At Tunstall, we believe that each person is unique in terms of abilities, needs, culture, beliefs, attitudes, language, relationships and experience.  We respect and value these and recognise that we are learners throughout our lifetime.  We develop competent, confident learners who achieve well.  To realise this aim we work in a supportive partnership with parents/carers.

After settling happily and securely into this learning environment, parents/carers and children can continue to develop:

• lively and enquiring minds and the ability to think for themselves
• the ability to work/play on own or with others and be able to co-operate
• a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence with an awareness and respect for the needs of others
• the concepts, attitudes, skills and knowledge they will need through their lives in order to achieve their own potential and make a full contribution to society
• an awareness of and respect for the variety of cultures, customs and religions
• the ability to communicate effectively and creatively with different people in different settings
• qualities of sensitivity and imagination

 

We believe that young children learn through their play. We have curriculum aims that we support all children to work towards during their time here.  We provide a stimulating environment which enables children to explore, develop and learn at their own pace. We, as experienced and trained staff, provide support and intervention to further their learning and skills.

We follow their interests as well as introducing stories, new experiences and topics, following the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Our learning environment includes indoor and outdoor activities throughout the year.

We have set of core books that we want children to experience while they are here at Tunstall and become familiar with.  These stories are introduced during our story sessions as well as being available during the session, with activities linked to them.

 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Self-Regulation

Managing Self

Building Relationships

At Tunstall we believe that Personal, Social and Emotional skills are the building blocks of success in life. They support children’s development by helping them to interact effectively and develop positive attitudes to themselves and others.  Our self-regulation policy is at the heart of everything we do, through this and our curriculum we support children to develop their friendships, independence, confidence and begin to able to recognise their own emotions.

Click here for our skills progression in PSED.

 

Physical development

Gross Motor Skills

Fine Motor Skills

At Tunstall children gain control of their bodies, and  learn about keeping themselves active and healthy and how they learn to use both large and spall equipment and materials successfully and safely.

At Tunstall Nursery we are lucky enough to have a great outdoor space, which we believe children should have access to everyday.  Children develop top down, inside out:

To learn to walk: first babies have to strengthen their neck, chest, crawl and then stand.

To learn to write: first children have to develop their core strength then their shoulders, elbows, wrists and then fingers.

When children are playing outside, they are playing, running and having fun but they are also developing key skills and supporting their wellbeing.

Providing children with activities which support children's fine motor skills are equally important.  This includes using different tools safely, for example, scissors, hammers, hole-punchers, beads, tweezers and tongs.

It is our job as adults to ensure children take risks, in a hazard free environment.

Click here for our skills progression in PD.

Click here to see a risk versus hazard.

 

Communication and Language 

Attention and Listening

Speaking

At Tunstall we provide children with a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.  We support children to develop their attention and listening skills through bucket time, story and song time and through our continuous provision.  We do this from as soon as they enter, with ‘back-and-forth interactions from an early age’ which ‘form the foundations for language and cognitive development.’ (Development Matters 2020).  This may include copying sounds, using rhyme and singing, and stories to engage children.  Our practitioners are experience at adjusting their language to met the child where they are at and extending their vocabulary.  Children will not be corrected, instead staff will model the correct grammar and extend vocabulary.

Click here for our skills progression in CL.

Literacy

Comprehension

Word Reading

Writing 

Learning to read and write are closely linked. It involves many different skills, which children will acquire at different times, finding some easier than others.  At Tunstall Nursery we believe the key to the start of their journey is a love of books and the language around stories.  Children must be given access to a wide range of materials to ignite their interest. We use a core book approach, with these stories and many more read and available to children throughout their time at nursery exposes them to a wide range.

We use Helicopter Stories as a means for children to tell their own stories and develop their language.  All children have a story to tell, Helicopter Stories allows them time with an adult to tell their story and then see it come to life by acting it with their peers.  It supports children to see the connections between their spoken and the written word.

We provide many different opportunities for mark making and children's work is always valued and for a purpose. We ensure that children access a wide range of mark making activities with a wide range of materials, including chalk, pen, pencil, water and paint on a wide range of surfaces.

The next step involves encouraging children to link sound and letters and to begin to read and write.  To develop their phonological awareness children are supported to tune into different sounds made with their voice, in the environment and with instruments.  We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds to support children to begin to tune into the initial sounds of words, and when ready to be able to orally blend and segment.

Vowels: ‘a’ as in apple ‘e’ as in egg ‘i’ as in insect ‘o’ as in orange ‘u’ as in umbrella. ‘c’ and ‘g’ are both initially the soft sounds (cat and girl). Some sounds are described as being “stretchy” (sssssss) and some are bouncy ( d..d..d..d..d).
• We try very hard not to add on 'uh' at the end of sounds so that 'w' is w not wuh. This helps with blending so that b-a-t is said with the correct sounds not "buh - a - tuh".
• All the letters are known by the sounds. So M is known as "mmm" not as “em”. You can check all the sounds on the Oxford Owl website – say the sounds.

Click here for our skills progression in Reading.

Click here for our skills progression in Writing.

Click here for an understanding progression in pencil grip.

Mathematics

Number

Numerical Patterns

At Tunstall we believe that placing and arranging activities are essential for children’s mathematical development.  They support children to build skills; including special awareness and relationships; sorting and classifying; pattern recognition; counting and number sense; and their problem solving and critical thinking.  They help children to explore mathematical concepts in a hands-on and engaging way.  Staff ensure that a rich range of resources enable these activities, including mathematical counters, block play, shapes, natural materials and real-life objects.  They develop children’s mathematical concepts by supporting their mathematical vocabulary and ideas in their play and mark making.

Tunstall provides children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; through their use of mathematical words and ideas in their play.  Both our inside and outside environments provide children with opportunities to count, and develop their concept of numbers.  We use stories, songs and imaginative play to help with mathematical understanding.

Children’s understanding of numerical patterns are also developed through a wide range of activities, including water and sand play, riding the bikes, climbing, jigsaw puzzles and construction.  Our environment enables children to explore these activities, whilst staff model the mathematical language and allow children to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Click here for our skills progression in mathematics

Understanding the world

Past and Present

People, Culture and Communities

The Natural World

During their time at Tunstall children make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. This area offers children opportunities to explore and observe the environment, living things and objects; open-ended questions like, “How can we…?” and “What would happen if…?” are used and based on first-hand experiences to observe, predict, make decisions and discuss.

Children’s curiosity is extended and supported by linking problem solving to the real world and stories. Through dynamic thinking we allow children to feel safe to take risks, by accepting all their ideas and allowing them to problem solve and test their ideas.  For example, children suggesting, making and testing different solutions for the Gingerbread Man to cross the river or rescuing the vegetables from Evil Pea’s ice prison.  We use. forest school and its underlying aims to develop children's love of nature and the world around them. We celebrate and learn about different cultures and festivals to support children's understanding of the people around them and different traditions.

Click here for our skills progression in UW.

Expressive arts and design

Creating with Materials

Being Imaginative and Expressive

At Tunstall we enable children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology. We believe that children express themselves through ‘100 languages’ and encouraging children to do so helps shape their future personality as well as their sense of culture.  Children value their own unique ideas and those of others rather than reproducing those of someone else; originality and expressiveness are valued.

During their time at Tunstall, we ensure children experience and are given time to explore being creative through a range of materials including paint, playdough, clay, natural objects, woodwork, musical instruments and songs.  Our focus is on the process children go through and the joy this brings, rather than an end product.

Click here for our skills progression in EAD