Early Years Foundation Framework
The ‘Early Years Foundation Framework’ is used in accordance with us here at Sherwood Green Nursery as a basis for the birth to 5 years curriculum. This Framework is a statutory requirement that must be followed by all nurseries, childminders, reception classes, and preschools. By aligning our standards with the EYFS it helps us to set the relevant standards of learning, development, and care. It can also help us shape and support an integrated approach to early learning within the provision.
EYFS Curriculum – Intent, Implementation, and Impact
Intent
The purpose of teaching what we teach?
At Sherwood Green Nursery our vision is to to provide a safe, happy, caring, secure and stimulating environment and. to enable all children to develop their capabilities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society. We aim to help all children to prepare for the future.
Our goal is to insert strong foundations in the EYFS together with the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, as well as ethical and spiritual development so that our children are happy and curious lifelong learners.
Our curriculum is consequently the cultural capital, we know what our curious little learners need so that they can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills to succeed moving throughout their nursery journey. Children experiences within the nursery that provide awe and wonder based on their individuals interests and continuously teaching them all about what life has to offer in a play-based environment. Our practitioners have high and ambitious expectations of all our children based on their complex needs and backgrounds. A language rich environment is vital and this is what we strive for within our settings.
Our Curriculum 5 key standards are:
- It will encourage curiosity and engagement
- Child-led curriculum
- Strongly linked to the environment and the community
- Literacy rich
- Accessible to all
Implementation
How do we teach what we teach?
At Sherwood Green the pedagogy we follow is ‘The Curiosity Approach’. We use this to implement our curriculum and provide a sense of curiosity, awe, and wonder. The curriculum is planned for indoors and outdoors, aims to give children back their freedom by igniting their natural curiosity and imagination. When adopting this teaching method, children are able to think for themselves, make their own choices, and direct their own learning.
At Sherwood Green we provide a balance of child-initiated activities carefully thought out from their individual interests and learning structures, and purpose built activities which are created to engage and challenge the children in many different ways
Our practitioners, then expertly support ‘In the moment’ to further improve and maintain their individual learning needs based on the 7 areas of the EYFS.
At Sherwood Green we believe that Knowing more words makes you smarter. Which is why reading books is at the forefront of our teaching as this will really help progress all the childrens learning. We promote high quality interaction with the children so through regular engagement we can deliver a high quality of teaching.
Impact
What have our children learnt and how well they have learnt it?
Ensuring we are meeting the standards and needs of our children including our disadvantaged children including SEND.
Our early year practitioners use their observations/assessments to identify the children’s starting points, and plan experiences and bespoke activities to ensure progress. Evidence of the children’s progress, which includes written observations, videos and photos and separately contributions from parents/carers are recorded on a child’s journey via our Blossom App and linked to the the seven areas of the EYFS. Our practitioners use this data to then assess the impact of learning by liaising with other staff members and this helps them create future actions plans.
