Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• the skills to investigate objects and materials and their properties, learn about change and patterns, similarities and differences and question how and why things work
• knowledge about the natural world and how it works;
• knowledge about the ‘made’ world and how it works;
• their learning about how to choose, and use, the right tool for the task;
• their learning about computers, how to use them and what they can help us to do;
• their skills on how to put together ideas about past and present and the links between them;
• their learning about their local environment and its special features; and
• their learning about their own and other cultures.

 

 

Timetable & Curriculum

This is a typical example of our day, however we are flexible to the needs of the particular children within our care at any given time.

9.00am	Felicity’s opens – Welcome all children in and free play begins
9.15am	Circle time
9.30am	Small groups: painting/topic related/extended learning
10.20am	Tidy up time
10.30am	Outdoor play
11.00am	Prayers & Elevenses
11.15am	Action games/songs/musical instruments
11.45am	Story
12.00pm	Morning session ends/Hand wash & Lunch for those staying/arriving for the afternoon session
12.30pm	Book Corner
12.45pm	Circle time (Children chose activities)
12.55pm	Free play & set activity
1.55pm	Tidy up time
2.05pm	Outdoor time – Nature walk/play
2.35pm	Circle games
3.00pm	Home time

The Curriculum

Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born.  The care and education offered at Felicity’s helps children to continue to do this by providing all the children with interesting activities that are appropriate to their age and stage of development.  The children learn through play which is key to the Early Years Foundation stage (EYFS). Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research shows is the means by which young children learn to think.  

At Felicity’s Nursery School each child has a key person who will build a special bond with them. They give children the reassurance to feel safe and cared for as well as building relationships with their parents.  The key  person is able to monitor the child’s progress and has input into the following week’s planning so your child has a bespoke timetable that will help him/her reach his/her full potential while they are with us.  All children are well supported to develop to their own full potential at their own pace.  

Each term's activities are planned in relation to our topic. We try to go on an outing and have visitors into the nursery school, to talk to the children.  We have a topic per half term. A letter goes home to help keep parents abreast of what is going on, and to help parents support children's learning at home. All the activities we offer are exciting and well planned by the key people to cover all areas of learning and development.  In some activities children decide how they will use the activity and in others an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity.

"The partnerships with parents is unquestionably strong. All staff have a positive commitment to consistent and continuous care and learning opportunities for children. They have a high regard for information gained from parents."

Ofsted Inspector October 2010

We regularly observe the children through written observations as well as through photographs taken, to assess their progress and share this information with you.  We believe that parents know their children best and we therefore we value your contribution in sharing information about your child.

"Practitioners competently promote the unique needs of every child and effectively meet their learning and welfare needs. Children play in a stimulating, inviting and very secure setting. Staff's knowledge of how each child learns is reflected well in the quality of the provision provided and the continuously evaluation of the Early Years Foundation Stage."

Ofsted Inspector October 2010

 

Our daily activities include role play, small world play, construction, outdoor play, music and movement, P.E., story telling, maths activities, mark making/writing activities, science activities, art and crafts, messy play and ICT activities.  

We have a wide range of play materials and resources and staff are experience in using them all in a variety of ways to cover all areas of the curriculum. 

 

 

Children are intrigued by magnets and demonstrate their inquisitiveness and independent in learning. A four year old child tries different materials to see if a magnet would work through them. By trial and error she discovers that the magnet works through the cover of a book but not through a table. Activities such as this helps to extend children's skills and promotes their abilities for future learning.

 

Ofsted Inspector October 2010

 

We also have French sessions twice a week which you can choose for your child to participate in.  And we have two sessions of Music & movement provided by outside visitors to Felicity’s Nursery School, as well as regular music sessions provided by staff as part of the daily routine.

The Early Years Foundation Stage

So what is the EYFS and how does Felicity’s Nursery School work in line with it?

The provision for children’s development and learning is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The EYFS became mandatory on 1st September 2008 for all provision of childcare outside the family home.  It is a statutory framework for all children between birth and the end of the academic year in which a child has their 5th birthday.  The provision at Felicity’s reflects the four key themes and sixteen commitments of the EYFS.  

