Early Years Pedagogical Curriculum Overview

Our Curriculum Overview provides progression from Nursery to Reception and builds sequentially on prior knowledge and understanding. It ensures that all our children, regardless of their starting points, gain the breadth and depth of knowledge outlined in the Early Years Statutory Framework 'Educational Programmes. Please copy and paste the link at the top of this page to view all our Early Years documentation.

What have we been doing in class this week?

Friday 14th February 2025

This week we have enjoyed the stories 'Farmyard Hullabaloo' and 'What the Ladybird Heard.' We have thought about our favourite musical instruments and how our ears hear. This week we have also celebrated Safer Internet Day where Smartie the Penguin taught us in his stories about ways we can stay safer online. In Blackbirds, the children enjoyed designing their own Avatars. In Maths we have done some baking to support our learning about measures. In Nursery, we have combined our learning about sounds to make sound patterns. Enjoy your half-term rest everyone and we will see you soon! 

Friday 7th February 2025

This week in early years we have been finding out all about Chinese New Year. We have read some wonderful stories, helping our understanding grow about this special time of year for people all over the world. We learnt about special colours, animals and mythical creatures. We spent time looking at Chinese numbers and how they look very different to the numerals we practise in school. We painted beautiful pictures and imagined that they would become real once they dried, just like in the story of 'The Magic Paintbrush.' Fantastic learning everyone!

Friday 31st January 2025

This week our reading adventures have supported our scientific skills. Both classes have read 'One Snowy Night; - two different books but with the same title. In Nursery, the children have been thinking about how we keep ourselves warm in winter and discussed different materials and clothing. In Reception, the children have added to their prior learning, recalling facts about the earth and how it orbits the sun over a year. The children have developed their awareness of how the Earth tilts towards and away from the sun at different times of the year and why the seasonal weather is therefore different. Great learning from our youngest children this week!

Friday 24th January 2025

This week the stories we have read in Nursery are 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' and in Reception, 'Goldilocks and Just the One Bear.' Our learning shows the progression from a well-known traditional tale for our youngest learners to a twist on a traditional tale for our Reception children. Our Nursery children had great fun making and eating porridge, bringing their story to life as well a developing their artistic talents. In Reception, the children enjoyed exploring the meanings of new words and developing their artistic skills through various joining techniques. Well done everyone on a fabulous week!

Friday 17th January 2025

This week we have enjoyed reading stories which support our geographical knowledge. In Nursery we read 'Where's My Teddy?' and in Reception 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt.' We have used lots of new words to describe our surroundings. Joining in with the rhymes and rhythms of the books helped us to recall the stories. We extended our artistic talents by painting landscapes and making the best choices for out creations. Well done everyone on a super week!

Friday 10th January 2025

This week we have welcomed everyone back and kept ourselves wrapped up warm during this very cold time! We have been learning about stories from a long time ago. In Nursery we have read 'The Lost Coin' and in Reception, 'The Lost Sheep.' We have learnt about persevering and enjoyed different counting opportunities. Lots of counting at home will support children's growing understanding of number. Well done everyone!

Friday 13th December 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'The Christmas Story' and have asked ourselves the question 'How can you move to music?' In Reception we have been reading 'The Christmas Promise' and asked ourselves the questions 'What is music?' and 'How can we make music?' In Nursery, we have been reading different versions of the Christmas story and singing our Nativity songs to make meaningful links. We have learnt new vocabulary such as: 'jingle, dance, clap and sound.' In Reception,  we have been considering the characters in The Christmas Story and considering how they all felt at different points and what they may have been thinking. We made split pin Nativity characters, using our design skills and building upon our previous 'joining' techniques. We then used our characters to retell The Christmas Story. We learnt new vocabulary such as 'emotions, celebrate, precious and promise.'  Both Nursery and Reception performed their Nativity this week and what a fabulous job they all did! They spoke clearly, sang with enthusiasm and retold a very special story incredibly well to all of their friends and families - we are all very proud of each and every one of them. Families and School Together This is building the foundations for Music and performance and preparing your child for future learning about musical awareness and appreciation.  To help with learning at home you might wish to listen to Christmas songs, learn a new one and even add your own instruments in to create your own version! You may even like to retell the Christmas story to a loved one. Next Week we will be celebrating our last week together with festive activities before the arrival of Jesus and looking forward to quality time with our loved ones over the Christmas holidays.

