The Barn Nursery & Preschool
The aim of our curriculum is to equip children with the skills and knowledge they need to explore and understand the world around them, giving them the best possible start in life. We believe that children grow and develop when they have access to a well thought out environment and have positive engaging adults around them.
The teaching and learning of new skills and knowledge are delivered through both adult and child led opportunities. We focus on the importance of knowledge and skills that will support children in every way possible
We also integrate in the moment planning within our curriculum to allow the children the opportunity to develop exciting self-driven learning, problem solving, questioning and positives experiences in their own unique way.
Our curriculum is based around the 7 areas of learning, what we would like the children to learn and how we teach it.
Communication & Language
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Have good conversations with adults and peers each day in a language rich environment
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Be able to listen and take turns
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Use new words in a range of contexts
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Be able to roleplay and tell stories
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Use Makaton every day
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Extend children’s vocabulary, explaining unfamiliar words and concepts and making sure they understand what they mean
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Sing songs and rhymes every day
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Support children to use longer sentences
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Give the children the opportunity and confidence to share their ideas
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Using lots of open-ended questions and having a language rich environment
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Having a wide range of books available
Literacy
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To listen to and enjoy stories
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To handle books with care
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Understand that print has meaning and that you read from left to right and top to bottom
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Learn that some words rhyme
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To count or clap the syllables in a word
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To recognise words with the same initial sounds
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Practicing writing skills, mark making etc
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Try and predict the endings to stories by identifying patterns
Maths
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Compare different sizes, lengths and weights
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Have a secure understanding of the numbers 1 to 5 and be able to subitise up to 3
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Use positional language for example under, behind, in front
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Talk about patterns and sequences for example first, then, after, morning, afternoon, evening etc
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Shape recognition and be able to talk about them
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Be able to play freely with blocks and shapes
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Be able to complete puzzles and jigsaws of different levels of ability
Personal, social and emotional development
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Build strong and supportive relationships
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Make good friendships and be able to resolve conflicts, offering help where needed
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Understand own feelings and those of others
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Self-regulation
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Build a positive sense of self and have confidence in their own abilities
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Using kindness in interactions with children and others
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Support children to choose their own activities and resources
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Promoting children’s sense of responsibility by allowing them to get their own plates at snack time, giving them jobs to do for example giving out snack etc
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Taking the children on local outings so they become more confident in social situations
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Involve children in decisions on what resources to get
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Learning to follow rules and explain why they are so important
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Discussing feelings and emotions and explaining to the children how they can show these
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Independence and self-care, using a knife and fork, using the toilet, washing, and drying hands, putting on their own coat and shoes
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Talking about healthy food and drink choices and why it’s important
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Celebrating each child’s uniqueness by talking to them about their individual characteristics and their similarities and differences with others in a positive way
Physical development
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Gross and fine motor development
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Develop their core strength, balance, and co-ordination
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Skip, hop and stand on one leg
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Use large muscle movements, e.g., waving the parachute or painting and making marks.
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Doing group activities in teams
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Be able to remember sequences and patterns in movement which relate to music and rhythm
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Use a range of one-handed tools to carry out tasks
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Provide a wide range of resources that the children can use independently
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Become independent in being able to dress and undress
Understanding the world
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Begin to learn about the diverse world that we live in
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Encourage the children to enjoy and explore the natural world
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Explore natural materials
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Plant seeds and grow flowers and vegetables
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Understand about recycling and why we do it
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Understand the life cycle of a plant or animal
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Have respect for living things and the environment
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Learn about different occupations
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Talk openly about differences between people including race, religion, and gender
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Learn about different countries using photos and maps
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Discuss differences in materials such as cooking, melting, sinking, floating etc
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Encourage the children to talk about their family and friends
Expressive Art & Design
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Explore different materials and textures and use their own ideas on how to use them and what to make
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To enjoy painting, mark making, building and creating
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Role play and create stories whilst using the small world area
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Enjoy imaginative play
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Start to draw with more meaning for example drawing a face with eyes, nose and mouth
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Explore colours and how they change when they are mixed together
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Remember and sing whole songs
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Create and make up their own songs
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Use songs to express their feelings and thoughts
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Explore the speed and pitch of songs
Our promise that we will:
Provide a warm, caring environment where the children feel happy and secure
Observe children at play and plan activities around their interests and introduce them to new ideas
Use lots of positive praise noting how well children solve problems and have ideas.
Use additional funding to support children as identified
Work in partnership with parents and outside agencies
Build strong relationships with key children and their families
Share and discuss experiences
Be positive role models and promote positive behaviour
Provide lots of opportunities for turn taking
Provide real life experiences that they might not necessarily get at home
Know each child and what their next steps are
Support the children to be independent and ready for the next stage in their life