Curriculum Intent
At Hillview Nursery School we cater for children aged from 2 years to 5 years. We are a maintained Nursery School with an additionally resourced unit which caters for 12 children with special needs.
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We want our children to leave Hillview Nursery School filled with self-confidence and an eagerness to learn. We work hard to nurture the children’s individuality, giving them the confidence to be the best version of themselves and to be proud of who they are.
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The practitioner’s knowledge of each child helps us to create an environment where the children and families are at the centre, they feel, safe, happy, and curious and excited to learn. Children have freedom to play and explore, to be active learners, to create and to think critically with the support of practitioners. Practitioners are aware of children’s individual targets and with this in mind will guide and scaffold experiences and learning. We work very closely with our families; they are part of the journey and are involved in every step.
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We support the children in understanding their emotions so that they can recognise and manage their feelings. We emphasise the importance of being kind and respectful to others as they develop positive social interactions.
Our enabling environment and carefully planned programme is designed to meet the everchanging needs and interests of the children. We set achievable and challenging targets for the children and using their interests as a hook we aim to deepen their knowledge and consolidate what they have learned. We have an inclusive curriculum which every child can access, with support when needed. We build on and adapt our curriculum for the SEND children whilst working on their individual targets.
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We have a high number of children with English as an additional language and bilingual children, we focus on communication and language so that we develop competent and confident communicators when the children leave Hillview.
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We have a programme to ensure that early intervention is in place, giving each child the support needed and the best opportunities to make progress. Identification of these groups is through practitioners’ observations and assessments of the children and the strong communication with parents. The planning is differentiated and targeted interventions are weaved into the routine daily. We motivate and engage our children by offering a curriculum which is flexible to their needs and takes into account their strengths, difficulties and interests.
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Practitioners have a key role in supporting this learning by developing episodes of joint adult/child attention and listening to the children and developing conversations with them. Practitioners gently challenge children’s thinking. They provide suggestions and resources over time which make the learning more challenging. They use new vocabulary naturally and repeatedly, so children use and learn new words.
As practitioners interact with the children minute-by-minute, they are reflecting on how their interactions can support further learning.
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