Ladysmith Federation

Learning in Nursery and Reception

Children in Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Statutory Framework (2021). This framework lays out seven key areas of learning:

-Communication and Language -Personal, Social and Emotional Development -Physical Development -Literacy -Mathematics -Understanding the World -Expressive Arts and Design -

At Ladysmith we follow a bespoke curriculum which develops the children's knowledge and understanding in these seven areas holistically and sequentially – we build carefully on previous learning and give our children lots of opportunities to practise and consolidate things they have learnt. The children spend most of their day in purposeful play in our wonderful Nursery and Reception environments. Here they can choose whether to play inside or outside and are encouraged to follow their own interests and fascinations. Our skilled teachers and practitioners play alongside the children, observing their learning and building in challenges or scaffolds to support their learning and development. We make the most of being part of our wider school community through use of our amazing Forest School space and use the halls, cooking room, art room and ICT suite in Reception to further enhance the children's wider learning.

Link to Ladysmith Federation EYFS Curriculum

Reading

We teach all children to read using the Read Write inc. Programme. Children are taught sounds from the beginning of Reception and, where appropriate, in Nursery. Read Write inc sessions happen daily in Reception and throughout the week in Nursery. You can find out more about Read Write inc by following the links on out school website.

Alongside this we believe that building a love of reading is fundamental to improving the life chances of all children. We read to the children frequently throughout the day in small groups or 1:1 and share stories in larger groups or as a class daily. Children in Nursery have access to a dedicated library where they can borrow books to take home, whilst in Reception each class visits the school library weekly and children choose a book to share with their parents and carers. We celebrate stories and books through our provision and our curriculum, where we ensure focused time is spent exploring new books and enjoying older ones.

Maths

We want all our children to become confident mathematicians who are happy to 'have a go' and are not afraid to make mistakes. We use the Numbersense Maths programme in Reception and, where appropriate, in Nursery to ensure that all children have a strong understanding of numbers to 10, the relationships between these numbers and the patterns within them. A strong spatial reasoning element to the programme ensure that our children become well-rounded, enthusiastic mathematicians who are ready for Key Stage 1 and beyond. Children are taught maths daily in Reception in their class groups. In both Nursery and Reception we make the most of opportunities in our timetable and provision to develop and practise number skills and spot patterns and shapes.