Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of each and every child, it reflects the local community and the ever-changing world.  It is underpinned by 4 curriculum drivers: 

1. Aspiration - We want our children to have  the hope, desire and ambition to strive to achieve something.  To be the best they can possibly be and to challenge themselves as a learner. The development of aspirations encourages children to produce work of high quality, take pride in themselves and be the very best that they can be. 

2. New Experiences – we want our children to be curious about the world around them and ask questions.  We encourage children to be inquisitive and ask questions through their learning and providing all children a variety real life experiences.   

3. Communication – we want our children to develop the skills necessary to communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings successfully in a wide range of different situations.  Children need to know how to speak and listen with respect in different situations.  They need the ability to read well and read widely as this broadens horizons, develops imagination and provides a rich vocabulary.  Be able to write clearly and comfortably in different forms.  

 

4. Community – We want our children to understand their place in the world. To understand the responsibilities towards each other. To care, love and respect the world we are in. A sense of community nurtures our children into well rounded individuals. 

Intent

Curriculum Objectives

• To provide all pupils with equal access to a rich, broad, balance and differentiated curriculum well matched to their ages, abilities, interests, attitudes and need
• To increase pupils' knowledge, skills and understanding as they grow, develop, and strengthen their connections with the world around them.
• To ensure the curriculum is creative, carefully planned and structured to ensure that the learning is continuous and that pupils make good progress in the development of their learning, with language and vocabulary at the centre of all we do.
• To engage the children's interest by offering excellent opportunities to extend creative learning, challenge imagination, value uniqueness, and to encourage and motivate them to learn.
• To provide pupils with lots of exciting, first hand experiences that immerse children in the world around them to reinforce their learning and to underpin their growing knowledge, skills and understanding.
• To facilitate awe, wonder, and cause pupils to see the wonderful world in which they live.
• To provide pupils with a curriculum which enables them to develop their talents, skills and a love of learning.

Implementation 

Qualified teachers have designed our curriculum. Hindpool Nursery School teachers work closely with highly skilled and qualified Teaching Assistants to provide learning opportunities that are exciting, engage awe, wonder into the children’s lives, and improve the quality of education they receive. Our curriculum is broad, ambitious, challenging, unique, planned, with new experiences and sequential.

Our curriculum starts with children at the centre of all that we do. Children enter nursery school with varying abilities and experiences, and we recognise that parents know their own child best. Key times are planned to support the transition into nursery school such as visit sessions, meetings with a key worker prior to the child starting in nursery and home visits.

Hindpool Nursery School staff skilfully observe children and using their expert knowledge of child development and the characteristics of effective learning they sequence learning to ensure continuity and progression through a well-planned curriculum that is constantly enhanced and enriched, and so that children become reflective and resilient learners.

Our learning environments, both indoor and outdoor, provide a safe place where children can develop, explore and investigate. Children of different ages have their own learning environment where their needs can be met most effectively. Along with other areas throughout the school used purposefully to meet the sensory needs of children, to deliver specific interventions for identified children, and in the Summer term prior to children starting primary education increased planned learning challenges are provided that prepare children for the next stage in education.

The language development of each child is the core element of our curriculum. Good speaking and listening skills are the foundation for all other areas of learning, particularly reading, writing and maths. Nursery school staff model effective communication with children by commenting, asking open questions, modelling key vocabulary and introducing new words to enable children to become confident communicators. Quality texts from books and stories are used as starting points for our learning themes.

Our curriculum is further enriched with a variety of first-hand experiences and links with the local community, and where children can develop an understanding of the world beyond their local community. Children enjoy forest school, music groups, dance sessions, yoga sessions, visits to the local Church, visits to and from a local farm, and local primary schools as part of enrichment. We value diversity and give children the foundation for anti-discriminatory values to take to other areas in their lives. Children see staff modelling positive attitudes, speech and behaviours. We use stories and books to promote and celebrate differences, as we want children to understand, accept and respect others.

How We Teach Reading

• At Hindpool Nursery School, children are immersed in a language and print rich environment
• Children self register and use their name cards each session
• Children are read to everyday in nursery with a clear and consistent teaching structure delivered by all staff, and to develop a love of reading, and reading for pleasure
• Children are taught reading vocabulary such as the author, the illustrator, the front cover, the blurb
• Quality texts, books stories, songs and rhymes are starting points for planning for children's learning
• Continuous provision areas promote speaking and listening skills, and daily learning challenges are provided
• Children are taught phonics daily using a consistent programme, Letters and Sounds
• Where children are ready, they are taught Phase 2 phonics, blending words to read, segmenting words to spell, and learning sight words in a sequence. A reading book from a reading scheme and reading diary are sent home.

• Parents and carers can choose a book from our school library to share at home
• 'Book marks' are provided which support parents sharing books and stories with their child at home
• Parents are invited to stay and play sessions which have a clear focus i.e. Nursery rhymes
• Special events at key times of year where parents are invited to spend time reading with their child
• Phonics and Reading Home packs are provided
• Reading activities that can be done at home are provided with new learning themes

How We Teach Writing 

• Physical Development is a prime area of learning in the EYFS and this is essential to enable children to develop fine motor skills needed for writing, and subsequently developing an effective and correct pencil grip
• Children take part in Dough Gym to promote physical skills
• Writing for a purpose learning opportunities are provided in all areas, both indoors and outdoors, including children's writing as signage around school, enhancing our print rich school environment
• Children are expected to use their name card to 'write' their name on their pieces of work
• Talk for Writing approach is used for 'hooking' and engaging children, and encouraging them to write
• Reading and writing are closely linked; daily phonics sessions include spelling and writing CVC words and CCVC words
• Hindpool Nursery School staff are trained in how to model writing for children, how children learn to write, the stages of writing, and stages of developing a correct pencil grip.
• Parents are invited to stay and play sessions with clear focus i.e. on mark-making
• How we teach phonics' sessions for parents

How We Teach Maths

• Mathematical vocabulary is taught in context to support children's understanding 
• The teaching of maths is taught through a sequenced plan of work
• Children take part in continuous provision activities such as sand, water, construction and role play, and daily maths learning challenges
• Mathematical learning activities are provided both indoors and outdoors
• Staff are trained in developing key mathematical concepts; problem solving, numbers, calculations, shape, space, measure
• Routines are embedded so that children develop an understanding of pattern and time
• Parents are invited to Curriculum Trails (Easter) and stay and play sessions with a clear maths focus
• Maths sessions for parents' are delivered by staff

Impact

• Children's achievements are monitored and measured in each child's Learning Journal
• Children's learning is assessed On Entry to nursery school, then termly and on Exit with focus on Progress and Attainment
• Our curriculum is monitored by our headteachers, governing body and curriculum leaders
• Groups of children's learning is monitored and compared
• Monitoring and evaluation systems are regularly reviewed and acted upon i.e. Planning and Tapestry scrutinies identify curriculum strengths and areas for improvement so that the Quality of Education is most effective
• Teacher and Staff Appraisal systems ensure staff are accountable for our high quality curriculum