Our Curriculum at Roydon Early Years
Our Vision and values
At Roydon Early Years our vision is simple, for all children to be welcomed into our fun Early Years family, for them to gain confidence, make friends, play, and learn with support from highly experienced and qualified staff in order to reach and exceed their potential.
We value every child and their family as unique individuals. We value every learning experience and every step that a child takes – no matter how small – and we value the ideal that all learning should be made fun, exciting, interesting, engaging and accessible for all children.
Our Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
There are 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, the Prime Areas are the most significant and are what we focus on when children first start with us, no matter their age. They promote confidence in themselves and around other people and they also concentrate on giving children a voice and communication, as well as developing themselves physically.
The Prime Areas of Learning are:
Communication and Language - The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. (Development Matters 2021)
At Roydon Early Years we provide lots of opportunities for 1:1, small group and whole group story and song times – these can be planned routine times, for example at the end of each day – but also spur of the moment, such as ‘Going on a bear hunt’ while walking around the grass. Children access lots of role play and small world activities which encourage interactions with others and also the use of their imaginations. We have opportunities every day where children can share news, talk about what they have been doing and also what they might do at the weekend. Staff use ‘teachable moments’ and will know when to step in and when to stand back during children’s play.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development - Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. (Development Matters 2021)
At Roydon Early Years we support children by encouragement, building bonds with them and supporting them building bonds with others. Children will experience strong, warm, and supportive relationships with adults which will support them in managing emotions and developing a positive sense of self. Children are encouraged to share, take turns and help each other from the time they start with us. There are lots of opportunities for children to talk about their feelings, wants and needs. We regularly talk about emotions and how things make us feel, children are encouraged to think about how their actions make others feel, and reading stories also supports the children in describing how characters are feeling and why they feel that way. All staff are positive role models for the children, we work in a consistent and positive way so all children are clear on rules and boundaries as well as what is expected of them.
Physical Development - Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives. (Development Matters 2021)
We have a very large outdoor area that is used all year round in all weather as we have a large covered area on the patio. Children are free to explore, manage risks and push themselves to develop physically. There are a lot of natural climbing areas, such as a large tree trunk, log stepping stones, tyres etc as well as slides, climbing frames and lots of toys of different sizes for different abilities, such as stilts, ride on bikes etc. We also have a digging area, lots of mark making resources – large and small – and we have group physical play time each day with Yoga, music and movement etc. There are always resources on offer to promote fine motor skills, such as water play, construction, puzzles, play dough etc.
Children are encouraged from a young age to be independent in self-care, we work with parents to assess each child’s needs with regard to toileting and feeding so that the child receives consistent support. Healthy eating is promoted during snack time where children pour their own drinks and also wash up after themselves. Snack and lunchtimes are very social occasions where we discuss how to eat and stay healthy, children learn the order in which foods should be eaten and also get to try a range of different healthy foods.
The Specific Areas of Learning are:
Literacy - It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. (Development Matters 2021)
At Roydon Early Years we encourage and inspire all children to share a love of books and stories, we always make the most of opportunities to share a story, all areas inside and out will have books, posters etc alongside them for children to see and experience. Children have the freedom to create their own play and this will often end up with them recreating stories they have heard or making up stories of their own. We have a massive range of mark making areas and resources in all areas of the setting. There are large chalk boards and white boards, free access to chalks, brushes and water, pens, pencils and crayons, paint, sand and mud to use fingers, sticks etc in. We also have a wide range of games and activities to support word forming, letter sounding and recognition.
Mathematics - Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. (Development Matters 2021)
Daily we sing number songs and rhymes, children are encouraged to count how many children are in attendance and how many staff, we do regular simple sums during these times to support the understanding of ‘one more’ ‘one less’ and recognising ‘the same’. Maths is brought into every area of play, size, weight and shape are discussed constantly throughout the day where appropriate – such as whose cup has more water in? how many seats do we need? I spy something round etc. Resources such as construction, zoo animals, table games, kitchen role play, scavenger hunts etc prompt children to use mathematical language.
