Supporting your Child’s Development - Rockwood Nursery School, Burnley, Lancashire

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All children on entry have a baseline assessment completed within the first few weeks of starting nursery. This process begins with information from yourselves as parents/carers in the format of an All About Me of your child. This is written reflecting your parental views, based on what we discuss with you and see ourselves on the home visit.

Children who may already have an Education Health Care Plan or recognised additional needs may already have a Lancashire ‘All About Me Profile’ that has been written prior to starting nursery and this would be referred to prior to your child starting at Rockwood and updated with input from yourself and your child as their time with us goes on. If not, this can be completed once your child starts nursery.

The EYFS endorses an ethos of learning through play. The children are guided to meet the learning outcomes at their individual rate, at a speed that reflects their stage of development and opportunities they have had. Planning is seen as vital to ensure the children have opportunities to try out new skills and to explore objects, sometimes for the first time. Each room staff plan every week for your child, using information observed and assessed from their play and learning, as well as information you provide through the Tapestry journals and contacts you have with the staff. We use the termly curriculum overview to provide key learning opportunities throughout the year to support your child’s learning and development. We have a key focus on teaching communication and language, including core vocabulary and books, Red Rose Phonetical Awareness and WellComm sessions, as well as Mathematical key skills.

Rockwood Nursery School has extensive grounds surrounding the building with hard and soft surfaces and garden areas. All areas of learning are available out doors on a larger scale. The children are dressed in appropriate waterproof outdoor clothing, particularly in the winter months and on wet days so they play outdoors so that they can jump in puddles and get muddy.

Target Setting - PLOD (Possible Line of Development) and TLP’s - Teaching and Learning Programmes

All children will have a PLOD drawn up by the teaching staff in the nursery, based on these assessments, setting targets for the children to strive towards over the next few months. The PLODs are evaluated regularly and updated at least termly. Any children working significantly above or below age expected levels based on these assessment outcomes will be placed on the Nursery SEND register, following parental permission and will receive additional intervention work based around their additional needs.

Additional Targeted Learning Plans (TLP’s) for the children placed on the SEND register are written either as a group Provision map plan or as Individual Target Plan to break down these national targets further, to ensure all children achieve their full potential at Rockwood Nursery School. We have a nurture room on site called the Robin Room and this can be accessed as and when is appropriate to support children's needs. Sometimes this will be to support children's SEND needs, to provide nurture support or smaller group activities. These interventions may be carried out internally by the experienced staff within the nursery or externally by relevant professionals e.g. Speech and Language therapists, occupational therapists etc. This is reflected in our inclusion policy which can be found on our website.

The Nursery School complies with the SEND Code of Practice (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Assessment will be made in accordance with the Code, and an Individual Teaching and Learning Plan (TLP) will be formulated for children to ensure their needs are met, monitored and reviewed. If a child’s needs are more severe, the Nursery will work with the parents/carers to involve other agencies in order to more appropriately meet the needs of the child and family. This might also involve applying for an Education Health Care Plan.

Impact and Further Evaluation

We continue to track the progress and attainment of our children, throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage, once they move onto school. The positive feedback we receive about the children who have transitioned from Rockwood validates impact of our curriculum.

Continuous Curriculum Improvement

We continue to monitor and evaluate our curriculum to ensure it is having impact through:

Governors monitor coverage of the Curriculum and compliance with other statutory requirements through ‘Buddy Governor’ school visits, the Headteacher report, SENCO report, reports from staff with responsibility for areas of learning, Governor meetings, learning walks, talking to all staff and talking to children.

The Headteacher and Senior Leaders monitor the way the curriculum is being taught and children’s learning, ensuring all children are making progress throughout the school by:

Planning scrutiny, learning walks, child observations, learning journey scrutiny (Tapestry), staff observations, talking to children, tracking assessment data, tracking progress of all children and all groups of children, external and internal moderation;
Evaluate results to determine school improvement priorities;

Staff members with responsibility for ‘areas of learning’ monitor the way their area of learning is being delivered through:

Learning walks, child observations, talking to children, role of the adult, focussed group activities, assessing data in their area of learning and responding with targets and actions

Staff with responsibility for monitoring the classrooms ensure the weekly planning includes:

Objectives are identified for activities on the weekly plans;
Objectives identified on the termly overview plan is included into the plans;
Purposeful vocabulary is displayed to support the role of the adult and early reading;
The core provision is consistently provided;
Enhancements in class areas and that show progression of learning;
‘Enhancement sheets’ are used to support the role of the adult and help monitor progression of learning;
Resources are stored, managed and replaced;
Review how the area is used by children through child observations and ‘progression in key skills’ data providing targets and actions for improvements;
Where practical, cross curricular provision is provided i.e. reading material; mark making, design, being imaginative, technological, mathematical opportunities;
Areas proffer provocative objects/pictures to trigger interest.

External Support and Review

We work with other professionals including External Agencies, Local Authority School Advisors, Local Authority Consultant’s, other Maintained Nursery Headteachers and Specialist teacher’s monitoring and evaluating our curriculum and reacting to advise to ensure the highest standards are maintained.

The Senior Leadership Team annual evaluate and review the curriculum, plans and systems to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our families and children.

If you would like any further information about our curriculum, please contact the school office on 01282 426711

Confident

A child at Rockwood will feel confident and valued by staff who praise and support them, listening and showing interest in what they want to say, encouraging them to strive further and to try harder and have a go, self-scaffold their learning and take risks to challenge themselves.

Creative

A child at Rockwood will be encouraged to be creative by offering a variety of mediums, such as, role play, storytelling, and open-ended resources to develop creative thinking and to stimulate their imagination.

Curious

A child at Rockwood will learn to be curious about the world around them supported by the rich, vibrant and stimulating learning opportunities that are provided starting from their interests; they will learn to question and explore to extend their knowledge through continuous provision and adult led activities that excite and enthuse children in both the indoors and outdoors area.

Independent

A child at Rockwood will be guided, scaffolded and praised on their journey to become a successful, independent communicator no matter what their starting point is. They are encouraged to develop a ‘Have a go’ attitude, to take risks and push themselves out of their comfort zones. The children are encouraged to make their own choices for learning, work at their own ability level and the staff challenge them when necessary to extend their learning by scaffolding their learning, building on what they know / can do, and questioning them appropriately to make them think deeper and learn more about what they are working on.

Loved

A child at Rockwood will feel loved because staff will take time to listen and value their ability to communicate in any way that they can (through Makaton, gesture, expression and words. Staff will support them by modelling and extending their learning, offering strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults.

Motivated

A child at Rockwood will feel motivated to have a “have a go” attitude because the staff follow the children’s interests and support and praise them. We celebrate children’s learning and share their achievements with their parents.

Resilient (added during Covid 19)

A child at Rockwood will have a “have a go” attitude and the confidence to make mistakes but to continue to learn in a supportive and safe environment. Supporting children to manage their emotions, make their own decisions for learning and to resolve conflicts peacefully.