There are seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational programmes in early years settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.


Prime Areas


Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas are:


• communication and language; • physical development; and • personal, social and emotional development.


Specific Areas


Providers must also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:


• literacy;


• mathematics; • understanding the world; and • expressive arts and design.


In planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners must reflect on the different ways that children learn and reflect these in their practice. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:


• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;


• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and


• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.


Every child comes to Mission Grove with different strengths, needs and experiences. We plan carefully to take these into account and provide an engaging and rich curriculum that will help them to develop and progress in their learning.


Assessment


To ensure that the children are continually developing and learning we complete observations on the children. These allow us to track what the children are doing and how well they are doing. We use these learning journeys to help us plan activities and set new challenges for the children.


You will receive a progress check report within 8 weeks of your child starting. There will also be an end of year progress report in July.


Attendance


Good attendance is an essential part of your child’s education and social development.


Your child should attend every day unless they are too ill to attend. If you are not sure then bring your child in as we will call if we feel they need to come home. All of the staff are trained in first aid.


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