Curriculum

Focused activities will be on display in each base room.

The Foundation Stage

The foundation stage begins when children reach the age of 3 years and finishes at the end of reception class in school. The foundation stage of education is a very important phase in children's lives, a time when high quality of care and education is needed. The foundation stage started in September 2000 and is a new stage of education for all three, four and five year olds attending settings funded by a government nursery grant.

The aims of the foundation stage are to:

• Give every three, four and five year old the right to good quality early years education.
• Make early years education available in a wide variety of settings so that parents can choose a setting that best suits their needs.
• Help parents and early years educators to work closely together to give children the best possible start in life.
• Build on the education which children have already received at home.

The curriculum in the foundation stage is constructed to enable the children to work towards and achieve the early learning goals. (These goals are what most children are expected to achieve by the end of their time in reception class.) They are organised into six areas of learning and involve:

1. Personal, social and emotional development.
2. Communication, language and literacy.
3. Mathematical development.
4. Knowledge and understanding of the world.
5. Creative development.
6. Physical development.

The foundation stage is based on comprehensive research about how young children learn and will:

• Recognise that all children of this age learn differently from older children and adults.
• Respect the young child's need to play and learn through first hand experiences.
• Teach the children what they need to learn in the ways they most enjoy learning.
• Introduce more formal learning styles gradually and sensitively in order to keep the children's learning interests alive.
• Ensure that all three to five year olds, including those with special educational needs, receive the same access to a relevant quality curriculum.
• Acknowledge that this is a time when the children are forming attitudes about themselves and their ability to learn.
• Help to ensure that the children's early education equips them with the motivation to want to go on learning for the rest of their lives!

Birth to Three Matters

Birth to Three Matters

The Birth to Three framework takes as its focus the child and steers away from subjects, specific areas of experience and distinct curriculum headings. It identifies four Aspects, which celebrate the skill and competence of babies and young children and highlights the interrelationship between growth, learning, development and the environment in which they are cared for and educated.

These four 'Aspects' are

* A Strong Child

* A Skilful Communicator

* A Competent Learner

* A Heathly Child

The framework:

• values and celebrates babies and children,

• recognises their individuality, efforts and achievements,

• recognises that all children have from birth a need to develop, learning through interaction with people and exploration of the world around them. For some children, this development may be at risk because of difficulties with communication and interaction, cognition and learning, behavioural emotional and social development or sensory and physical development,

• recognises the ‘holistic’ nature of development and learning,

• acknowledges values and supports the adults that work with babies and young children,

• provides opportunities for reflection on practice,

• informs and develops practices whilst acknowledging that working with babies and children is complex, challenging and demanding task and that often there are no easy answers.

Health and Child Development

At Salisbury Street we use a key worker system. Parents/carers will be introduced to their child's key worker, who will be responsible for the well being of your child. Parents/carers can make appointments with their child's key worker to discuss their child's development.

Parents/carers will be informed on a daily basis regarding the well being of their child. Parents/carers of children under eighteen months of age will be given a written diary sheet of the day.

We are required by OFSTED to keep developmental records of all children registered with us, to ensure the needs of each individual child are met.

(THESE RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE TO VIEW ON REQUEST).

Twice a year we hold parent/carers evenings where you will be able to discuss your child's progress.

Parents/carers are always welcome at Salisbury Street and the Nursery Manager will always be available to discuss any matter relating to your child.

Special Educational Needs

We have a named Special Educational Nedds Co-ordinator (SENCO) and operate a policy of inclusion. Should you feel your child has additional needs please contact us and we will arrange a meeting to discuss how we may meet those needs.