Camps Hill Primary School
Early Years
Intent:
In the Early Years we strive to give our children the best start possible with their education. Our curriculum is broad and ambitious and is designed to encourage independent, inquisitive, and happy learners. We deliver this in a variety of ways, through the 7 areas of learning, both through adult led and child-initiated activities. We ensure there are many opportunities for practical, hands-on activities to support children's learning and make it meaningful. We build positive relationships with our children and their families through an effective key worker system, to ensure high quality interactions are responsive and move children on with their learning. Every child is recognised as a unique individual, and we acknowledge and promote children’s interests to provide them with the opportunities to follow their imagination and creativity.
Our children will leave the Early Years as happy, confident, curious independent learners ready for the wider world.
Implementation:
We aim to do this by:
- A range of whole class teaching, group teaching, experiences and play based activities.
- Carefully planned adult led experiences.
- Our planning responds to children through high quality interactions, purposeful questioning, and a range of teaching methods to close gaps in development and prepare children for their next stage of education.
- Teaching a broad range of exciting and challenging topics half-termly.
- In Preschool and Nursery, Phonics is taught in groups following the Little Wandle scheme.
- In Reception Phonics is taught as a discrete phonics lesson following the Little Wandle scheme.
- High quality texts chosen as our ‘Story of the week’ to support communication and language, develop key vocabulary and promote a love of reading.
- We teach British sign language to support communication and language and SEND learners.
- Having a carefully planned skills progression across the Early Years.
- Creating an enabling environment- both inside and outside.
- Having investigation areas to promote curiosity.
- Having regular moderations across all of the Early Years.
- Sharing key information with parents through Tapestry and engaging families in home learning opportunities that are developmentally appropriate.
How we measure impact:
Baseline assessments take place when children arrive in Preschool, Nursery and Reception. The Reception Baseline is submitted onto a national database within the first 6 weeks of Reception. These baselines are used to identify gaps and for us to plan effective strategies and interventions to ensure all children make good progress.
Experiences in Early Years
At Camps Hill, our children will experience a wide range of opportunities including…
- Have stay and play sessions.
- Grow and taste food.
- Bake.
- Access Nurture sessions.
- Take part in messy/sensory play.
- Perform to/for an audience.
- Sing and dance.
- Dress up.
- Meet people who help us (eg Fire Brigade).
- Read a wide range of stories/texts, including from different cultures.
- Play in a mud kitchen.
- Build a sand castle.
- Jump in puddles.
- Go on environment walks around the school.
- Visit the forest school.
- Have animal visits.
- Explore a wide range of media.
- Attend school/community events.
- Visit the school/EYs library.
- Build relationships.
Asperations in Early
At Camps Hill, our curriculum will support and enable children to…
Preschool
- To concentrate on an activity for a short period of time and can shift my attention to a new task when asked.
- To use my thumb and fingers to explore mark making tools on different surfaces using different materials.
- To build relationships with people who are special to me.
Nursery
- To learn, understand and use a wide range of vocabulary.
- To express a wide range of emotions and understand my actions may affect how others feel.
- To explore different ways to travel and negotiate space.
Reception
- To use my phonic knowledge to read sounds and represent them in my writing.
- To negotiate a range of social situations, being able to self-regulate and seek support when needed.
- To understand and respect that everyone is different.
