Throughout the Early Years at Chopwell Primary School we believe in providing children with a safe and stimulating environment where children flourish and where play and learning is combined. We understand the importance of practical learning experiences and strive to equip children with a love of learning and a natural curiosity. Here at Chopwell Primary School we value the importance of the outdoor environment to develop children’s thinking and problem solving skills and children have free-flow access to this. Our topics and planning in early years are based around children’s current interests and their next steps, this helps to develop children’s confidence and self-esteem. Through the Plan-Do-Review process we support them in taking their first step in the learning process by helping them make choices and following through on their plans and decisions. We are committed to giving our children the best possible start to their school life, teaching them skills which ensure their well-being now and success in the future.
In Nursery and Reception, we follow the Early Years Foundation stage curriculum. There are 7 areas of learning and 17 Early Learning Goals which the children are assessed against at the end of Reception.
The 3 prime areas are fundamental and ensure that children can develop in all other areas, these include: -
-Personal, Social and Emotional development
-Communication and Language development
-Physical Development
The specific areas include essential skills and knowledge and enable the prime areas to be strengthened and applied, these include: -
The characteristics of effective learning thread through all areas of learning and are a fundamental part of children’s development. The characteristics of effective learning are: -
Playing and exploring (engagement)
Active learning (motivation)
Creating and thinking critically (thinking)
We know that all children learn at different rates and in different ways. We use observations to carefully assess children’s skills and knowledge and from these observations and assessments, we can plan the next steps for each individual child and provide experiences to fill any gaps. We recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers and we are committed to promoting positive relationships between home and school. Parents and carers are a child’s first teacher and have a crucial role in their development before and during their time at school. By working in partnership we can all support our children in every step of their learning journey.