Planning and the Curriculum

TSN supports the children in all aspects of the daily routine. We are flexible to include the personal needs of individual children regardless of their age. We provide many opportunities for them to develop their particular likes and interests, but at the same time encourage them to try out new things. Whatever the child’s age, TSN encourage good manners, respect for others, good personal hygiene, independence, individual contributions, responsibility and pride in their achievements. All children ‘belong' to our environment by having their own bag and picture, they are included in our birthday displays and our photos.

TSN are dedicated to delivering quality education approved by OFSTED to all age groups. We follow the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ curriculum which is made up of four Principles which underpin effective practice in the care, development and learning of young children.

The FOUR MAIN PRINCIPLES and what they mean are as follows:

1. A Unique Child - Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured. This is achieved through:

• Child Development – Babies and children develop in individual ways and at varying rates. Every area of development – physical, cognitive, linguistic, spiritual, social and emotional – is equally important.
• Inclusive Practice – The diversity of individuals and communities is valued and respected. No child or family is discriminated against.
• Keeping Safe – Young children are vulnerable. They develop their resilience when their physical and psychological well-being is protected by adults.
• Health and Well-being - Children’s health is an integral part of their emotional, mental, social, environmental and spiritual well-being and is supported by attention to these aspects.

 2. Positive Relationships - Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person. This is achieved through:

• Respecting Each Other – Every interaction is based on caring professional relationships and respectful acknowledgement of the feelings of children and their families.
• Parents as Partners – Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning.
• Supporting Learning – Warm, trusting relationships with knowledgeable adults support children’s learning more effectively than any amount of resources.
• Key Person – A key person has special responsibilities for working with a small number of children, giving them the reassurance to feel safe and cared for and building relationships with their parents.

 3. Enabling Environments - The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. This is achieved through:

• Observation, Assessment and Planning – Babies and young children are individuals first, each with a unique profile of abilities. Schedules and routines should flow with the child’s needs. All planning starts with observing children in order to understand and consider their current interests, development and learning.
• Supporting Every Child – The environment supports every child’s learning through planned experiences and activities that are challenging but achievable.
• The Learning Environment – A rich and varied environment supports children’s learning and development. It gives them the confidence to explore and learn in secure and safe, yet challenging, indoor and outdoor spaces.
• The Wider Context – Working in partnership with other settings, other professionals and with individuals and groups in the community supports children’s development and progress towards the outcomes of ‘Every Child Matters: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and economic well-being.

 4. Learning and Development - Children learn and develop in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected. This is achieved through:

• Play and Exploration – Children’s play reflects their wide ranging and varied interests and preoccupations. In their play children learn at their highest level. Play with peers is important for children’s development.
• Active Learning – Children learn best through physical and mental challenges. Active learning involves other people, objects, ideas and events that engage and involve children for sustained periods.
• Creative and Critical Thinking – When children have opportunities to play with ideas in different situations and with a variety of resources, they discover connections and come to new and better understandings and ways of doing things. Adult support in this process enhances their ability to think critically and ask questions.
• Areas of Learning and Development – The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is made up of three prime areas of Learning and Development: Communication and Language (Listening and Attention, Understanding, Speaking); Physical Development (Moving and Handling, Health and Self-care) and Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Self-confidence and Self-awareness, Managing feelings and behaviour, Making relationships). There are also four specific areas: Literacy (Reading, Writing), Mathematics (Numbers, Shape, Space and Measures), Understanding of the World (People and Communities, The World, Technology) and Expressive Arts and Design (Exploring and using media and materials, Being imaginative).

All areas of Learning and Development are connected to one another and are equally important. All areas of Learning and Development are underpinned by the Principles of the EYFS.
The early learning goals -THE PRIME AREAS
 
Communication and language
Listening and attention: children listen attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.
Understanding: children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.
Speaking: children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.
 
Physical development
Moving and handling: children show good control and co-ordination in large and small movements. They move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space. They handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils for writing.
Health and self-care: children know the importance for good health of physical exercise, and a healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe. They manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently.
 
Personal, social and emotional development
Self-confidence and self-awareness: children are confident to try new activities, and say why they like some activities more than others. They are confident to speak in a familiar group, will talk about their ideas, and will choose the resources they need for their chosen activities. They say when they do or don’t need help.
Managing feelings and behaviour: children talk about how they and others show feelings, talk about their own and others’ behaviour, and its consequences, and know that some behaviour is unacceptable. They work as part of a group or class, and understand and follow the rules. They adjust their behaviour to different situations, and take changes of routine in their stride.
Making relationships: children play co-operatively, taking turns with others. They take account of one another’s ideas about how to organise their activity. They show sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings, and form positive relationships with adults and other children.
 
The early learning goals -THE SPECIFIC AREAS
 
Literacy
Reading: children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.
Writing: children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.
 
Mathematics
Numbers: children count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including doubling, halving and sharing.
Shape, space and measures: children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.
 
Understanding the world
People and communities: children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know that other children don’t always enjoy the same things, and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.
The world: children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
Technology: children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes.
 
Expressive arts and design
Exploring and using media and materials: children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
Being imaginative: children use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role-play and stories.
 
We deliver this curriculum through a range of free choice activities that the children can play with on their own or in a group. The adult interacts to find out what the child is learning, to offer ideas on how they can extend this learning, to encourage children to try out new things and to develop their language. They monitor for safety, inclusion and equal opportunities for all children.
We develop our plan to cover festivals and relevant topics, which in turn are planned in advance and in more detail. We incorporate a more structured and adult led approach to introduce new ideas and topics, extend children’s understanding, encourage acceptable behaviour, improve children’s concentration, and promote sharing and taking turns and developing relationships.

Please feel free to ask the Centre for a copy of any/all of the above for your information.