Curriculum
Curriculum Intent Statement
At Skamps Pre-school Day Nursery, we design our curriculum around each individual child’s interests through a thematic approach which is based around topics, for the children to become independent, confident learners in a safe, secure and nurturing environment which is set up to enable each child to become happy, successful, lifelong learners through making choices and motivating them through encouragement, support and praise from fully qualified, reflective practitioners, that enable children to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually, to feel valued, become kind and respectful, through child led and adult led activities, extending the child’s interests, both inside and outside. We encourage creativity, self-respect, self-belief, self-assured and resilient, to become effective communicators. We encourage children to self-regulate their emotions and to understand theirs and others actions and the impact their actions can have.
All children are supported through the Early Years Foundation Stage’s seven areas of learning with children who struggle are identified early through observing and assessing and supported through individual leaning plans with outside agency support. Parents are involved and supported throughout their child’s time with us through termly meetings, newsletters, learning journeys, meetings and Blossom parent App, as we at Skamps recognise parents are their child’s first educators and we are privileged to look after them during the brief time they are with us during their learning journey.
Play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children think. Skamps Pre-school Day Nursery provides a range of play activities which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. We do follow topics and children's lead. We celebrate different cultures celebrations i.e. Diwali, Christmas, Holi, Eid, Hannukah, Easter. If there is any festival or celebration that parents want us to celebrate we will research and invite the parents in to share their culture and religion.
All activities are planned on a daily basis for each individual child through the key person system which is a member of staff is responsible for a group of children to do observations on their key children and liaise with parents to relate information to and fro about the achievements their child has made at Skamps or at home.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
We promote the five Every Child Matters outcomes for all the children who attend Skamps Pre-school Day Nursery and provide a curriculum following the DfE Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Protective Behaviours
Protective Behaviours is a practical approach to personal safety. It is a program that encourages self-empowerment and brings with it the skills to raise self-esteem and to help avoid being victimised. This is achieved by teaching children to recognise and trust their intuitive feelings (Early Warning Signs) and to develop strategies for self-protection. The Protective Behaviours process encourages an adventurous approach to life that satisfies the need for fun and excitement without fear and violence. We teach ‘We all have the right to feel safe all the time' and 'There is nothing too awful (or too little) we can talk about it with someone'.
The NSPCC runs a campaign called PANTS, which helps parents, carers and teachers of 4 - 11 year olds keep children safe from abuse. Like the Green Cross Code, it takes a potentially tricky subject and gives us the tools to talk about it in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Please click the button below for further information about the PANTS campaign.
Promoting Good Behaviour
To promote good behaviour we give stickers and certificates to children who have tried really hard. We also have a kindness tree which the children get rewarded with a snowflake, leaf, flower etc depending on the season to promote kind and thoughtful behaviour. Promoting good behaviour is in our Positive Behaviour policy.
Special Educational needs including Speech and language
At Skamps we have our named SENCO's who are Dawn and Gaynor who help to support children who need a bit more help than others. They works closely with other professionals and both are Speech and Language Champions, who screen children's language and understanding skills, with your consent, to help monitor their speech and language development and helps us to work with you and your child to aid their language development. Please speak to Gaynor for more information.