Intent

At Kings Stanley Playgroup we want to create an environment where children feel listened to and valued and to nurture and inspire confidence. Our main aim is to encourage the children to become strong, independent members of society who are happy and healthy. We achieve this by spending as much time as we can with our key children each day, observing, playing and talking to them, so we can see what their interests and abilities are and to help them develop through play-based activities. We are very aware that no one knows our children as much as the parents do and we also know through experience that if we have a positive, open relationship with the parents, where they feel they can trust us, this will inevitably have a positive impact on our relationship with their children. 

Implementation

We follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage effective from September 2021 and take our guidance from development matters September 2020. We provide activities that will help the children to explore their interests and enjoy learning, following the three prime areas Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional and Physical Development and four specific areas Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design when planning our curriculum. We offer a balance of child-initiated and adult led learning using a continuous provision and group activities led by the child’s interests. We very much believe that by engaging in new experiences children learn in a way that is fun and inviting.

We take pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners of all abilities demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education, children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those children who present with a barrier to learning are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs. Outdoor learning is as much used as indoors and both are an extension of each other, we believe that all activities can be transferred between the two and actively encourage children to do so.

Impact

The children are assessed on an ongoing basis using Tapestry an online learning journal, which parents have open access to and are encouraged to post photographs from home. There are two formal assessments that are a statutory part of the Early Years Framework, and these are a Progress Check at age 2 (which can be carried out any time between and child’s 2^nd and 3^rd birthday) and the Transition Summative Development Record which is carried out before a child leaves playgroup to start school.  Both assessments are shared with the parents, the latter before it is shared with the school, to make sure they are happy with it and agree with the contents.

All the staff at Kings Stanley Playgroup are passionate about what they do and the quality of education they provide for the children who attend. None of us underestimate the importance of a rich learning environment, that is stimulating and fun as well as calm and engaging. We try to place equal importance on the inside and outside areas.  The children’s individual identity is valued, and they are kind and caring while also aspiring to be the best that they can be in whatever area they choose to pursue. We believe that every child is unique – they all have the potential to achieve; and our broad, varied curriculum allows every child to excel now and, in the future, based upon their own personal strengths, interests and core values. Children’s achievements are celebrated with our daily ‘Star of the Day’ certificate which they achieve for WOW moments as well as WOW vouchers for home achievements.