Early Years Hub

Look what we have been up to...

Intent,  Implement and Impact in the Early Year Hub

Intent

Our intent is to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where every child feels valued and supported in their learning journey. We prioritise the holistic development of each child, aiming to cultivate their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being. By fostering a positive attitude towards learning and encouraging curiosity, we lay the groundwork for lifelong learning habits and a love for exploration.

Our Early Years Foundation Stage includes Longtown Preschool and our Reception class. All staff value every child as a unique individual who can flourish and learn at their own pace and in their own individual way.  We celebrate differences within our school community and use these as a tool to guide the learning opportunities the children encounter during their time with us. Our collaborative approach and carefully planned curriculum, provides a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all areas of learning and development.

We begin the year by looking at the individual needs of our children and taking into account their different starting points and prior experiences. We aim for our children to approach their learning positively whilst developing their interpersonal skills, building resilience and becoming creative and critical thinkers for life. 

Implement

The Early years consists of three prime areas communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. The three prime areas are strengthened by four specific areas of learning: literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world, and expressive arts and design. 

As well as planning exciting activities through topic, we closely observe the children whilst playing, and plan activities around their interests. This will ensure that we specifically shape the learning experiences for all children, allowing them to explore their characteristics of learning. This element represents the process of thinking behind children's learning, how they develop their own ideas, and how they create strategies to test these ideas, which will help them when transitioning into Reception class and KS1. 

To implement our intent, we design our curriculum around the principles of play-based learning, interests and though topics. Play is recognised as the primary mode of learning for young children, allowing them to actively engage with their environment and construct their understanding of the world. Our team create rich and diverse learning environments that incorporate a wide range of materials and resources to facilitate exploration and discovery. Through carefully planned activities and provocations, we provide opportunities for children to develop essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.

We also place a strong emphasis on outdoor play and nature-based experiences, recognising the benefits of connecting with the natural world for children's physical and mental well-being. Our outdoor space is thoughtfully designed to inspire curiosity and promote physical development, with opportunities for sensory exploration, gross motor play, and imaginative play. The woodland area enables children to experience Woodland Wonder sessions which sparks awe and wonder of nature and the everchanging environment through the seasons.  

Additionally, we prioritise building positive relationships with both the children and their families, recognising the importance of partnership in supporting children's learning and development. Regular communication, parent workshops, and family engagement events are integral parts of our approach to ensure that each child receives consistent support and encouragement both at home and in the classroom.

Impact

Our topics this year are:

Phonics

During Pre-school sessions, the children will start Phase One of Letters and Sounds, which concentrates on developing children's speaking and listening skills and lays the foundations for the phonic work which starts when teaching Set 1 sounds using the Read Write Inc scheme. The emphasis during Phase 1 is to get children attuned to the sounds around them and ready to begin developing oral blending and segmenting skills.

We are  partners...

We believe that the highest quality childcare can only be delivered in close partnership with parents. Our staff will work closely with you to get to know your child's individual needs and personality – and provide you with regular feedback on how they are progressing. Each child is assigned a key person who will support your child’s emotional and developmental needs, helping them to feel safe and secure and enabling them to thrive in our setting.

We believe that the best form of communication is in person and we know that parents understand their children best so we ask them to contribute to assessments, sharing information about what their children like to do at home and how parents are supporting development. We are always available to chat about any issues or concerns at the beginning of a session, likewise we are keen to hear what your child has been doing outside of Pre-School so that we can get to know them better. Alongside our informal chats, we also use the online learning journal Tapestry where we record formal observations, which chart your child’s progress in relation to the learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).  This is followed by a face-to-face review with parents in which we set future learning objectives or ‘Next Steps’ together. Please remember to fill out the 'About me' page with your child.