Our Curriculum

At Stepping Stones Nursery we have a responsive and ambitious curriculum which is underpin by the seven areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage and to assist in achieving the mission and aims which we set out.

We use the four guiding principles from the EYFS and our intent is that our curriculum develops for each child through understanding their interests and curiosities, starting from what we know. This information is built upon learning and development opportunities, interaction and partnership with parents and the wider community.

Staff at our Nursery will use their professional skills and knowledge to support the child, ensuring they have access to all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

To ensure the curriculum remains effective, stimulating and inspiring for each child, staff are actively encouraged to use their observation, self-reflection and assessment skills in partnership with parents/carers to make changes when necessary.

Intent

At Stepping Stones Nursery we believe that all children deserve an education rich in wonder and memorable experiences that allows children's natural creativity and curiosity to flourish, alongside the purposeful acquisition of skills and knowledge. We believe that an education that does all of this gives children the best chance to become well-rounded, happy individuals, ready to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Our aim is to provide children, with a well-structured, safe, and nurturing environment both indoors and outdoors. This will enable them to develop the skills, attitudes and understanding that will form the basis of lifelong learning and encourage them to become useful, active members of a diverse and constantly changing society.

We want our children to communicate using whatever method works best for them and to empower them through listening and onboarding and tailoring their learning journey with us. We will help develop their skills so they can support themselves, along with people around them.

Implementation

Our Curriculum is underpin by themes which are driven by our understanding of the children in terms of their interest, exploration and communication. These themes provide relevance to understanding the world so children can reflect on learning.

The combination of a learner centred model and a problem centred model of curriculum design effectively underpin the curriculum at Stepping Stones Nursery. This approach we feel gives children the opportunities to apply learning from across the curriculum that gives their work practical context and also opportunities to apply knowledge and skills they have learned within “real world” problem solving. Every month, children will cover a new topic or theme of work.

Children are given the opportunity to influence and plan the direction of their own learning by identifying, what they already know, understand and would like to know about each new topic. Each topic is then flexibly delivered through a staged approach incorporating an initial engagement to open the children’s imagination in their new topic or theme of learning. This learning then develops through a series of activities that builds skills, knowledge and understanding within that topic of learning. At the end of each topic children are given the opportunity to evaluate their learning and celebrate their achievements. This celebration is often shared with parents.

Impact

With the successful implementation of both an enriched, rounded and balanced curriculum and a well-structured, safe, active and challenging learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, children will be able to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding that enables them to be successful learners.

As educators and facilitators of learning, we observe children closely, and these observations allow us to measure the learning and development of children. We share these with parents through an application as well as encourage parents/carers to share their child’s achievements and experiences with us from home. Documentation may also be in other forms such as interactions, drawings, modelling, mark-making etc.

Records of the child’s thoughts and actions, together with the staff’s interpretation of how these link to EYFS are important to demonstrate progress and ultimately underpin the aims we set out before children started on their journey at our Nursery.
Children at Stepping Stones Nursery will be well rounded, happy, inquisitive and successful learners. Together, we can leap to success…

Our full curriculum statement can be viewed here.