Zahra Day Nursery Care, Learning and Play policy
Zahra Day Nursery provides activities and play opportunities to develop children’s emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. We aim to provide an environment that is happy, warm, secure and stimulating, to ensure that all children in its care become confident and independent and enjoy exploring and learning. The setting will enable children to develop a strong sense of self, while also learning to play, negotiate and co-operate with others.
Key Principles:
- Children are active learners who are physically, emotionally and mentally involved in learning, for young children play is the natural and most important vehicle for active learning.
- The curriculum is accessible for every child – in planning opportunities for children’s learning and experience the practitioners should ensure that the different areas of learning are interlinked and that each is of equal importance (broad and balanced curriculum).
- No child should feel excluded or disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture, or religion, home language, family background, special education needs, disability gender or ability. •Start with assessment – this is a tool that enables appropriate and suitable planning that is challenging for all children.
- When planning start with the child – this makes the process of observation, assessment and planning meaningful.
- Early years’ experience is meaningful, of interest to the child, challenging and achievable through a continuous process of observing, planning and assessing.
- Practitioners have a sound knowledge of child development and the ability to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
- An acknowledgement of the Parent’s/Carer’s central role in their child’s education and developing partnerships based on mutual respect and shared responsibility.
- Practitioners ensure that all the children feel included secure and valued.
Early years settings base their curriculum on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). EYFS: Meeting the individual needs of all children lies at the heart of the EYFS. Research shows that high quality experiences in the early years, including a good home learning environment, have a significant positive impact on children’s social, emotional and cognitive development and, therefore, their progress at school and into adult life. The EYFS is a Framework to support children in their earliest years. The principles that underline the Framework are:
- A Unique Child – every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
- Positive Relationships – children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or key person.
- Enabling Environments – the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.
- Learning and Development – children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected. Observation, Planning and Assessment. Please refer to the more detailed Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation stage for more information.
Medium term plans √ Long term plans √ Group observations √ EYFS assessments will be stored in children’s draws so that they are easily accessible to staff, children and Parents.