Our Early Years curriculum is designed to promote a positive attitude towards learning, so that children enjoy all subjects, and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning, regardless of their unique starting points. The curriculum is coherently planned based on children’s needs, interests and carefully considered outcomes. This is derived from stories and experiences of the wider world. At Heathfield, we recognise the importance of providing children with high quality texts as an essential way to build a wide and rich vocabulary, as well as supporting long term memory. Research suggests that long term memory depends on meaning; unless children can make sense of what they are exposed to, the new knowledge cannot make its way in to the long term memory. As a result, we ensure we provide opportunities that include:
- Practical first hand experiences
- Nursery rhymes and familiar stories to reinforce memory though plentiful repetition
- Actions, signing, physical activity and movement
- Stories with repeated phrases
- Role play
- Sequencing
- Retrieval and recall
Stories are repeated and revisited as we believe that repetition is important. We strive to ignite a love of stories and rhymes to ensure children want to hear stories again and again.
Knowledge and skills are coherently planned and sequenced, ensuring all areas are taught in a logical progression. Practitioners have high academic ambitions and the curriculum provides no limits or barriers. Knowledge and skills are taught directly and learning is not left to chance. At Heathfield, we recognise the continuous provision as the ‘third teacher’. Every resource within the provision has been carefully considered and chosen to ensure children have the tools they need to succeed, even in the absence of an adult facilitating play.
The 7 areas of learning and development are equally important and interconnected. We recognise the prima areas of learning are particularly important for igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building children’s capacity to learn, form relationships and start their journey to ‘lifelong learning’. These are strengthened through the more specific areas of learning which provide direct teaching opportunities to prepare children for the next stage in their learning journey.
The outdoors is considered an addition to the classroom where children can test their ideas on a larger scale. In the outdoors, children develop their gross motor movements with opportunities to climb and move freely. The children begin to learn about the natural world around them through exploration within our large natural outdoor space. It is also a time for children to explore the elements in an exciting and engaging way. Opportunities to explore the natural world are integrated into daily practice. At Heathfield, we recognise the importance for children to have access to natural space and we understand that not all families will have access to this at home.