Understanding the World - Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them. (Development Matters 2021)
We regularly take children out to explore the local community, we visit different areas around the village such as the school, park, pond and go to make purchases from the garage, as well as an annual trip to Banham zoo. We have a fabulous outdoor area where children are free to explore, plant seeds, tend to plants in our herb garden, and throughout the year they will plant bulbs or seeds to take home and care for too. Through the use of Tapestry, parents share celebrations, activities and outings and children love to share these photos with their friends and chat about what they have been doing. Children get to explore technology indoors and out, they explore the natural world with magnifiers and microscopes, use vetch toys, remote control toys, real phones and cameras, as well as tablets with age appropriate educational programmes on.
Expressive Arts and Design - The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. (Development Matters 2021)
As a setting, we love to play music, sing, create and dance, we have regular music and movement sessions and we sing throughout the day every day! Children are free to explore their imagination and we provide props, real life items and resources to support this. Our outdoor area really encourages children to use their imaginations, we have a full-size boat, dens in the hedges, mud kitchen, play shed, imagination boxes and sensory areas where children love to create and explore by themselves and with friends. We have a huge number of resources for children to independently use to create art work using their own imaginations.
We also use The Characteristics of Effective Learning (COEL) to understand how children learn and their favoured ways of learning. This helps support us in supporting each child by enabling them to take part in learning in a way that they are excited by and that they are confident in.
The Characteristics of Effective Learning are:
Playing And Exploring:
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to have a go
Active Learning:
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating And Thinking Critically:
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
The aims of our curriculum are……
At Roydon Early Years we believe children deserve the best start to their education and we are committed to making the child the focus of our work. We provide a stimulating, exciting, instinctive approach to learning. We support children to develop the confidence to have a go themselves, ask for support when they need it and develop the independence to learn by trial and error.
We provide opportunities for our children to:
• Explore, enjoy, learn, and practice their new skills and understanding.
• Apply their skills in a range of situations and for a purpose.
• Develop the confidence and inclination to achieve.
Through these opportunities, we want our children to:
• Be happy, active, independent, confident and curious learners.
• Make links in their learning.
• Feel valued, respected and included.
• Be challenged and excited with a real desire to find out more.
• Have a positive ‘I can!’ attitude
Our Curriculum aims
Our curriculum is broken down into ‘aims’, the age children take these steps may vary, but we have the same hopes and expectations for all children when they leave us to start school. To reach these aims, staff support the children using the 7 areas of learning in the ways described above. All staff are skilled and experienced, we get to know all children well but we really get to know the abilities, needs and ‘ways’ of allocated key children, by doing this we can alter, adapt and create activities to support children individually to reach their potential.
Curriculum aim 1:
Within a month of starting with us, children will be confident in leaving parents/carers, they will gain confidence in interacting with others and they will be growing in confidence using speech and language.
Curriculum aim 2:
By the age of 36 months, we aspire for children to be confidently using language, asking questions, following simple instructions and enjoying looking at books as well as listening to stories. Children will enjoy interacting with others, they will seek out friends and play cooperatively. Children will start to accept the needs of others and will mostly be able to understand our rules and boundaries. Children will be physically confident and will have developed an awareness of their own bodies and of how to keep themselves safe.
At this point we would also make referral for speech and language if needed and agreed.
Curriculum aim 3:
By the time children leave us to start school they will be confident, capable learners and able to ask for help when needed. They will listen to and answer questions about a story and will be able to speak in sentences using a wide vocabulary. Children will be able to negotiate with others, they will have firm friendships and will be socially confident. Children will be using the toilet, dressing and undressing themselves, know when and how hygiene practises are needed and they will be able to make healthy choices – such as when eating, knowing when to wash hands etc. Children will be able to recognise their name and their own things – shoes, bags etc – and will be able to listen for a short time and carry out instructions. Children will mark make and talk about what they have created and use their imaginations to create play themes.
Our curriculum supports all staff in providing…….
