The Early Years unit at New Hartley First School has a 26 place Nursery which operates as 30 hours or beginning and end of the week (15 hrs) and a 30 place Reception.
Parents in receipt of 30 hours funding can choose to split where they use this funding.
At New Hartley First School, we provide an EYFS curriculum that is designed to be flexible, engaging, challenging and exciting. Every child is unique and exceptional and we celebrate and respect differences and equality within our school and Early Years community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of key basic skills, knowledge and values that then equip our children for their future successes.
Our Early Years curriculum is a mix of play-based activities along-side adult directed and adult led activities. We offer activities that are diverse and include varied learning opportunities including real-life hands-on experiences. Children are naturally motivated to play. Our curriculum builds on play and curiosity as motivation.
Nursery
In Nursery, we concentrate on the Prime Areas of the EYFS curriculum. The children spend the morning together as a Nursery cohort, enabling them to gain confidence with their peers and build positive relationships with the staff and their friends. The curriculum is play based with lots of opportunities for child-initiated activities. The children enjoy a mix of indoor and outdoor time. They follow the same themes as Reception children. In an afternoon the Nursery children have the opportunity to Plan, Do, Review whilst mixing with the Reception children across the Unit as a whole. There are enhancement activities planned for, within a half term and placed in selected areas of learning. However, a strong focus is on the adult being there to support, enhance and challenge the children whilst building up their vocabulary and communication.
Reception
In Reception the children are taught as a Reception cohort in the morning. They have a daily formal phonics session, following Read Write Inc (RWI) (see link to parents information below) and a daily maths focus. Within the morning the children have maths and writing adult led activities to complete alongside or within play opportunities with Literacy and Math enhancements/focuses. In an afternoon the Reception children have a structured writing session, in the Autumn term this is Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle building on children’s gross motor development leading into their fine motor and pencil control ready for the introduction of formal handwriting sessions, following the Nelson handwriting scheme, from Spring term onwards.
The Reception children enjoy Plan, Do, Review sessions in the afternoon, with our Nursery children. The children verbally plan and then carry out their play before verbally reviewing it - building on their sentences and their ability to hold conversations and their listening skills.
Reception and Nursery children also have weekly PE sessions.
Our Early Years Policy can be found here