Pre-school - Curriculum
Click to go straight to the following subjects:
- Introduction
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication language and literacy development
- Mathematics
- Knowledge and understanding of the world
- Physical development
- Creative development
- Partnership with parents
- Spiritual development
Introduction
The Pre-school aims to encourage children to achieve, by using the Birth to Three Matters Framework and Stepping Stones, which guide children into the foundation stage of children's learning, from 3 years of age until the end of the reception year. This is about developing key learning skills, which will prepare children for Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum. Folders containing information from SureStart and the Department of Education covering the Birth to Three Matters Framework and the curriculum guidance for the foundation stage is available to view at Pre-school.
Children learn through play and interaction with others. The Pre-school aims to provide a balanced programme of activities which enable children to reach their full potential in all the areas of their early years development. These can be summarised as in the following paragraphs:
Personal, social and emotional development
Our aim is for the children to accept themselves and each other, and to learn that everyone has valuable qualities, whatever their abilities. During their time at Pre-school, children may experience many changes, from their first separation from parents or carers, and being integrated into Pre-school, then preparation for their move into primary school education. We hope that the caring environment at Pre-school will enable them to gain in self-confidence, self esteem and self-discipline, and learn about sharing and turn taking, as well as to have respect for themselves and others. We also encourage them to take care of their own personal needs as we steer them towards independence.
The children are encouraged to develop relationships with other children and with the adults in the group, and to share their skills and interests with us. They are encouraged to express their feelings appropriately, and to develop their awareness of right and wrong and why.
Communication language and literacy development
Children are encouraged to develop their listening skills, through stories and sound games. Interaction and discussion aims to introduce new vocabulary, and encourage children to understand the meaning and the importance of language in order to help them gain confidence in their speech, and speaking out loud. We offer children opportunities to practice their verbal skills through singing, poems, role-play and drama, cookery activities and gardening.
Pre-reading skills are encouraged through the use of pictures displays, games, puzzles, and books, and signs around the Pre-school. We support their learning that letters have meaning through laminated signs of words and use of our computer software. Also through our planned activities and craft work, children are given the opportunity to explore and develop in their own individual way. We encourage the children to enhance their skills in drawing, painting, mark making by provided materials for them to do this. The children are encouraged in their communication skills by using body language and signing.
Mathematics
We aim to give children the opportunity to gain confidence with numbers and recognise them, through number songs, rhymes, stories, books, as well as activities, puzzles, construction sets, organised number games, hopscotch, etc. To provide imaginative and enjoyable activities to reinforce numbers, by the use of the home corner, cookery activities, construction kits, computer software, 3D modelling etc. To give them opportunities through activities and adult encouragement to understand concepts of under/over/heavy/light/more/less, to re-create patterns; sort, match order, sequence and count. Cookery and sand and water play give experience of volume, weight floating and sinking.
We also aim to give them guidance on how to solve problems, and encourage them to think why things happen and how. Provide them with opportunities to count, recognise written numbers and materials to enable them to write these down and record them. To encourage them to think about their time at Pre-school by the recognition of landmark times to help them on the road to being able to understand time.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
We aim to give children the opportunity to learn about their world, natural, animal, and man-made. To receive knowledge of other cultures and backgrounds, which are different from their own, using pictures, displays, topics, themes, (such as around the world), visitors, stories, songs, role play, drama, technology, Geo-safari Pre-computer game, and our computer, interest table and construction sets. Through visits to farms, parks and the use of our own outside area to stimulate their interest and curiosity about the world around them.
Through these experiences children will have opportunities to explore, make decisions, experiment, ask questions, make predictions and encourage problem solving skills. We aim to give them opportunity to encourage curiosity about the past and present and the environment in which they live, and to help them make sense of the world in which they live.
Physical development
The Pre-school offers a range of physical play activities, both indoors and in our outside play area to enable children to explore and experiment. These include organised physical games, assault course, climbing frame, slide, trampoline, trikes and scooter, tent and tunnel ball, ball pond play, outside log cabin, parachute play, music and movement, basket ball, skipping ropes, sand and water play etc.
Taking part in such activities enables children to develop their control and co-ordination, and introduce to them the language of movement. There are also many opportunities for children to practice "fine" skills such as pencil control, and to improve hand-eye co-ordination through the use of jigsaws, building bricks, construction sets, playdough, painting and craft work. In all physical activities, children are reminded of the need for safety, and are encouraged to be aware of the space, and of others around them and are encouraged in their increasing independence during physical activities. They are always supervised by an adult. The children are also encouraged to think about their bodies and how they can look after them (health/hygiene awareness). Our aim is to encourage all children, whatever their abilities, to reach their physical potential.
Creative development
Pre-school offers a variety of different play materials, which enable children to explore and experiment and encourage creativity and to express themselves through their senses. Children are introduced to a range of themes and topics which encourages curiosity, leading to them asking questions, why how etc. We also aim to stimulate and cultivate an enjoyment of books, stories, rhymes, singing, role play and drama and art.
There is also craft work available for the children to take part in, and we encourage them to do so to promote creativity, and a sense of achievement, giving them sufficient time to do this. Where possible we invite in visitors to share their creative interests and hobbies with the children, such visitors have included, crafts persons such as potters, musicians and carpenters, also visitors from other cultural backgrounds, such as India, Pakistan, Israel our around the world theme gives children opportunity to look at artefacts from different cultures, we have covered, America, Korea, China, Ireland, to name a few. To give experience through sign language to express themselves through body language. We aim to give children the opportunity to express themselves creatively in many areas.
Partnership with parents
Parents and carers are encouraged to take an active part in the Pre-school. Volunteers are always welcome to help on our rolling milk table and our computer rota (please speak to a member of staff if you wish to help us). We have a parent representative on our Management Committee, who attends Management Committee meetings; in that capacity they are the voice for the parent/carers. The Parent Representative is elected or re-elected every year.
We encourage you to visit(s) with your child prior to his/her start to help familiarise them with the surroundings. We also have a flexible settling in period, parents are very welcome to stay until their child has settled. If you have anything that you wish to discuss about your child and their development, please do not hesitate to talk to their Key Auntie, who will be allocated to your child, or Janice Taylor - The Pre-school Team Leader. There is also the opportunity to exchange information about your child, via the Home Record Book, which you will be issued with for your child. This will enable you to write down changes and developments which happen at home, to further help us to encourage your child's development whilst they are with us.
There is a parent's social evening at the end of each Pre-school year (July), where you will have an extra opportunity to discuss your child's development and receive their Transfer Record Reports, which will be passed on to the school they will be going to.
We have Key Auntie coffee mornings. These will take place once a term and will give you opportunity to talk to your child’s Key Auntie in a social setting.
In addition there is a new parent’s social evening in October of each year.
Spiritual development
Pre-school aims to give children an understanding of the world that God created, and to show God's individual love, care and concern for them. This is done through the use of bible stories, songs and prayers. Children are encouraged to express themselves to God in a Christian environment.
We end each morning session with a thankyou song, thanking God for the world, our family and friends, and for our food and drink.
