Nursery Curriculum
In nursery we prioritise communication and language, personal development and early physical skills. Our curriculum is designed to develop children's attention, vocabulary and independence so they are ready for the expectations of Reception.
Communication and Language
This is our top priority and children develop their understanding and use of langauge through high quality interactions, role play, shared stories and songs and a language rich environment.
Personal, social and emotional development
Children learn to follow routines, build relationships and manage their emotions through consistent support and clear expectations using conflict resolution scripts and the zones of regulations.
Physical Development
Children develop their gross motor skills to build core strength and fine motor skills to develop hand eye coordination essential for later writing. By prioritising active play, we don't only support healthy bodies we help develop their spatial awareness, independence and resilience they need to succeed in other areas of their education.
Early literacy
Children develop a love of stories, songs and rhymes. They learn to join in with repeated phrases and retell simple familiar stories. Through games, we help children develop their auditory discrination and listening skills needed for future reading.
Our Themes Across the Year
Throughout the year, children explore a range of weekly themes and provocations. These provide exciting starting points for learning, language development, creativity, curiosity and play. Themes may be adapted to respond to children’s interests, seasonal events and special celebrations.
Planned themes:
|
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer Provocations
|
| All about Me and my Family Night and Day/Light and Dark Diwali (Date varies)- Sikhs and Hindus Autumn (Sept-Nov) Zoo Animals Bonfire Night (5th November) Nursery Rhyme week Homes Landscapes and seasons Christmas- Christians |
New Year Reptiles Chinese New Year (Date varies) Winter (Dec-Feb) Journeys/Exploring Mental Health Week-Feb Easter- Christians / Spring (March-May) Pirates Superheroes Mother’s Day (Date Varies) Ramadan and Eid (Dates vary)- Muslim Toys Fruit |
Dinosaurs Plants Pets Holidays Transport Father’s Day (Date varies) Vegetables Summer (June-Aug) |
Other themes which may be covered following the children’s interests: Farm Animals, Oral Health/Healthy living, Fruit/Africa, Bugs, Jungle Animals, People who Help Us in the school and village, People who help us-emergency services, Space, Under the Sea, Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day, Polar Regions, Life Cycles, Woodland Animals, Life Cycles, Vehicles.
Each week, we choose a high-quality book linked to our theme. Preschool-aged children and our 2–3 year olds have carefully selected books that are appropriate for their stage of development. These books help to develop vocabulary, communication, listening, story language and a love of reading.
Other useful information
With parents, a baseline is completed to show children's starting points and then through observations and interactions, gaps (especially speech and language) are identified early.
Through high quality interactions, adults carefully extend children's thinking and language. Continuous provision is designed to embed key learning, with adults guiding and modelling where needed.
Children leave nursery with improved attention, a growing vocabulary and increasing independence. They are ready for the more structured learning of reception.