A curriculum is what we want the children to learn in the time they are with us. At The Pink Cottage we offer an explorative-based curriculum which endeavours to support children to learn for the next step of their journey.
We truly believe that every child is different and we follow their interests, urges and learning styles. For us the ‘Child’ is the curriculum.
The children are unique – therefore the way they each learn is unique. Children do not want or need us to ‘plan’ their play, they need us to create the environment that ignites their play. This is what we at The Pink Cottage aspire to do.
We recognise that children learn and develop at their own rate.
At The Pink Cottage we follow The Curiosity Approach which allows children to PLAY.
Our settings location and design, sets itself up to promote a ‘homely’ feel. Calm & neutral tones with intriguing natural, authentic artifacts/resources and displays, aid the children feeling they are entering a familiar space where they feel relaxed, welcomed and at home.
The Statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), gives us a framework that we have built upon, through the areas of learning.
The EYFS educational programs that sit under 7 areas of learning:
These are high-level curriculum summaries that we must follow and work into our rich curriculum that meets the needs of all of the children.
We also use the supporting guidance (Development Matters) to assist in ensuring that children are making sufficient progress across the areas of learning.
We ensure strong bonds are built between the individual children and their key person. Ways in which we achieve this; The Key person will welcome the child into nursery during their settling in sessions. They will ensure they are making themselves available to support, and structure the exploration, the play and interactions the child is having, throughout their time with us at nursery.
We focus on the staff ‘knowing’ their key children. What their interests are, where they are developmentally, what their next steps are. Rather than the practitioners having to refer to the child’s Journal.
Although each child will have a key person, who is most likely to be their primary figure of attachment within the setting, all practitioners will endeavour to form positive relationships with children within the wider setting.
The key person will identify where children are meeting developmental expectations and where children are working towards these – where a child may not be meeting expectations in any area(s) of learning, we will work with the child and their family to support them in reaching this goal alongside our staff team and other outside professionals when necessary.
Practitioners and the settings SENCO will use their combined experience and expert knowledge of child development to recognise such instances and work together a plan to close any identified gaps.
In order to support every child to reach their full potential, we need to use the right approach at the right time; again, this will be guided by the combined experience and expertise of our staff team, with the advice of other professionals when required.
Throughout the setting we focus on cementing the Prime areas of Learning, as we recognise how profoundly important these are for underpinning their future learning.
Learning opportunities focusing on the Specific areas are made readily available and are incorporated into the child’s play, daily. Practitioners are providing ‘invitations’ to learning and ‘provocations’ to learning every day.
Provocations are open-ended activities or experiences that are based on a broad idea, that stimulate children’s curiosity, creativity & exploration. They are often inspired by children’s interests and curiosities and are designed to help support children’s development, focussing on areas of need.
Invitations encourage children to have a freedom to play and create through exploration, and in a way that the child sees fit, & a non-directive way. With no criteria for success.
Open-ended Play
The materials on offer are open-ended, which means that they can be used in many different ways. For example, a pebble can be enjoyed by the very youngest child for its tactile properties, but it can also be used for sorting, counting, creating and imagining during play. The same pebble can be a cake decoration, a stepping stone for a character, or a magic bean. Through this type of play a child can develop their imagination, free from the constraints of more structured activities, and they are likely to play for longer too.
Loose Parts
These open-ended materials are often referred to a ‘loose part’, which can vary in size, shape and type. We like to offer a range of natural materials where possible, as we believe they provide the most interest and variety, and we passionately believe that exploring nature fosters an enjoyment and love for our precious natural world. We also use interesting and stimulating recycled materials to encourage a culture of sustainability
We ensure a communication-rich environment, in which children can develop their language and understanding skills; a nurturing environment in which children can feel safe and secure to explore their feelings and develop relationships with others; and a physically active and challenging environment where children can develop both fine & gross motor skills & challenge themselves with risk taking.
We ensure that all of our practitioners are knowledgeable in child development and learning theories and can confidently apply these to their practice.
We provide enabling environments with nurturing, knowledgeable and responsible adults who support and scaffold children’s learning.
We recognise that children under 2 will be in the sensorimotor stage of their development (learning and exploring through sensory exploration) and therefore offer plenty of sensory activities and experiences, allowing the children to use all of their senses.
Children downstairs in Bumblebee Preschool age, will be within the preoperational stage whereby they will begin to make sense of the world through language, symbols & play – they will be beginning to play alongside others, which is very important for their social development.
Positive relationships
Parents are a child’s first educator and we identify the importance of working in partnership with them. We ensure open and two-way communication and respect parents’ wishes. We provide a number of opportunities for communication and collaboration including daily handovers, termly parents’ meetings, our online system Tapestry and much more.
At The Pink Cottage, we are one big family and provide children with warm and nurturing relationships in which they can feel safe and secure, without which they cannot thrive and reach their full potential. Practitioners are attuned to the needs of each individual child and support their learning as play partners. Practitioners will know when to sensitively and appropriately intervene and when to stand back, watch and encourage.
Enabling Environments
We are a home-from-home setting – an extension of the home. Our environment will be flexible so as to meet the needs of the children. We are currently working towards an accreditation with The Curiosity Approach. The ethos believes in offering, calming and homely environments full of authentic and natural resources which inspire curiosity. The environment should be free from clutter and overstimulating bright colours and unnecessary labels, displays and resources; everything will have a purpose and plastic toys will be limited. Children will have access to a rich variety of loose parts which will offer plenty of opportunity for imagination and creativity.
We make use of our indoor and outdoor spaces, all year round and in all weathers. For our youngest children in particular, we aim to ensure consistency between the setting and home. Children can bring “transitional” objects (comforters) to help them settle and soothe and where possible, their home routine will be mirrored. As children progress through the setting, the routine will begin to have more structure however in all rooms, children are given plenty of time for uninterrupted, child-led play throughout which practitioners will support the children as play-partners. Practitioners will scaffold children’s learning within their chosen play activities.
The Pink Cottage is based in a small village, on the south coast and we take pride in being a valuable part of our wider community. We utilise our community spaces to allow children a vast range of learning opportunities beyond our nursery doors.
The Curiosity Approach allows us to be focused & ‘in the moment’ with children. We are there to support & scaffold learning, through quality teaching, learning & time.
Learning and Development
We focus on key milestones and offer learning opportunities tailored to each cohort’s needs and interests, recognising each child as a unique individual. Depth in learning is far more important than covering lots of skills in a superficial way. We accept that not all children receive the same start and will have had the same opportunities and experiences as others. This is cultural capital, whereby we endeavour to provide all children with opportunities and experiences which will support them to make progress and achieve.
We aim to ignite in children a drive to learn and be curious by being flexible and responsive to children’s fascinations.
Assessment
Children are formatively assessed on an ongoing basis through observations by practitioners. Summative assessments are carried out termly and these are an opportunity for practitioners to reflect on the child’s learning and development in line with the areas of learning – for children aged 2 and under, the Prime Areas will be focused on and for those aged 3 and above, the Prime and Specific Areas will be focused on.
Where practitioners identify that children are not meeting typical developmental expectations, additional support will be put in place depending on the individual needs of the child; where necessary, this will require partnership working with the child, their family, practitioners and managers within the setting, the SENCO and other professionals. Rather than assess children within given age bands, we use these as a guide to determine whether a child is on track or not on track. We recognise that some children will require significantly more help than others to become and remain on track with typical developmental expectations but understand that
“Every child can make progress if they are given the right support”
(Development Matters, 2021)
