The Foundation Stage Curriculum

 

The Foundation Curriculum is made up of stepping stones and Early Learning Goals.  The stepping stones begin in Nursery and are further developed in the reception class where children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals in 6 areas known as:

The Foundation Unit is organised into areas for learning that will help children to develop many skills, concepts and attitudes in a fun and meaningful way.  

The areas are mentioned in more detail below

 

Literacy Development

 

This area of learning is split into 3 main parts

The nursery children have many opportunities to develop the skills mentioned above through carefully planned play activities.  Staff work hard to set up role-play areas of a car garage, home, aeroplane, jungle, hospital, building site and many others. These imaginative role-play areas encourage children to develop and use a wider vocabulary and also encourages them to use ‘play’ writing for a real purpose e.g. make a shopping list, write a receipt or postcard.

Reading in the nursery is developed through a variety of ways that include: listening to stories, joining in with ‘big book’ reading sessions, singing rhymes, sharing take home books and playing games that introduce letters of the alphabet.

 

Numeracy Development

Children will be introduced to colours, numbers, shapes and size through planned play activities. The Numeracy room is full of games, toys and equipment that help children begin to understand and learn about many mathematical concepts including: addition, subtraction, money, time and position.

Singing songs that include numbers, days of the week and counting also form part of our daily routine. 

 

Knowledge & Understanding of the world

 

 

This area of learning includes: history, geography, science, RE and Information Communication Technology.

  

 Carefully chosen topics and themes are studied throughout the year to promote this  particular area of the curriculum.  Children at Ferndale are encouraged to look, smell, touch, discover, observe, experiment, explore and talk about different objects and events to help them gain an early understanding of the world in which they live in. An excellently resourced sensory area and well planned activities aim to inspire and excite the minds of young children.

 

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

 

This particular area of learning is promoted throughout all aspects of the daily routine. It involves learning to share, take-turns, build friendships, and encourages independence.  At Ferndale we place a particular emphasis on helping your child to settle in and be happy to come to nursery.   

 

Physical Development & Outdoor Play

 

At Ferndale we believe that the outdoor area can extend children’s learning, as it offers experiences and opportunities that are not available in the indoor environment. All areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum can be enhanced through our outdoor environment.

 

This area complements the indoor environment by

having different ‘zones’ which include: wheeled toys,

large & small balls, hoops, skittles, gardening tools,

large/small climbing and balancing equipment,

dressing up boxes, chalks/pens/paper, musical instruments and construction toys. 

  

The outdoor area is available for children to use in all weather conditions except of course the most severe.  The aim of this area is to provide first hand experiences of growing and living things in the natural habitat, to build and construct outdoor huts and dens and to explore changes in weather.   

                     Weather boxes have been set up to provide some 

                     appropriate clothing and resources to enable children to

                     experience a range of weather conditions. To support

                     your child’s learning we would appreciate it if you could

                     send your child with clothing in a weather bag that is                      

                    suitable for outdoor play.