Under the Learning & Development Theme lie the six areas for Development & Learning which set out the Early Learning Goals which children are expected to have achieved by the end of the reception year of their education – these are all interconnected and each as important as the other - 

1. Personal, Social & Emotional Development;
2. Communication, Language & Literacy;
3. Problem solving, Reasoning & Numeracy;
4. Knowledge & Understanding of the World;
5. Physical Development; and
6. Creative Development.

The practice guidance sets out in ‘Development Matters’ the likely stages of progress a child makes along their journey towards achieving the Early Learning Goals.  At Felicity’s we have regard to these matters when we assess and plan for our children’s learning.

1. Personal, Social & Emotional Development  

Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• positive approaches to learning and finding out about the world around them;
• confidence in themselves and their ability to do things, and valuing their own achievements;
• their ability to get on, work and make friendships with other people, both children and adults;
• their awareness of, and being able to keep to, the rules which we all need to help us to look after ourselves, other people and our environment;
• their ability to dress and undress themselves, and look after their personal hygiene needs; and
• their ability to expect to have their ways of doing things respected and to respect other people’s ways of doing things.

“Children speak with confidence, are developing their language skills and vocabulary, speaking with confidence at circle times about events in their own lives or talking about topic table items they have brought in from home.”  

Ofsted February 2007

2. Communication, Language & Literacy

Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• the ability to listen, as well as communicate both verbally and non-verbally in 1:1 contact as well as in small and large groups;
• their vocabulary by learning the meaning of and being able to use new words;
• their ability to use words to describe their experiences, to imagine and recreate roles;
• their knowledge of the sounds and letters that make up the words we use;
• their ability to listen to, and talk about stories;
• knowing how to handle books and that they can be a source of information as well as stories;
• how children build an understanding of the relationship between spoken and written word and knowing the purposes for which we use writing;
• making their own attempts at writing.

"They (children) enjoy opportunities to use everyday technology such as whisks and scales for cooking activities. Creative activities such as free painting, collage work and using play dough are popular activities and during the inspection children have fun covering their paper with different coloured paint, cutting out shapes to make stars and dressing up in the role play area.”  

Ofsted February 2007

         

3. Problem solving, Reasoning & Numeracy

Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• understanding and ideas about how many, how much, how far and how big;
• understanding and ideas about patterns, the shape of objects and parts of objects, and the amount of space taken up by objects;
• understanding that numbers help us to answer questions about how many, how much, how far and how big;
• understanding and ideas about how to use counting to find out how many; and
• early ideas about the result of adding more or taking away from the amount we already have.

 

 

"Children spend long periods of time at activities, showing good levels of concentration and involvement. They show a good level of interest and knowledge in counting and problem solving. For example a young child slowly and methodically completes a complex 1-20 counting puzzle, pointing to the numeral, naming it and putting it in the correct position."

      

  Ofsted Inspector October 2010    

4. Knowledge & Understanding of the World 

Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• the skills to investigate objects and materials and their properties, learn about change and patterns, similarities and differences and question how and why things work
• knowledge about the natural world and how it works;
• knowledge about the ‘made’ world and how it works;
• their learning about how to choose, and use, the right tool for the task;
• their learning about computers, how to use them and what they can help us to do;
• their skills on how to put together ideas about past and present and the links between them;
• their learning about their local environment and its special features; and
• their learning about their own and other cultures.

 

 

"Equality and diversity is promoted throughout the session through the use of role play materials and displayed posters, depicting a diverse society. "

Ofsted Inspector, October 2010

         

5. Physical Development

Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• increasing control over the large movements that they can make with their arms, legs and bodies, so that they can run, jump, hop, skip, roll, climb, balance and lift;
• increasing control over the small movements they can make with their arms, wrists and hands, so that they can pick up and use objects, tools and materials; and
• their understanding about the importance of, and how to look after, their bodies.

“Children participate with enthusiasm in a wide range of physical activities.”

“Children's health is also well supported through the nursery's healthy eating practices.”

Ofsted February 2007

6. Creative Development

Our curriculum supports children to develop:

• the use of paint, materials, music, dance, words, stories and role-play to express their ideas and feelings
• their interest in the way that paint, materials, music, dance, words, stories and role-play to express their ideas and feelings.