Early Years Education
At Thurgoland childcare we fully appreciate the importance of early years in a child’s longer term development and aim to provide a warm and consistent care that is flexible and sensitive to individual needs. This allows children to progress at their own natural pace in a stimulating environment. This, together with our practical understanding of physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs of pre-schoolers provides our children with an ideal springboard from which confident and successful schooling can follow.
All children attending Thurgoland childcare follow Development Matters alongside our own individualised curriculum: this framework for learning follows children into the reception class at school. The foundation stage is so called as it offers children a secure basis for later learning. Childhood itself is important and we want all children to have enjoyable and satisfying experiences; these experiences also have an impact on a Childs attitude to learning and in this way the settings education aims to create the foundations for future learning in school and beyond.
Our curriculum in the foundation stage aims to prepare children for the demands of key stage one of the national curriculum in primary school.
Throughout the foundation stage, Prime and Specific areas of learning and development are introduced in ways that are appropriate young children, typically through play. Our staff will build on your child’s existing skills and interests in their play activities to encourage this.
All children learn best from experiences that are suitable for their individual level of development. Play is crucial to the way in young children learn. Through play your child can develop a range of skills, for example the confidence required for personal, social, emotional development or skills needed for writing and drawing. Well planned play encourages children to become more independent and confident and enables them to achieve new skills. By the time a child reaches school age, they will have already had the benefit of an excellent, quality early education, together with the essential skills that will allow them to integrate fully and successfully into school life. These early experiences also shape skills for life.