Nursery - Mouse

Welcome to Nursery and Reception

Class teacher:  Mrs Orton

Early Years Educators:   Ms Moore and Mrs King

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It is a very exciting time for the pupils in Mouse, Rabbit and Hedgehog Nursery and Reception classes as they move through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).  During the foundation years the children will take part in many different activities and will be able to choose where they wish to work during their free-flow planned play provision times.  There are many different areas, which change regularly, available for the children to learn in whilst having lots of fun.  Areas include the writing, role play, small world, construction, sand, water and creative areas, the book nook, the outdoors and much more!  Table-top and carpet interactive activities are planned to meet the children’s needs and are linked to weekly themes and also take into account the children’s own ideas and interests.  Adults lead whole class and group input sessions to teach and model the skills for children to then practise independently in their own child initiated play.  Adults will also develop children’s learning by asking questions to extend the children’s thinking during their activities to ensure that each child is achieving their full potential.  Play is essential for children’s development so the early years curriculum is very much play-based.  Nursery and Reception children will have many opportunities to join in with planned, practical and purposeful play activities to develop all seven areas of learning in the early years curriculum.

These seven areas are divided into three prime areas:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (making relationships, self-confidence and self-awareness, managing feelings and behaviour)

• Physical Development (moving and handling, health and self-care)

• Communication and Language (listening and attention, understanding and speaking)

• and four specific areas:

• < > (reading and writing)< > (numbers and shape, space and measure)

• Understanding the World (people and communities, the world and technology)

• Expressive Arts and Design (exploring and using media and materials, being imaginative)

One of the objectives of both Nursery and Reception is to create an environment where each and every child feels happy, safe and secure.  In addition, a setting is created for pupils to develop, at an early age, self-confidence, independence, enthusiasm for learning and an appreciation of what can be achieved through hard work and determination.  Adults in the Early Years classes continually observe and assess all the children in order to plan the next steps for each individual’s learning.  All the planning is based upon the three characteristics of effective learning:

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1. Playing and exploring – engagement
   Finding out and exploring, playing with what they know, being willing to ‘have a go’.

2. Active learning – motivation
   Being involved and concentrating, keeping trying and enjoying achieving what they set out to do.

3. Creating and thinking critically – thinking
   Having their own ideas, making links, choosing ways to do things.

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At the end of the foundation stage, we would hope that each pupil will:

• have settled into school life;

• feel happy and relaxed working and playing with his or her peers and teachers;

• have begun to read, write and understand numbers and the concepts of addition and subtraction;

• be developing an enquiring mind and learning from the world around them;

• be working through the seven areas of learning in the curriculum for the Foundation Stage.

• but most of all in Nursery and Reception your child will have lots of fun, develop a love of learning and build a firm foundation on which to build as he/she moves through Arley Primary School.