Curriculum
The Rachel McMillan curriculum is all the things we want children to experience, know and be able to do during their time at our nursery school.
Our curriculum intent
We acknowledge the requirements for promoting the learning and development of children as set out in the EYFS Statutory Framework.
At Rachel McMillan, we are ambitious for all our children and aim for them:
● To have the support and nurture to ensure they are happy, engaged, resilient and confident learners.
● To make good progress from their individual starting points. By progress we mean children doing more, knowing more and remembering more, including developing skills, positive attitudes and demonstrating the Characteristics of Effective Learning within their play and exploration.
● To experience a holistic, communication-rich curriculum that challenges, excites and inspires them to become successful and confident learners able to reach their full potential.
● To be prepared for the next stage of their education - by this we mean their transition to Reception class (EYFS 2), empowered to achieve success in their future.
Learning through play
i. At Rachel McMillan, we recognise that ‘a child’s play is their work.’ We believe that play is a child’s preferred way of learning, ensuring prominent levels of involvement. It is through play that children are helped to learn how to learn and can begin to make sense of their world.
ii. Therefore, Rachel McMillan children are engaged in play activities and exploration - both freely chosen within the provision set up and guided or planned for by the staff, based on their observations and knowledge of the children.
iii. Our curriculum offer is cross-curricular and encompasses a holistic approach. The learning environment across the school is organised to support all seven Areas of Learning, ensuring the curriculum is broad and balanced. Resources are selected, mindfully, to support each child’s independent access, and to support and challenge their learning.
iv. Children play both inside the shelters and outside in our large garden. It is a rich, stimulating learning environment, full of provocations and invitations to explore. These indoor and outdoor environments are well resourced and supported well by skilled practitioners.
Allowing the children this amount of free play provides them with important early experiences of choice and independence, which with thoughtful adult support, develops self-esteem, self-regulation, empathy, intrinsic motivation, collaboration, creative thinking and persistence. All in a space where exploration and investigation are encouraged, mistakes are learning opportunities and there is no fear of failure.
Our ambitious curriculum provides children with a strong basis of Foundational Knowledge ready for their transition into Primary School.
By the time, they leave us we want Rachel McMillan children to be:
Confident, Engaged and Independent Learners
Who are:
Adventurous, Curious, Communicative,
Sociable, Imaginative, Persistent, Problem-solvers.
If you would like more information about our curriculum and assessment please ask in the School office, for our Curriculum and Assessment policy, which explains in depth how we support the children to be able to grow and learn these skills. We focus in greater depth on how the children will be enabled to access all seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We explain how we measure and evaluate the impact of our curriculum for the children.
