At Merrylands Nursery, we believe that parents are a child’s first educators and we recognise how important parent influence is throughout a child’s time in the Early Years. We aim to work closely with parents and carers, to ensure that every child has the best possible start in school and in life!

 The curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning: Personal Social Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. This curriculum is the foundation of the later National Curriculum subjects taught from Year 1 onwards. 

Merrylands Primary School was an early adopter of the new Early Learning Goals. These become statutory in all state-maintained schools in 2021. Please see the link below for the new Development Matters Document and Early Learning Goals.

Prime Areas

 Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This enables children to develop self-worth and respect for others, forming positive relationships with their peers and adults. Children learn to socialise, manage and identify their feelings, differentiate between choices in behaviour, understand appropriate behaviour and gain confidence in their approach.

Communication and Language
Children are given opportunities which enable them to develop skills in expressing themselves confidently, listen to others and speak in a range of situations. A range of activities are initiated which support vocabulary extension.

Physical Development
This involves developing a range of fine and gross motor skills, co-ordination, control and movement, through the provision of opportunities for children to be active and interactive. The children are supported to understand the importance of keeping healthy by being physically active and choosing foods which promote health.

Specific Areas
The following four areas of learning are known as ‘Specific Areas’:

Literacy Development
Children are developed and encouraged to begin to link sounds and letters and take the first steps in learning how to read and write. A range of reading opportunities are given through a variety of books and the children are introduced to fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Children begin to learn how to spell and write. They are given adult directed and free writing opportunities. All their efforts are valued as they are supported to develop writing skills.

Mathematical Development
The children are provided with activities and opportunities which enable them to begin to: count; recognise, understand and use numbers; make simple calculations; identify and describe shapes; have an understanding of space and begin to compare and contrast measurements of length, weight and capacity.

Understanding the world 
This involves guiding our children to make sense of the physical world, the local community, people, places, technology and the environment through exploration, observation, discussion and investigation.

Expressive arts and design
Children are given opportunities to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. They are encouraged to be creative and develop their own ideas through art, music, drama, movement, role play, design and technology.

Characteristics of Effective Learning

As well as Early Learning Goals we also observe the 'Characteristics of Effective Learning'. The Characteristics of Effective Learning describe learning as a process and not as an event. The three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

• • Playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and have a go
  • Active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and
  • Creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

OUR CURRICULUM

What we plan the children to learn is mapped out and sequenced as part of their whole learning journey. The planning for all areas prepared them for their next step in Reception and on from that into the National Curriculum. 

ACTIVITIES

We provide a wide variety of activities to meet the objectives of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which include:

* Music and Dance
* Imaginative Play
* Art and Craft
* Sand and Water play
* Cosy Book corner
* Outdoor Environment
* Sensory Exploration
* Storytime
* Group Phonics and Maths Sessions 

Our approach to learning is designed to develop self-confidence, self-esteem and self-control, enabling a ‘can do’ attitude towards new experiences and challenges. 

We place emphasis on developing personal and social skills, praising positive behaviour and encouraging a thoughtful and considerate attitude towards others. 

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, balancing adult led structured activities with child initiated free choice. We appreciate that all children are unique, and that children learn best when encouraged to follow their own individual interests and make their own choices. We therefore aim to provide an environment full of opportunities in terms of materials, time and space for children to become absorbed in their own choices of play activities. 

As Early Years Practitioners we make continuous and ongoing observations of each child’s interests and plan activities based on them to further the child’s development. Developing a love of learning in the early years helps to prepare children for the next stage in their lives, providing them with the necessary skills, abilities and confidence to enable them to flourish and reach their full potential both at school and throughout their adult lives.

OUTDOOR PLAY

Our outdoor environment provides rich learning opportunities. Children experience a wide selection of outdoor activities, experimenting in the water area, digging in the mud pit and observing nature up close in the garden area. 

Children develop gross motor skills, critical thinking and reasoning as well as building friendships by working together to explore and problem solve.

We dress accordingly and enjoy our outdoor areas in all weathers, children learn about the world around them by feeling the wind in their hair and rain droplets on the ends of their noses. We believe that rolling down hills, jumping in puddles and making mud pies are all fantastic learning opportunities in the early years and help build a love and appreciation of nature. Our Nursery children have a regular session in the Forest School.

A typical day in Nursery

Every day in Nursery is different, but this is an outline of a typical session:

Morning only	All day children	Afternoon only
8.30 am - 8.50 am  Flexible drop off due to siblings also being taken to school
8.50 am  Registration, calendar
8.55 am Phonics session
9.15 am Directed Play through continuous provision both inside and outside.  Adult-led activities are provided during this time
11.10 am Story time / picture of the week
11.30 am Session finished, home time	11.30 am Lunchtime
		12.35 pm  Drop off
	12.40 pm - Registration, calendar
	12.55 pm Phonics session
	1.15 pm Directed Play through continuous provision both inside and outside.  Adult-led activities are provided during this time
	3.10 pm Story time, picture of the week
	3.15 pm Nursery session ends Flexible collection due to siblings also being collected from school