CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
The provision for children’s development & learning is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage (DCFS2007). From September 2008 the Early Years Foundation Stage became law. This brings together Birth to Three Matters and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. Our provision reflects the four key themes and 16 commitments of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
A Unique Child
Child Development: Skilful communicator, competent learner
Inclusive Practice: Equality & diversity, children’s entitlements, early support.
Keeping Safe: Being safe & protected, discovering boundaries, making choices.
Health & Well-being: Growth & developing, physical & emotional wellbeing.
Positive Relationships
Respecting Each Other: Understanding feelings, friendship, professional relationships.
Parents as Partners: Respecting diversity, Communication, learning together.
Supporting Learning: Positive interactions, listening to children, effective teaching.
Key Person: Secure attachment, shared care, independence.
Enabling Environments
Observation, Assessment and Planning: Starting with the child, planning, assessment.
Supporting Every Child: Children’s needs, the learning journey, working together.
The Learning Environment: The emotional environment, the outdoor environment, the indoor environment
The Wider Context: Transitions and continuity, multi-agency working the community.
Learning & Development
Play & Exploration: Learning through experience, adult involvement, contexts for learning.
Active Learning: Mental & physical involvement, decision making, personalised learning.
Creativity & Physical Thinking: Making Connections, transforming & understanding sustained shared thinking.
Areas of Development & Learning.
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our setting helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
THE AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING
* Personal, social and emotional development
* Communication, language and literacy development
* Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
* Knowledge and understanding of the world
* Physical development
* Creative development.
For each area, the practice guidance sets out the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their education.
Our setting uses the practice guidance Early Years Foundation Stage to plan and provide a range of play activities which help children make progress in each of the areas of learning and development.
ASSESSMENT
We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs of the children to document their progress and where this may be leading them. We believe that parents know their children best and we ask them to contribute to assessment by sharing information about what their children like to do at home and how they as parent are supporting development.
