Curriculum

Pre Birth to Three Years Old

Pre-Birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families is a document introduced by the Scottish Office, in association with Learning and Teaching Scotland to provide guidance for all those whose work, involves caring for babies and young children.

The four key features of Pre-Birth to Three are closely linked:

• Rights of the Child
• Relationships
• Responsive Care
• Respect

Our nursery staff work very closely with the Pre-Birth to Three documents to provide the quality experiences children under 3 years need:  from feeding, cuddles and nappy changing to sensory experiences, outdoor play and music while ensuring our routines and experiences are flexible and responsive to the needs of the baby or child.

Curriculum for Excellence

At Nursery Times we implement the Curriculum for Excellence. We aim to provide a coherent and inclusive curriculum to best meet each child’s holistic needs. The curriculum is flexible and responsive to children’s changing needs and values children’s prior knowledge. Children are partners in the learning process, actively participating in the planning, shaping and directing of their own learning. Staff support children sensitively, enabling children to make good, informed choices and take responsibility for their own learning.

We strive to provide high quality learning experiences to actively involve and motivate children in their learning. We adopt a holistic approach to young children’s learning, responding to their developmental needs and using their interests as ‘motivational buttons’ for learning.

The children are viewed as competent learners and staff actively seek their views and thoughts about all aspects of provision and the nursery. Some of the methods we use are observation techniques, informal chats with children, mind mapping, floor book planning, consultation with children including children’s committee meetings. Staff give due weight to children’s thoughts and ideas and act upon these, giving messages to the children that they are valued and important to us.

Our aim is for each child to become confident individuals who are able to contribute effectively, become responsible citizens and are ultimately successful learners.

Getting It Right For Every Child

GIRFEC is a consistent way for people to work with all children and young people. It’s the bedrock for all children’s services and can also be used by practitioners in adult services who work with parents or carers. Getting it right for every child is being threaded through all existing policy, practice, strategy and legislation affecting children, young people and their families.

What Getting it right for every child means for children, young people and their families:

• They will feel confident about the help they are getting
• They understand what is happening and why
• They have been listened to carefully and their wishes have been heard and understood
• They are appropriately involved in discussions and decisions that affect them
• They can rely on appropriate help being available as soon as possible
• They will have experienced a more streamlined and co-ordinated response from practitioners

Our aim is for each child to become confident individuals who are able to contribute effectively, become responsible citizens and are ultimately successful learners.

SHANARRI

The wellbeing of children and young people is at the heart of Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC). The GIRFEC approach uses eight main indicators of wellbeing, known as the SHANARRI indicators, these represent the “basic” requirements for all children and young people to grow and develop and reach their full potential:

• Safe: Protected from abuse, neglect or harm
• Healthy: High standards of physical and mental health; support to make healthy, safe choices
• Achieving: Support and guidance in learning – boosting skills, confidence & self-esteem
• Nurtured: Having a nurturing and stimulating place to live and grow
• Active: Opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities
• Respected: Given a voice, and involved in the decisions that affect their well being
• Responsible: Taking an active role within their schools and communities
• Included: Getting help and guidance to overcome inequalities; full members of the communities in which they live and learn

Nursery Times use these baseline indicators as well as more in-depth indicators, to record observations events and concerns and as an aid in putting together a child’s plan.

Children’s Choice

We regularly seek the views and opinions of our Children’s Committee in various circumstances, including:

• Selecting a new topic
• Choosing a theme for a nursery event
• Choosing resources for their playroom

When a situation arises for the Children’s Committee to be consulted, all children are given the opportunity to participate. Visual aids are often used during a Children’s Committee consultation and help the child to identify with their options and make an informed decision. Children are engaged throughout with questions to encourage a higher level of thought.

Mind Mapping

A mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information. A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added. We use mind maps to gain an insight into children’s thoughts, ideas and understanding of a topic. The mind map is a child led activity which consists of presenting a central theme and branching out to all the areas the children wish to explore. Staff use children’s comments as motivational buttons to enhance learning and evaluate experiences.

Parental Involvement

You, as parents are the prime educators of your children in their earliest years. We therefore welcome and encourage parents involvement in the nursery.  We have an ‘open door’ policy in place and members of staff are always available to listen to your comments and suggestions.

Nursery Times believe that effective communication between parents and nursery staff is key to providing the best possible care for your children.  We would appreciate if you could inform nursery staff of any circumstances, either temporary or permanent which may affect your child’s emotional or physical well being to ensure your child receives additional support if necessary.  A member of staff will be available to speak to you on a daily basis to discuss your child’s progress and answer any questions you may have.

Parent’s Council

Parents are given the opportunity to actively contribute to events and activities within the nursery and we encourage all parents to join our parent’s council and are always looking forward to welcoming new members.

Quality Questionnaires

We constantly strive to improve our performance and one of the ways we do this is a parental consultation through our annual Quality Questionnaires. These questionnaires give parents the opportunity to voice their views and opinions on a number of topics within the nursery in a highly confidential format. When all responses are received they are analysed and fed back to parents through a justification document and a display within the nursery.

Parent’s Information Evenings

We hold Parent’s Information Evenings twice a year at the nursery, which are focused on providing parents with information on their child’s progress and development throughout their time with us. Our March/April Parent’s Evening involves a written individual report which each child’s key worker prepares and presents at a scheduled one to one meeting. Our November Parent’s Evening involves the discussion of the child’s Individual Learning Booklet which is an ongoing portfolio of development and progress.