Intent, Implementation and Impact

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

How do we deliver our curriculum?

Our teaching activities and strategies.

At Norcot we aim for children to demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviours towards learning, through effective teaching and exciting opportunities. The children engage with other people and their environment throughout the day, becoming motivated lifelong learners.

We provide a safe, inclusive, and stimulating indoor and outdoor environment where staff support children’s learning and look for ways to extend their knowledge, skills and interests. The children use both the indoor and outdoor provision during teacher directed and child-initiated times. We have a love for outdoor learning and every day the children will spend time outdoors.  Once a week, all children experience Forest school in our Woodside area.

We place great emphasis on the all-round development of children. Our children are immersed in lots of practical, first-hand learning experiences through which they are encouraged to explore, experiment and develop their language. Staff provide first-hand learning experiences, allowing the children to develop

interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers to enable them to challenge themselves and extend their learning.

We believe learning through play is vital. We use the environment to ensure the children’s needs are met through high quality continuous provision and enhanced provision based on their interests. Staff provide high quality interactions during the planned and self initiated activities as well as targeted individual or small group interventions. We teach towards clear objectives/end points, focusing on what we want children to know, be able to do and remember, with a focus on a vocabulary. Throughout the day we observe children’s play and help them to move their learning forward.

We skilfully observe children and use expert knowledge of child development. Staff check children’s understanding, identifying misconceptions and providing clear expectations to improve their learning. This formative assessment takes place throughout the day and helps staff to identify any children that need more support to achieve the objective and those that need further challenge. They respond and adapt teaching as necessary to meet the needs of individual children.

We plan through a topic-based approach based on festivals, celebrations and themes. These plans are adapted and amended to address the ever growing and changing needs and interests of all our children. We select quality topic books and stories which are used as a starting point for our learning themes. We identify the intended vocabulary for the topic as well as the end points/ objectives that we want children to achieve by the end of the topic. We share these plans with our families together with suggestions on how they can support their child’s learning at home.

Each term we also use ‘core books’ which we read frequently with the children. We read to children in a way that excites and engages them. These books are traditional stories that can be re-visited on different levels to support language development. Children develop language and increase their vocabulary in addition to gaining a love of books. They become familiar with these texts, being able to remember and re-tell them.

We place great emphasis on reading and have created our own library at Norcot. All the children have the opportunity to visit it once a week and enjoy reading stories in small groups or look at books individually. Our library helps children develop skills for their future education. To promote reading at home, we encourage children to take books from their classroom or the library home. 

We welcome children from culturally diverse backgrounds and many of our children are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language (EAL). Communication and language development are therefore a consistent focus. We support children’s development by providing a rich language environment, where conversations, singing and sharing stories become a regular part of the children’s day.

We focus on Phonics phase 1, concentrating on developing children’s speaking and listening skills. Children attuning to the sounds around them and getting them ready to develop oral blending and segmenting skills, will lay the foundations for future learning.

We are continuously developing the children’s early Maths skills by providing exciting activities and learning opportunities, both adults led and child led, as well as including Maths in our daily routine. We encourage children to count during their play, observe shapes in our environment and sort objects into various categories.

We promote and support children’s emotional security and development of their character through teaching the language of feelings, helping them to appropriately develop their emotional literacy. We help children learn to manage their feelings and behaviour and understand how their actions impact on others, allowing them to develop a sense of right and wrong.

We teach children about why it is important to eat, drink, rest, exercise and be kind to each other. We teach children to take managed risks and challenges as they play and learn, supporting them to be active and develop physically.

We promote independence for the children from the very start of the day. They are encouraged to hang up their own coats, self-register as they come in to school, pour their own drinks, helping to prepare and serve their own snack. In addition, the children are able to make their own choices throughout the session, by choosing their own activities to play with.

We value diversity and give children the foundation for anti-discriminatory values to take to other areas in their lives. Children see staff modelling positive attitudes, speech and behaviours. We use stories and books to promote and celebrate differences as we want children to understand, accept and respect others.

Children's achievements are monitored, measured and recorded in each child's Learning Journal. We record ‘wow’ moments using photographs, videos, observations and ‘snapshot’ evidence of children’s learning. We use an online monitoring system, Tapestry, to store evidence of children’s learning. Children's learning is assessed on entry to nursery school, then termly and on exit with a focus on progress and attainment.

We hold termly progress meetings with the families where we share the information about children’s progress, their wellbeing and engagement and involvement in their learning. With families, we explore ideas on how to support their children at home and agree on the next steps in their learning.

Monitoring and evaluation systems are regularly reviewed and acted upon. Planning, learning walks and observations, along with reviewing Learning Journals, identify curriculum strengths and areas for improvement so that the quality of education is effective.

Teacher and Staff Appraisal systems and 1:1 supervision ensure staff are accountable for the delivery of our high-quality curriculum. Our emphasis is on quality first teaching, which leads to the best possible outcomes for the children.

We understand that to maintain high standards of quality first teaching we have to invest in providing high quality Continued Professional Development (CPD) to match the current needs of the staff and the needs of our children. As a result, staff are knowledgeable about the areas they teach and match the needs and skill levels of our children.

CURRICULUM IMPACT

How do children at Norcot benefit from our curriculum?

The skills and knowledge they gain.

Our broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum design meets the needs of individual children including EAL, SEND, Pupil premium and disadvantaged, within the environment of high-quality teaching supported by targeted interventions.

The impact of the curriculum on what the children know, do and can remember is strong. Children demonstrate this through being deeply engaged in their learning and show a sustained level of concentration and attention. Children are highly motivated and eager to join in the activities. They share and cooperate well, demonstrating high levels of self-control and respect for others. Children consistently keep trying hard, particularly if they encounter difficulties.

Children develop detailed knowledge and skills across the seven areas of learning, they develop the vocabulary, understanding of language and become effective communicators.

Children demonstrate their positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity, concentration and enjoyment. They listen intently and respond positively to adults and each other. Children develop their resilience to setbacks and take pride in their achievements.

Children develop the personal, physical and social skills they need to succeed in the next stage of their education.