 

Friday 6th December 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'The Three Little Pigs' and have asked ourselves the questions 'What animals live on the farm?' and 'How can you build a home for a hedgehog?' In Reception we have been reading 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' and asked ourselves the questions 'How are bridges made?' and 'Where would we be without bridges?' We have also been reading alternative versions of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and discussing which parts are the same, similar and different in each. In Nursery, we have enjoyed taking an autumnal walk, observing seasonal changes and considering how animals might keep themselves warm. We then matched animals to their homes and discussed why each animal might need a slightly different one. We designed, collected, painted and created a cosy little home for a hedgehog. We have been learning new vocabulary such as 'hibernation, home, sturdy, cosy and temperature'. In Reception, we have been learning about the three types of bridges: suspension, truss and beam. We have considered the pros and cons of each bridge and have been looking at bridges all over the world. We discussed why engineers designed each one and came up with reasons such as: The bridge was built over water, the bridge was built for people, the bridge was build for vehicles. We constructed our own bridges out of wooden blocks, lego, paper, cardboard and other items we could find and they were fantastic! We learnt new vocabulary such as 'superstructure, engineers, weight and span.' Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and Design' - 'Creating with Materials' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Design and Technology. To help with learning at home you might wish to visit nearby bridges on an autumnal walk, talk about how the wildlife keep warm through the winter or build your own animal home/ bridge. Next Week we will be thinking about this special time of year, learning all about The Christmas Story and birth of Jesus. We will also have our Nativity performances!

Friday 29th November 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery, we have been reading 'Mouse Paint' and have asked ourselves the questions 'what colours can you see?' and 'can you see in the dark?'. In Reception, we have been reading the story 'Noah's Ark', asking ourselves the questions how do we see different colours?' and 'why can't we see in the dark...or can we?'.  Our learning has focused this week on exploring the scientific concept of colours. In Nursery, we have been exploring colour mixing primary colours to create secondary colours. We have also been exploring the dark and finding out why we need torches, making our tents and dens to use our torches to help us see. In Reception, we have been using our prior knowledge of colour mixing to create our own colour wheels, learning about white light and how our colours spinners - when spun very fast - can blend together to create a white colour. We learnt how rainbows are formed, just like the one in Noah's Ark, as the light the light from the sun bounces off the rain droplets and bends, creating all of the beautiful colours that make a rainbow. We have enjoyed learning all about colours and natural science, learning words such as 'mixing', 'tint', 'shade', and 'light waves'. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'The Natural World' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Science and preparing your child for a deeper understanding of the world around them. You may wish to colour mix at home, exploring abstract paintings or create your own den with torches! Next week we will be learning about two traditional tales, building foundations for design and technology. 

Friday 22nd November 2024

 Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery and Reception, we have been reading ''Rama and Sita, the story of Diwali'. In both Nursery and Reception, we have asked ourselves the question 'What is Diwali'.  Our learning has focused this week on building our artistic talents. In Nursery, we have asked ourselves 'What can we create with paint?' whilst in Reception, we have asked ourselves 'Can we create artwork abstract and figurative?'. In Nursery, we have painted outdoors using natural materials such as leaves, twigs and mud! We have also explored the technique of finger painting, creating our own rangoli patterns. In Reception, we have been using our fine motor skills to paint rangoli patterns using cotton buds and cocktail sticks. We have also created unique rangoli patterns using loose objects. We have been listening to traditional Diwali songs, painting to the music we hear and learning all about the cultural celebration. In Reception, we were able to compare the celebration of Diwali with other religious celebrations such as Christmas and Eid, spotting many similarities such as spending quality time with our family friends, building an appreciation of our diverse world. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and design' - 'Creating with Materials' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Art and Design and preparing your child for a deeper understanding of materials and mark making opportunities and nurturing their creativity. You may wish to paint and create your own rangoli patterns at home, using all sorts of mark-making tools and materials. We would encourage you to talk about the celebrations you take part in as a family, how families love one another and how we can show our love to others. Next week we will be learning about colours and developing our Scientific understanding.

