Curriculum

The Mulberry Bush follows the Early Years Foundation Stage commonly referred to as the EYFS. This is a document that gives Early Years Providers requirements and guidance to follow, to help us support your child’s learning and development from birth to five years old. All Early Years Providers must follow the EYFS.

EYFS Learning & Development

There are seven areas of learning and development that must be part of Educational Programmes in the Early Years. These are divided into three Prime Areas and four Specific Areas. All these areas of learning and development are important for children and are interconnected however three areas are particularly crucial for sparking children’s imagination curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, we aim to build on a child’s capacity to learn form relationships and thrive as unique individuals. These three Prime Areas are:

Personal Development

This area involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

Communication & Language

Development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment: to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Physical Development

This area involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

These are four other specific areas of learning that we plan for, for your child from birth. As the children progress through their development we will begin to build on these skills but will also start the journey to developing the skills needed to read and write, develop number skills and explore the world around them. These specific areas are:

Literacy

Involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

Mathematics

Involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.

Understanding The World

Involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

Expressive Arts & Design

Involves enabling 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.

Observations & Recordings

The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum requires all nurseries to carry out formative assessment from when a child first starts to attend a setting outside of the home, until the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

When your child first starts The Mulberry Bush you will be part of the initial observation process, we like to settle a child into the environment and spend time with them and yourself to get a good understanding of where the child is at now. We fill in an All About Me book and you will make a family photo album, these two documents together with the settling in sessions will give the Key Person a good starting point for what your child has already achieved. We will then work on some ‘Next Steps’ for their development and plan an individualised program of activities to best allow your child to flourish in our learning environment.

Along the way we will make observations of your child’s achievements and record these following the EYFS Development Matters guidelines, to ensure your child is making good progress in their development and we will record this as part of your child’s Learning Journey while at The Mulberry Bush, these are a fantastic way of building up a picture of the whole child, the activities they participated in and their interests. Typically consisting of a compilation of photographs, work samples and summaries of the day.

Nursery