
To become an effective learner children, need to develop good learning habits. Every area of the classroom is designed to promote:
- Playing and Exploring
- Being Active
- Creating and Thinking Critically
Staff use positive language and praise to encourage children to ‘have a go’ and ‘try again’. They also encourage children to solve problems, work co-operatively and explore new activities within a safe and secure environment.
Phonics
Your child will learn to read and write through daily phonics teaching using the systematic, synthetic phonic scheme ‘SuperSonic Phonic Friends’. Children will be introduced to key characters who will support their learning through Nursery and into Reception. They will begin their journey by listening to sounds, alliteration and rhythm before learning letter sounds in a given order and then applying them to words. They will receive a school reading book matched to their phonic development to support the process and every opportunity to mark make and write will be encouraged, modelled and celebrated.
Forrest Schools
As well as daily access to the outdoor area we are very lucky to have a Forrest School trained member of staff who will take groups of children into our woodland garden area to build dens, explore weather and seasons as well as learn about the world around us.