Our approach & curriculum
We want your child’s first steps into education to be positive, happy and tailored to them.
Learning through play
Play is the main tool for children’s learning at pre-school. Each day balances activities children choose for themselves with activities led by adults, to support every child’s learning and development. Each term has a theme – such as “about me” or “transport” – and we plan activities to help children explore it.
When children feel happy, safe and secure, they thrive socially and emotionally. They make new friends, learn to share and cooperate, and their communication skills grow. With positive support, they’re willing to try new experiences, tackle difficult problems and cope with making mistakes. We aim to promote each child’s strengths and help them where they need more support.
Developing independence is a vital part of every child’s development, and helps them get ready for school.
Your child’s key person
Every child has a key person: a member of staff with particular responsibility for just a few children. Having a special adult to relate to helps children settle, and means we can plan activities around each child’s needs.
Your child’s key person keeps close links with you, sharing records of your child’s development so they’re supported to reach their full potential. You can talk to them about your child’s learning at any time.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the national framework that we, and all childcare settings, must follow. It sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5, and is built on four themes:
- A unique child – every child is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
- Positive relationships – children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
- Enabling environments – children learn and develop well when their experiences respond to their individual needs, with a strong partnership between staff and parents or carers.
- Learning and development – children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.
Seven areas of learning
Children learn skills, gain knowledge and show their understanding through seven areas of learning and development, which our Manager and staff use to plan their activities. Children mostly develop the three prime areas first, as these are the most essential for healthy development and future learning:
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development
As children grow, the prime areas help them develop skills in four specific areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
What the EYFS means for your child
Following the EYFS means that:
- every child makes progress, and every child reaches the 17 Early Learning Goals
- every child is included, and no child is disadvantaged because of their ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability
- we work in close partnership with other professionals – for example, completing 2-year checks with health visitors
- ongoing assessment improves quality and consistency
- learning is planned around each child’s needs and interests, informed by ongoing observation
Following your child’s progress
Assessment helps us decide each child’s next steps. Your child’s learning journal is kept online on Famly. Their key person adds milestones and day-to-day details of their time at pre-school, and you can log in to see observations, photos and videos, follow their progress, give feedback and add your own observations from home. What you notice at home helps us build a full picture of your child’s “wow” moments.
Before your child turns 3, we write a progress check together with you. It summarises how your child is getting on in the prime areas of learning, highlighting where they’re doing well and where they may need extra help. When your child is 3, we’ll also invite you in for an update on their progress. Find out more about Famly.
Our Manager and staff are always happy to talk to you about the EYFS and your child’s development – please ask as many questions as you like. The full EYFS framework, including the Early Learning Goals, is published by the Department for Education.
Ready to take the next step?
We’d love to show you around and tell you more about life at Sonning Common Pre-School.