Friday 15th November 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Leaf Man' and have asked ourselves the question 'What is a leaf?' and 'Which leaves belong to which trees?' In Reception we have been reading 'Fletcher and the falling leaves' and asked ourselves the questions 'Why do leaves change colour?' 'What do our woods look like?' and 'How can we find things?' Our learning has taken us on amazing journeys to our woodlands, drawing our own maps as we made our way through the trees. We added initial phonic sounds to our drawings 's' for stream, 'b' for bridge. We have learnt words like: trunk, belong, magnify, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, directions and locate.  Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'People, Culture and Communities' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Geography and preparing your child for future learning involving maps and an awareness of our local environment. To help with learning at home you might wish to take a walk around your local area, drawing your own maps and talk about the routes you take to school, work, the park and other places nearby. Next week we will be thinking about Rama and Sita and the story of Diwali. 

 

Friday 8th November 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'David and the lions' and have asked ourselves the question 'Why do we read lots of stories?' In Reception we have been reading 'David and Goliath' and have asked ourselves the question 'Why do we read stories and books that tell us about the past?' These stories and questions have enabled us to learn more about significant events and stories that still help us remember and learn today. We have learnt words like: brave, choices, peace, past, present and future. We enjoyed learning a poem called 'Red poppy poem' which we found fun - saying the words and joining in with the actions. We have been counting lions, making poppies, learning about remembrance history and listening to military music. We had a peaceful session on Thursday, gathering around our prayer tree to have a minute of silence, thinking about soldiers and service animals who work and fight to protect us. We planted poppy seeds that will hopefully grow each year, just like in Flanders Field. We also had fun with the piles of fallen leaves, making leaf fireworks and leaf angels. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'Past and Present' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for History and preparing your child for future historical awareness. To help with learning at home you might want to make a poppy wreath or find out more facts about remembrance history and talk about them using some of the words we have spoken about this week. Next week we will be taking our learning outside and discovering trees and our environment.

Friday 18th October 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Winnie the Witch' and have asked ourselves the question 'What sounds do fireworks make?' In Reception we have been reading 'The leopard and the Sky God' and asked ourselves the question 'What are musical instruments?' Our learning has supported us to explore and enjoy a range of songs, sounds and music. This has developed our listening and performance skills. In reception, the children enjoyed their first Ocarina lesson and celebrating the end of half-term with their Autumn Concert for families. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and Design' - 'Being Imaginative and Expressive' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Music and performance and preparing your child for future learning about musical awareness and appreciation. To help with learning at home you might wish to enjoy some sharing and singing favourites songs, creating your own home made instruments and listen to music, trying to hear which instruments are making each sound. Next week we will be thinking about stories Jesus told and broadening our understanding of times gone by and the importance of stories.

Friday 11th October 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'The Little Red Hen' and have asked ourselves the question 'What is bread and how is it made?' In Reception we have been reading 'Pumpkin Soup' and asked ourselves the question 'Why are soups good for us?' Our learning has allowed us to bake bread or create delicious soups and think about teamwork. We have enjoyed singing autumn songs and discovering more about farm life and where food grows. In our woods, we made some wonderful mud soup! Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and Design' - 'Creating with Materials' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Design and Technology and preparing your child for future learning about product design and taste testing. To help with learning at home you might wish to enjoy some baking and cooking experiences, try new foods and look at how food changes as it being baked. Next week we will be thinking about music, exploring sounds, beats and rhythms.

