At Enchanted Wood Preschool we follow the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage, which allows children to learn through play, actively and creatively exploring the world around them and developing new ideas and skills. Teaching staff observe children's play closely, getting to know the interests and needs of each child and of the group. They plan topics, resources and experiences related to these and deliver them through a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities both indoors and out.
We carefully monitor the children’s development and progress across all areas, but most importantly we ensure the levels of well-being. Thoughtful caring practitioners, ensure secure relationships are formed, building connections, and helping children to settle into preschool life.
Children’s achievements are captured weekly through the children’s learning journey and these are shared with you on a termly basis at parent’s events and at Parent Development Review Calls.
The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum contains seven areas of Learning and Development with the three main Prime Areas for children being:
Personal, social and emotional development
Children build strong friendships, initially playing alongside one another and then progressing to develop ideas together, share interests and show respect, care and concern towards themselves, one another and the world around them. They gain self-confidence in their developing skills and abilities and self-awareness in knowing and expressing their feelings, ideas and in asking for help and guidance if they need it.
Communication and Language
In one-to-one and small group conversations, circle-times and storytelling, children listen carefully, ask questions, share their thinking and follow instructions. They tell and re-tell stories and describe to us how things work. We extend children’s speaking skills by introducing new vocabulary, reflecting correct pronunciation and grammar back to them and by showing real interest in what they have to tell us.
Physical Development
Children develop their fine motor skills in many different ways, for example through drawing, cutting, threading, painting, pouring, cooking, sewing, building, sand play, small world play, using simple tools, fastening their buttons and zips. They develop gross motor skills indoors and outdoors, through running, jumping, using climbing and sports equipment, kicking and catching balls. We have specialist coaches for Football and Multi-Sports programmes weekly. Children also love helping themselves to healthy snacks at break time and to water whenever they feel thirsty.
The four Specific Areas in children's Learning and Development are:
Literacy
Reading: We read, tell and retell stories and recite and sing rhymes together every day. We have an extensive library of books including fiction, non-fiction, rhymes and poetry. We work with Phase 1 of ‘Letters and Sounds’ and Jolly Phonics, helping children to develop their auditory discriminatory skills for identifying sounds all around them and particular sounds in letters, words and rhymes.
Writing: Very young children mark make and we ask them to tell us about the drawings and writing they have made. They learn to write their name with correct pen grip.
Our literacy programme is enriched by our Phonics Star teacher weekly.
Maths
Numbers: Through number games, stories, rhymes and maths equipment children count and solve problems for themselves and together. We use number lines 1-10 and number grids 1-100. In Reception children learn to write numbers correctly and write simple number sentences for addition and subtraction.
Shape, space and measure: Children weigh in cookery, explore capacity in water play, measure how tall they or their sunflower has grown and make patterns using sequences of colours or shapes. They build with 2D and 3D shapes and learn the mathematical names for the shapes they use.
Understanding the World
People and Communities: In circle time activities and through celebrating our festivals throughout the year, children learn about their own and other children’s faiths and cultures. Parents and extended families are invited into the preschool over the year to celebrate special days with us. We talk to children about the similarities and differences between us all and how we can be kind, happy and caring individuals.
The World: Children explore and investigate the world around them, finding out how things work, naming different animals and plants and discovering how plants grow then decay.
Technology: Children have access to computers, iPads, cameras and programmable toys to help them develop their ICT skills in structured activities and independently.
Expressive Arts and Design
Exploring and using media and materials: Children have a weekly Baby Ballet lesson with a specialist Dance teacher. Children design and make constructions using different materials and tools, for example chopping fruit to make a fruit salad, sewing a hand puppet or using junk to create their own structures.
Being Imaginative: We have a wide range of media and materials for children to use in painting, making collages, building dens, playing percussion instruments, dancing, role play and for re-enacting or making up their own stories.