Nursery learning through play policy

At The University of Dundee Nursery Ltd learning in the early years is celebrated and promoted as a profoundly important stage of a child’s life when vital emotional, social, physical, and intellectual development takes place.

We believe that from birth, children are strong, competent, motivated, and confident learners who explore and test their ideas, solve problems, and try to make sense of their world. We recognise that learning needs to be first hand, experiential and active; it should promote children’s independence and autonomy, encouraging them to take responsibility for their own learning – initiating and making decisions. Learning needs to take place in the social context and we believe ‘talk’ is central to the learning process. We also understand that learning cannot take place unless children’s emotional needs are met, and they feel safe to take risks.

We believe that parents/ carers are the first and most enduring educators who have the most impact on their child’s life and education. Therefore, we work in partnership with parents to seek their perspective of their child to inform planning that is meaningful, purposeful and curriculum based on the interests and strengths of their children.

We value the process of learning highly and understand that young children have the right to communicate and explore their learning in a variety ways.

Above all we believe in the concept of lifelong learning research has shown that learning should be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone; it should be fun. Children learn most effectively through play – based activities, which allow them to develop their interests and recognises that children’s learning styles and pace of learning are individual. Through our teaching we equip children with skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to be able to make informed choices about the important things in their lives.

Learning happens best when it exercises and challenges the learner’s capacities as they emerge at a given developmental level; when it encourages them to develop talents. Young children need time and space to become resilient lifelong learners.

Our principles of teaching and learning

We will;

• Support every child to achieve their full potential
• Ensure that teaching and learning is personalised, creative, challenging and fun
• Create an environment in which children feel safe, supported, valued and happy
• Ensure that the teaching and learning of young children is differentiated to meet individual children’s needs
• Establish what children already know and build upon it
• Structure and pace the learning experiences to make it enjoyable yet challenging
• Enable children to become active partners in their learning allowing them to take “safe” risk in order form them to become compliment problem solves and thinkers
• Regularly use encouragement and authentic praise to engage and motivate children
• Value children’s previous experiences and achievements and liaise with parents and other settings using the information as starting points for children’s continued learning
• Plan a curriculum and learning environment indoors and outdoors that responds to children’s interests and recognises that children’s learning is holistic
• Ensure that all areas of the Early curriculums are covered at a developmentally appropriate stage for every child

Engaging children

We consider that every child has an active part in their learning and development, therefore we will ensure that children;

• Have access to learning activities that will develop their sense of achievement
• Are engaged in relevant, interesting and enjoyable learning activities
• Have access to a variety of learning experiences to match their ages and stages of development , and different learning styles
• Will make sustained progress over time, building upon what they already know
• Develop skills to become independent learners
• Are encouraged to develop social, emotional, cultural and spiritual awareness.

A skilled and competent nursery team

The nursery team have a diverse, skilled and highly qualified portfolio that enables children in each age group to receive knowledgeable and experienced support in whatever challenges they face. Staff are actively encouraged in their professional development and receive regular performance reviews where opportunities for further developing qualifications and skills are recognised as crucial to the well-being, education, and care of the children. Every member of staff, regardless of their role, play an important part in the success and achievements of all the children.

Aims       

Though effective learning and teaching opportunities we will ensure that all children are enabled to:

• Feel valued as an individual
• Show enthusiasm and confidence with high self-esteem and self-worth
• Be independent, curious, creative, and resilient learners, researching the world around them, following their own fascinations
• Be courageous and take risks, challenging themselves and each other
• Know they have a voice, feel heard and that they can make a difference
• Be able to identify and communicate their own needs and feelings
• Be empowered to meet their own needs
• Respect themselves, each other, their communities, and environment
• Feel safe and secure and have a sense of belonging and strong attachments
• Establish effective and supportive relationships and be able to work collaboratively
• Know themselves as a learner, leading and co constructing learning experiences in a meaningful way to develop mastery
• Have high aspirations, build on their previous best, and excel in whatever they choose to do

