Our Early Years Curriculum – Brize Norton Village Preschool

Our curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of each individual child, allowing them to progress through the EYFS – ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’, foster a love of learning, develop confidence and enthusiasm for the world around them. This begins with the four principles of the the EYFS

Every child is unique, and we encourage them to be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
We promote positive relationships, so children become strong and independent
Our preschool ensures we offer a safe and secure environment, an environment that enables and supports learning
We acknowledge that children learn in different ways and at different rates. We recognise that all areas of learning are important and are interconnected

We strive to ensure children develop an understanding of

Respect for others
Understanding of rules
A curiosity and an eagerness to learn
Sense of right and wrong
Confidence in social situations and self-control
An ability to persist when facing difficulties
A positive attitude

The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum covers the 7 areas of learning and development.

Prime Area

Communication and language –opportunities for children to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves and learning to speak and listen in a range of situations
Physical – Encouraging children to be active, develop co-ordination, controlled movement and excellent gross and fine motor skills
Personal Social & emotional – Helping to form positive relationships and respect for others, a sense of self and community. Develop social skills and manage their feelings and emotions. Learning about their bodies, managing personal needs and healthy eating.

We acknowledge that the four specific areas are dependent on good knowledge and progress in the three prime areas

Literacy – To develop a love of books and written materials to ignite their interest in the written word. Developing pre-reading and pre-writing skills.
Mathematics – An understanding of using numbers, shapes, space and measures.

Understanding the world – Involves supporting children in making sense of the world around them and their community by providing opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment
Expressive arts and design – Enables children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as encouraging the sharing of thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play and design and technology

Our curriculum is supported by the Characteristics of Effective Learning

Playing and Exploring -Supports children’s engagement and investigation and to experience things through being willing to ‘have a go’
Active Learning – Supports children’s motivation to learn by helping develop their concentration, ability and will to keep trying when challenges occur and celebration of completing a task.
Creating and Thinking Critically – Supports children’s thinking skills through developing ideas, making links between differing ideas and create strategies for completing a task.

Aims & Principles of our Curriculum

Intent – Our curriculum aims to prepare children in understanding the world around them and prepare them for the next stage of their education. We ensure children gain a rich knowledge across a range of topics that they are able to build on and develop. Ensuring each child is challenged to their full potential. We ensure children embrace diversity and understand clearly our British Values through a sense of Community. We ensure a varied and diverse range of activities and visits that provides essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success

Implantation – Our weekly and long-term plans ensure we cover the whole early years curriculum. We determine our play activities based on what your child has already learnt to do as well as their current interests. Our key workers observe each child’s progress as well as their interests. This enables them to plan enjoyable activities and ensure they are always moving forwards in their learning. Activities feel like fun and are done in a way each individual child will find stimulating. Our staff support and teach children in their play. Encouraging them to build their confidence, self-esteem and push new boundaries. Allowing them to develop, deepen and consolidate their learning.

Impact – We strive to ensure that our curriculum makes a positive impact to the outcomes of every child at our preschool. We track progress and achievement to ensure that children make rapid progress. We review progress termly to support planning. Monitoring of the impact of our curriculum comes from our children talking and demonstrating what they have learnt alongside key worker assessments. Pupils who are eligible for Pupil Premium funding and those with additional needs are monitored carefully to ensure that we continue to close any gaps and ensure progress. Evaluating the impact of our curriculum ensures children are ready for the next stage of their education.

New for September 2023 – We are pleased to announce that we will be holding a weekly PE Session run by Super Star Sports Midlands – www.superstarsportsmidlands.co.uk . The day will alter each half term so by the end of the academic year everyone will have had the opportunity to take part. Sessions will include football, tag rugby, gymnastics, basketball, athletics, tennis and superhero training. A £1.00 per week charge will be invoiced to parents if their child is at preschool on the day of our PE sessions. ‘Let’s inspire children at the earliest possible opportunity that staying fit & healthy is a vital part of life’

Our environment and planning support all of the areas of learning ensuring that we acknowledge children’s rights to learn, be safe and healthy, enjoy achieving and make positive contribution’s.

The Brize Norton Village Pre-school exists to provide a safe, developmentally appropriate environment for preschool children. Our focus is to provide a stimulating early care and education experience which promotes each child’s social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. Our goal is to support children’s desire to be life-long learners.

Incubator with our eggs waiting to hatch

The new EYFS – Early Years Foundation Stage September 2021, now includes a focus on children’s oral health. Our preschool is committed to ensuring all parents and children in our setting are aware of the importance of oral health. We ensure all our snacks are healthy and tooth friendly, We ask all parents to ensure their child’s bottle is filled with water rather than sugary sweet juices and squash. We provide details of local dentists to our new parents and have a wide range of resources for the children to interact with to encourage and promote oral health and we invite local dentists into our setting to speak to the children. We are delighted to have been awarded the “Healthy Smiles” accreditation from the NHS Community Dental Service