Friday 4th October 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in both Nursery and Reception we have been reading the story of Creation. In Nursery we asked ourselves the questions 'What is a day and a night?' and 'Where does the sun go at night?' In Reception we asked ourselves 'What is Earth?' and 'What do we know about beyond Earth?' Our learning has focused this week on exploring scientific concepts. Amongst other things, we have been experimenting with tents and torches, used our woodlands to reflect on our wonderful world and created some wonderful space inspired artwork. We have enjoyed learning about the planets in our Solar System and learning words such as 'rotate,' 'gravity,' 'spin,' 'light' and 'dark.' Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'The Natural World' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Science and preparing your child for a deeper understanding of the world around them. You may wish to find out more about space and the Solar System or make shadows with torches. Next week we will be learning about Harvest and developing our design and making/baking skills.

Friday 27th September 2024

 Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Love makes a Family' and have asked ourselves the question 'Who makes your family?' In Reception we have been reading 'We are Family' and asked ourselves the question 'Why are families important?' Our learning has focused this week on building our artistic talents. We have been using a range of media and materials. In Nursery we have also painted self-portraits which we have developed in Reception by painting and then adding facial features using a selection of different materials. We are all precious and unique and this is truly amazing! Our woodland learning continued to support us as we thought about the feeling of love. In Nursery we made woodland families and in Reception we used clay and made clay faces of those who love us and why these people made us feel loved. In Nursery we have continued to think about different feelings and we even had a visit from a real baby to support our awareness of new family members. In Reception this has begun developing into an appreciation of our diverse world. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Expressive Arts and design' - 'Creating with Materials' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Art and Design and preparing your child for a deeper understanding of materials and mark making opportunities and nurturing their creativity. You may wish to paint and draw your families at home, using all sorts of mark-making tools and materials. We would encourage you to talk about your families, how families love one another and how we can show our love to others. Next week we will be learning about the story of Creation and developing our Scientific understanding.

Friday 20th September 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Not a Stick' and have asked ourselves the question 'What is a tree?' In Reception we have been reading 'Stick Man' and asked ourselves the questions 'Are all trees the same?' and 'Why do we have trees?' Our learning has taken us on amazing journeys to our woodlands, making natural paintbrushes from sticks and treasures from the woodland. We have used the mud kitchen and waded through the stream. We have listened to stories, lying down on the woodland floor, gazing up at the tallest of trees whilst breathing in the oxygen they provide. We have learnt words like: trees, roots, trunk, branch, twigs, deciduous, evergreen, breathe, oxygen and air. Our learning has also involved rhyming words, poetry and ways to keep fit and healthy, especially when we are outdoors. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'People, Culture and Communities' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for Geography and preparing your child for future learning involving maps and an awareness of our local environment. To help with learning at home you might wish to collect woodland treasures for yourselves, count pine cones, leaves and sticks, make pictures with natural artefacts and enjoy watching the seasonal changes as they begin. Next week we will be thinking about families, love and developing our artistic talents.

Friday 13th September 2024

Celebrating our achievements This week in Nursery we have been reading 'Harry and his bucketful of Dinosaurs' and have asked ourselves the question 'What are dinosaurs?' In Reception we have been reading 'Harry and the Dinosaurs go to School' and have asked ourselves the question 'Where have all the dinosaurs gone?' These stories and questions have enabled us to learn more about creatures that were alive such a long time ago. We have learnt words like: terrible lizard, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, extinct, asteroid, volcanoes, scaly and lots of dinosaur names. We enjoyed learning a poem called 'Dinosaur, Dinosaur' which we found fun - saying the words and joining in with the actions. We have been painting dinosaurs, thinking about how the story characters felt, making new friends and saying kind things to others. We had an amazing time on Thursday, exploring our woodlands and wading through the brook. Families and School Together The learning this week supports the 'Understanding the World' - 'Past and Present' aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is building the foundations for History and preparing your child for future historical awareness. To help with learning at home you might want to draw some more dinosaur pictures or find out more facts about your favourite dinosaur and talk about them using some of the words we have spoken about this week. Next week we will be taking our learning outside and discovering trees and our environment.

 

Friday 6th September 2024

What a fantastic start all of our early Years children have made to school. We have been reading 'The Colour Monster' story and have begun recognising and naming different emotions. It has been fun to explore our new learning environments, playing both inside and outdoors and making new friends as we play. We are very proud of everyone for settling in so well!