The role of the practitioners

• To have a firm understanding of child development and an awareness of age-appropriate needs, behaviour and learning
• Key Person role embedded to support strong attachment
• Be attuned to individualised feelings, needs, fascination and lines of enquiry
• Be attentive to any patterns of play that may be emerging and children’s emotional need using gathered information to reflect on and aid progress
• Encourage children to communicate in a variety of ways and value 1st language and cultural heritage
• Develop planning that is personalised and challenging but achievable
• Ensure quality interactions which scaffold and prompt thinking, building on children’s interests, strengths, and questions
• Encourage and support children’s interactions with other children and adults
• Model feelings, learning characteristics and re-searchful learning
• Model language of learning and exploration of emotional well- being
• To be attentive to the 4 principles of Assessment for Learning : learning intentions, feedback, questioning and self-evaluation/challenge
• Support children to become mastery learners- to ask questions, take and evaluate risks, develop resilience, and have ownership for their learning
• To ensure the environment is safe, calm, purposeful, challenging, and supportive.
• To provide inspiring learning experiences and provocations in which children can become the leaders
• To maintain ‘practice’ leadership ensuring authentic connection with daily practice

The enabling emotional and physical environment

• The daily routine is structured to include time for personal exploration, small and large group sessions, and social experiences.
• The routine ensures time for children to repeat, revisit and reflect on their previous experiences, which includes a long, uninterrupted ‘explore time’ during which children can really ‘get lost’ in their learning
• The routine is always consistent, thus ensuring children feel secure and can operate independently. Within the elements of the daily routine varied and enriching experiences are planned to maintain and stimulate children’s attention and learning.
• Children are emotionally supported in small consistent groups – their home base is supported with pictures displayed of their families or other significant people
• Boundaries are clear and consistent across the setting
• Children are empowered to manage their feelings, keep themselves safe and resolve conflicts using the Conflict/Resolution steps alongside emotionally literate adults.
• Children have continual, free flow always access an environment both inside and outside
• Planning for the environment is informed by children’s interests, their learning styles and preferred ways of communication
• Resources are easily accessible, plentiful, well maintained and organised and appropriate – with an emphasis on open ended exploration and collaborative learning

Developing learning power

We believe that children can become confident lifelong learners if equipped with the appropriate skills, attitudes and capacities for learning from an early age. Children need to become Resilient, Resourceful, Reflective and Reciprocal Learners. In order to develop these appropriate attitudes, we:

• Enable children to initiate and carry out their own activities and make independent choices and decisions
• Encourage children to find, use and replace equipment and resources independently (in an organised, labelled, and accessible learning environment).
• Encourage the children to make plans, modify plans, review, and reflect on their own learning.
• Set challenges for children and support them through the process of problem solving.
• Model and use the language of learning with both children and adults alike
• Use and encourage use of open ended and challenging questioning techniques
• Model ‘being stuck’ and learning from mistakes
• Using consistent strategies for what to do if you get stuck!
• Encourage collaboration
• Enable children to see each other as tools for learning as well as the teaching staff
• Developing noticing skills
• Encourage absorption, and an awareness of distractions
• Plan for varied imaginative play situations
• Encouraging children to make connections from their experiences and explore possibilities.

Parents in partnership

Parents and carers are fundamental in their children’s development and learning therefore we actively seek to learn from them and share with them in all aspects of their child’s learning.

We foster this relationship through:

• An ethos of openness and honesty, that encourages parents /carers to share their knowledge, understanding, hopes and concerns with us
• Opportunities to listen to and value personal histories
• An open learning community – sharing and celebrating ALL our learning
• An open-door policy – all parents can join us at any point
• Opportunities for parents/child/practitioner to co-construct learning priorities and document children’s learning and interests
• Up to date communication through website, texts, newsletters, notice boards, displays etc and consultation
• The key person system, which supports authentic and meaningful relationships
• Providing 1 : 1 support, workshops and training opportunities though an empowerment model

Assessment and planning

We are committed to narrowing the gap, ensuring that no child underachieves, especially those from identified underperforming or underrepresented groups and those living in poverty.

