Our approach to teaching in Early Years
Our ethos is to provide an environment where all children, regardless of their starting point when joining Uplands Infant & Nursery School, are given the opportunity to
- Be Nurtured
- We have a Positive Behaviour Policy based on our School Rules, Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Respectful that we expect all children to follow and our staff to model. This way we can create a safe, stable environment that enables all children to feel valued. We will provide security through daily routines, visual timetables and clear, consistent expectations.
- We will foster a positive relationship with your child, through responsive, warm interactions and wellbeing check ins.
- Be Empowered
- We will create Indoor/Outdoor Provision that provides opportunities for children to develop their independence and the characteristics of effective learning (Playing & Exploring, Active learning, Creating & Thinking Critically) which will support their lifelong learning.
- Flourish
- We will provide opportunities within our Curriculum and school life to develop children’s Cultural Capital, for example through visits, visitors, after school clubs, Assemblies.
- Through developing nurturing relationships with your child and the continued professional development of our staff we can identify and understand both your child ‘s strengths and next steps in development.
- We use current child development research to develop our progressive curriculum.
Parental/Carers engagement
We value the role of the family as the ‘first educator’s’ of children and the unique insights that parents/carers offer into children’s needs and strengths. To support children’s ongoing developmental, we aim to foster professional, supportive and collaborative relationships with families through warm welcomes, informal discussions, parent/carer meetings and an open-door policy. Half Termly Newsletters are provided in Nursery and Reception to inform parents/carers of what is being taught over the half term.
How we teach in Early Years
We believe that children learn best through rich, meaningful play experiences that reflect their interests and spark curiosity. Our Curriculum and environments are carefully planned to promote exploration, independence, problem-solving, and creativity. Children are encouraged to take the lead in their learning, while our skilled staff sensitively support, extend, and scaffold their development.
The Early Years curriculum has been developed in line with the Education Programmes outlined in the Early Years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework and the non-statutory Development Matters. Using our understanding of child development and local area we tailor our provision to meet the individual developmental needs of each child.
Our curriculum focusses on the following areas listed below:
- Prime Areas
- Communication & Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional
- Physical Development
- Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts & Design
- Characteristics of Effective Learning (Playing & Exploring, Active learning, Creating & Thinking Critically)
Our EYFS Curriculum has been designed to support the development of children’s foundational skills. The link between our EYFS curriculum and Key Stage 1 curriculum is clearly outlined in the progression overviews.
Our curriculum is taught in the following ways
- Child-led PLAY through both our indoor & outdoor provision. Play is an essential part of how children learn and one of the most effective ways that children learn. It provides a fantastic opportunity for them to explore and develop
- the effective characteristics of learning
- communication, social and physical development skills
- Whole class teacher led- direct teach sessions teach the formal aspects of your child’s education as they progress throughout their Early Years education – for example, phonics, handwriting, reading, writing, maths, Understanding of the World, Art, Design & Technology, Music and PE
- In Reception and Nursery, teacher-led small group work provides additional support where required, for example, phonics, developing fine motor skills
- Local area walks, trips and visitors
Early Years Progression Understanding the World
Assessment in Early Years
Ongoing teacher judgement based on what we see in class and feedback from parents and carers is used to help teachers assess children’s ongoing progress. We also complete the following:
- Along with a child’s parents we complete a Two-Year Progress check, where applicable, covering the Prime Areas of Learning.
- The Government Reception Baseline Assessment is completed within the first 6 weeks of a child starting Reception.
- At the end of Reception your child will be assessed as either working at or towards the Early Learning Goals.
Children in Pre-Nursery (2-3year olds) will be invited to attend 1 Parent Meeting, children in Nursery and Reception, will be invited to 2 Parent Meetings throughout the school year. The Class Teacher will provide you with an update on how well your child has settled in and their progress. Informal discussion is encouraged – we are here to work with you for the best support for your child. At the end of the Summer Term a Report is provided to parents, outlining the child’ s progress.
In Class learning 2025-2026
Prime Areas
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Understanding the World
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Expressive Art & Design
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Literacy
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Maths
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Nursery - 2025-2026
In the nursery our children have been mark making by using different methods and tools to explore and help strengthen their fine motor skills.
Reading in Nursery
We love to read in the Nursery. Here are a selection of photographs showing children reading in different situations. The children enjoy choosing their favourite books and returning to familiar stories. They use their knowledge of story language to retell them alone and in small groups. They comment on the pictures, turn pages in order and talk about what they notice.
The children have many opportunities to listen and respond to adults reading where they are encouraged to join in with words and actions, changing voices for different characters and reading with expression. Here in Nursery we begin the daily habit of reading that we all look forward to. Stories come alive and children begin to understand the joy that reading brings.
Reading outside in the cosy reading shed. A shared experience and an exciting book that holds the children’s interests and develops their imagination.
Stories used in play, children listening to each other, retelling the story and the magic of listening to a story while colouring or drawing- sharing experiences and a sense of togetherness.
Stories in the home corner. More shared experiences and the comfort of a wonderful story reheard often. Children join in with enthusiasm changing their voices to match different story characters.
Reading to the soft toys. Taking time to choose just the right book to read. Side by side absorbed in a favourite story.
Sharing a familiar story and role playing too. Showing that they are beginning to understand how books work by mimicking the book reading from teacher led sessions they look at the front cover together, turn the pages in order and retell the story together. The children became the animals as they were read to- sound effects and all- picture 3 shows them being the hissing snakes and later, the children ran away quickly when the crocodile was snapping at them in this retelling of Where’s Spot? What a wonderful shared experience!
Outdoor Provision 2025-2026
The Nursery children are learning to move in different ways. They develop strong muscles by pulling, pushing, balancing, swinging and climbing. Children are encouraged to be independent and this leads to confidence in making new choices and practicing learnt skills. They have big smiles on their faces when they achieve this.
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