At Roydon Early Years our vision is simple, for all children to be welcomed into our fun Early Years family, for them to gain confidence, make friends, play, and learn with support from highly experienced and qualified staff in order to reach and exceed their potential.
We value every child and their family as unique individuals. We value every learning experience and every step that a child takes – no matter how small – and we value the ideal that all learning should be made fun, exciting, interesting, engaging and accessible for all children.
Our Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
There are 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, the Prime Areas are the most significant and are what we focus on when children first start with us, no matter their age. They promote confidence in themselves and around other people and they also concentrate on giving children a voice and communication, as well as developing themselves physically.
The Prime Areas of Learning are:
Communication and Language - The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. (Development Matters 2021)
At Roydon Early Years we provide lots of opportunities for 1:1, small group and whole group story and song times – these can be planned routine times, for example at the end of each day – but also spur of the moment, such as ‘Going on a bear hunt’ while walking around the grass. Children access lots of role play and small world activities which encourage interactions with others and also the use of their imaginations. We have opportunities every day where children can share news, talk about what they have been doing and also what they might do at the weekend. Staff use ‘teachable moments’ and will know when to step in and when to stand back during children’s play.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development - Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. (Development Matters 2021)
At Roydon Early Years we support children by encouragement, building bonds with them and supporting them building bonds with others. Children will experience strong, warm, and supportive relationships with adults which will support them in managing emotions and developing a positive sense of self. Children are encouraged to share, take turns and help each other from the time they start with us. There are lots of opportunities for children to talk about their feelings, wants and needs. We regularly talk about emotions and how things make us feel, children are encouraged to think about how their actions make others feel, and reading stories also supports the children in describing how characters are feeling and why they feel that way. All staff are positive role models for the children, we work in a consistent and positive way so all children are clear on rules and boundaries as well as what is expected of them.
Physical Development - Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives. (Development Matters 2021)
We have a very large outdoor area that is used all year round in all weather as we have a large covered area on the patio. Children are free to explore, manage risks and push themselves to develop physically. There are a lot of natural climbing areas, such as a large tree trunk, log stepping stones, tyres etc as well as slides, climbing frames and lots of toys of different sizes for different abilities, such as stilts, ride on bikes etc. We also have a digging area, lots of mark making resources – large and small – and we have group physical play time each day with Yoga, music and movement etc. There are always resources on offer to promote fine motor skills, such as water play, construction, puzzles, play dough etc.
Children are encouraged from a young age to be independent in self-care, we work with parents to assess each child’s needs with regard to toileting and feeding so that the child receives consistent support. Healthy eating is promoted during snack time where children pour their own drinks and also wash up after themselves. Snack and lunchtimes are very social occasions where we discuss how to eat and stay healthy, children learn the order in which foods should be eaten and also get to try a range of different healthy foods.
The Specific Areas of Learning are:
Literacy - It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. (Development Matters 2021)
At Roydon Early Years we encourage and inspire all children to share a love of books and stories, we always make the most of opportunities to share a story, all areas inside and out will have books, posters etc alongside them for children to see and experience. Children have the freedom to create their own play and this will often end up with them recreating stories they have heard or making up stories of their own. We have a massive range of mark making areas and resources in all areas of the setting. There are large chalk boards and white boards, free access to chalks, brushes and water, pens, pencils and crayons, paint, sand and mud to use fingers, sticks etc in. We also have a wide range of games and activities to support word forming, letter sounding and recognition.
Mathematics - Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. (Development Matters 2021)
Daily we sing number songs and rhymes, children are encouraged to count how many children are in attendance and how many staff, we do regular simple sums during these times to support the understanding of ‘one more’ ‘one less’ and recognising ‘the same’. Maths is brought into every area of play, size, weight and shape are discussed constantly throughout the day where appropriate – such as whose cup has more water in? how many seats do we need? I spy something round etc. Resources such as construction, zoo animals, table games, kitchen role play, scavenger hunts etc prompt children to use mathematical language.