We believe that every child has the right to a well-planned and meaningful curriculum that will provide them with the tools needed to succeed throughout their lives, regardless of culture, social class, gender, physical and cognitive capabilities, and beliefs. Regular monitoring and evaluation of children’s progress enables us to continually adjust our provision in response to any areas of underachievement that may be identified.

Assessment is a fundamental part of the planning process. To help us decide what to provide we observe children in their play in a range of situations. We use a Focus Learning system which helps monitor current and new child inters throughout the day.

We respond to the development and learning of each child by planning a range of experiences which include the Prime and Specific areas of learning and the Characteristics of Effective Learning.

Diversity and inclusion are our priority and therefore we differentiate our planning and provision to ensure every child can access the learning experiences at their stage of development. No child is excluded from activities.

We use the Curriculum for Excellence, Pre Birth to Tree, How Good is our Early Learning and Childcare, GIRFEC, My World Outdoors and Out to Play to plan and assess children’s learning, and within these frameworks our staff team are trained in using other observational tools and assessment procedures to plan for and extend children’s learning. Such as long, spontaneous and tracking observations, wellbeing and involvement scales.

The learning environment is reviewed and adapt as part of the on-going observations of children’s interests and needs. Our continuous provision support our long – term planning and enhanced provision. Individual planning reflects appropriate challenge for children of different ability, with appropriate challenge for higher ability children.

Planning

Long term

• Our Nursery Improvement Plan, Individual Room Improvement Plans, Room Audits and Accident and Incident Monitoring Form support our long-term plan
• We have a range of policies for learning and teaching including Inclusion and SEN, Transition, Parent Partnership
• We have developed quality criteria for adult interactions and an enabling environment which inform our practice development
• We plan for continuous provision inside and outside.

Mid term

• Termly data for groups of children is collected in each planning form/notes as well as in room Senior Books. This data informs the termly plan with possible learning focuses which will meet the needs of the children.
• Plans are informed by contributions from the parents, practitioners, and the children to ensure learning experiences are drawn from the interests of the children
• Plans are evaluated to ensure breadth and challenge

Weekly/daily responsive planning

• Staff hold daily evaluation discussion which enables them to reflect on children’s self-initiated learning, interests, and possible lines of enquiry etc.; this informs the provision plan for the next day
• Daily adult led ‘contact times’ ensure that every child accesses a broad and balanced curriculum across all curriculum areas of learning
• Group and individual interests may be identified which may develop focus plans to extend across a week

All our teaching is based on our knowledge of the children’s current learning, interests, and developmental stage. This knowledge is gathered and continually updated through a variety of on-going assessments, which take the form of:

• Daily observations (Observation Book)
• Child online Journals Record, which show progress children make as data (including baseline assessment)
•  3 x year Parents Evening with parent/practitioner for individual children
• Learning stories
• Video, photo documentation
• Work samples
• Floor Books

Evaluation and assessment

The nursery assesses all children’s learning and progress using a variety of methods. Analysis of data from the outcomes of assessment is used to support planning for future teaching and learning. The data is evaluated, and results used to track and identify trends or patterns that are purposeful and will inform future planning. The effectiveness of teaching and learning is monitored by the Senior Nursery Manager and team.

Rationale

WE believe that in order to learn children need:

• to feel happy, healthy, and secure
• to be autonomous and independent - making decisions and choices for themselves
• to be respectful of themselves, others and the resources and environment they share
• opportunities to be active and inquisitive learners with the confidence to explore and take risks.

We believe that in order to develop interests and skills the environment should:

• be clean, safe, familiar, friendly, and inviting
• be accessible and organised to facilitate independent and confident action
• be attractive and stimulating
• positively reflect and promote individual children’s interests, abilities, and the wider communities to which we belong.

We believe that in order for adults to teach they need to:

• be nurturing and responsive to the needs of the children, families, and communities they work in and with
• be knowledgeable about child development and eager to extend their own learning
• be confident to share their knowledge and expertise with others
• recognise and value each individual child’s experiences, interests, and abilities.

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