FAQ's
Q. What is the Foundation Stage?
A. The period from when a child reaches their third birthday through to the end of the Reception Year.
Q. What is the Foundation Stage Curriculum?
A. The Foundation Stage Curriculum is the development of the whole child during the period outlined above. In order to break down the very broad area of child development, the government have divided the curriculum into six areas of learning;
1. Personal Social and Emotional Development - PSED
2. Communication, Language and Literacy - CLL
3. Mathematical Development - MD
4. Knowledge and Understanding of the World - KUW
5. Physical Development - PD
6. Creative Development - CD
Q. What are the Early Learning Goals’?
A. The expectations for most children to reach by the end of the foundation stage, so laying secure foundations for future learning.
Q. What are ‘Stepping Stones’?
A. Progress towards the early learning goals, identifying the developing knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that children need if they are to achieve the early learning goals by the end of the foundation stage.
Q. How are children taught the curriculum?
A. All learning is achieved through play and experiences in all aspects of a child’s life at Nursery, home, in the local and wider community.
Q. How can we be sure that a child is learning across all of the six areas of learning as outlined above?
A. At the Nursery the focus for all work and planning is centered around the learning environment (the Nursery), to ensure that all children have access to a wide range of resources, equipment and experiences.
Q. How is the learning environment (Nursery) organised?
A. The basis for children’s play are the outcomes we hope they will achieve as outlined in the curriculum. When the Nursery team review and plan for the learning areas within the Nursery at their fortnightly staff meetings they base this work around the curriculum.
For organisation, access and resource purposes, the Nursery is organised into 9 learning areas or workshop areas, they are;
Maths and Science area
Studio area
Book area
Block area
Life area
ICT area
Music area
Outdoor area
Each area is critically reviewed on a daily basis by staff through observation and monitoring assessment charts and any equipment needed by the children but missing is listed onto sheets displayed in the areas. The items on this list are either added immediately or written into our action plan.
Q. How do staff ‘teach’ the children?
Nursery staff have received training on early childhood development and knowledge on how children learn through play. They are taught how to enhance rather than hinder children’s play, when to interact, what sort of questions to ask and how to plan for and support children with areas of their development that require specific focus.
Q. How do we know and record where a child is at with their development?
A. Every child has a West Sussex developmental record which is completed by their named Communicator. When a child has been observed by a team member achieving an aspect of the curriculum this is recorded onto an observation slip. The observation slips are kept on clipboards around the Nursery room. Parent/carers are also given a batch of slips and your Communicator will go through with you how and what to write. The Communicators then highlight the observed area in the child’s development record and this is reviewed weekly with the Nursery Manager. Areas for particular focus are logged weekly onto aspect sheets which are on the walls in the Nursery.