Understanding the World - Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them. (Development Matters 2021)
We regularly take children out to explore the local community, we visit different areas around the village such as the school, park, pond and go to make purchases from the garage, as well as an annual trip to Banham zoo. We have a fabulous outdoor area where children are free to explore, plant seeds, tend to plants in our herb garden, and throughout the year they will plant bulbs or seeds to take home and care for too. Through the use of Tapestry, parents share celebrations, activities and outings and children love to share these photos with their friends and chat about what they have been doing. Children get to explore technology indoors and out, they explore the natural world with magnifiers and microscopes, use vetch toys, remote control toys, real phones and cameras, as well as tablets with age appropriate educational programmes on.
Expressive Arts and Design - The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. (Development Matters 2021)
As a setting, we love to play music, sing, create and dance, we have regular music and movement sessions and we sing throughout the day every day! Children are free to explore their imagination and we provide props, real life items and resources to support this. Our outdoor area really encourages children to use their imaginations, we have a full-size boat, dens in the hedges, mud kitchen, play shed, imagination boxes and sensory areas where children love to create and explore by themselves and with friends. We have a huge number of resources for children to independently use to create art work using their own imaginations.
We also use The Characteristics of Effective Learning (COEL) to understand how children learn and their favoured ways of learning. This helps support us in supporting each child by enabling them to take part in learning in a way that they are excited by and that they are confident in.
The Characteristics of Effective Learning are:
Playing And Exploring:
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to have a go
Active Learning:
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating And Thinking Critically:
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
The aims of our curriculum are……
At Roydon Early Years we believe children deserve the best start to their education and we are committed to making the child the focus of our work. We provide a stimulating, exciting, instinctive approach to learning. We support children to develop the confidence to have a go themselves, ask for support when they need it and develop the independence to learn by trial and error.
We provide opportunities for our children to:
• Explore, enjoy, learn, and practice their new skills and understanding.
• Apply their skills in a range of situations and for a purpose.
• Develop the confidence and inclination to achieve.
Through these opportunities, we want our children to:
• Be happy, active, independent, confident and curious learners.
• Make links in their learning.
• Feel valued, respected and included.
• Be challenged and excited with a real desire to find out more.
• Have a positive ‘I can!’ attitude
Our Curriculum aims
Our curriculum is broken down into ‘aims’, the age children take these steps may vary, but we have the same hopes and expectations for all children when they leave us to start school. To reach these aims, staff support the children using the 7 areas of learning in the ways described above. All staff are skilled and experienced, we get to know all children well but we really get to know the abilities, needs and ‘ways’ of allocated key children, by doing this we can alter, adapt and create activities to support children individually to reach their potential.
Curriculum aim 1:
Within a month of starting with us, children will be confident in leaving parents/carers, they will gain confidence in interacting with others and they will be growing in confidence using speech and language.
Curriculum aim 2:
By the age of 36 months, we aspire for children to be confidently using language, asking questions, following simple instructions and enjoying looking at books as well as listening to stories. Children will enjoy interacting with others, they will seek out friends and play cooperatively. Children will start to accept the needs of others and will mostly be able to understand our rules and boundaries. Children will be physically confident and will have developed an awareness of their own bodies and of how to keep themselves safe.
At this point we would also make referral for speech and language if needed and agreed.
Curriculum aim 3:
By the time children leave us to start school they will be confident, capable learners and able to ask for help when needed. They will listen to and answer questions about a story and will be able to speak in sentences using a wide vocabulary. Children will be able to negotiate with others, they will have firm friendships and will be socially confident. Children will be using the toilet, dressing and undressing themselves, know when and how hygiene practises are needed and they will be able to make healthy choices – such as when eating, knowing when to wash hands etc. Children will be able to recognise their name and their own things – shoes, bags etc – and will be able to listen for a short time and carry out instructions. Children will mark make and talk about what they have created and use their imaginations to create play themes.
Our curriculum supports all staff in providing…….
- Quality and consistency across the setting, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind
- A secure foundation through learning and development opportunities which are planned around the needs and interests of each individual child and are assessed and reviewed regularly
- Partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers as well as other settings children attend
- Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported