Nursery Curriculum
At Ripe Nursery School, our approach to your child’s development starts with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, which provides three prime areas of learning and four specific areas of learning, and then go on further to help your child make the most of their time at Ripe Nursery and prepare them for their journey ahead
Three Prime areas:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Our aim is for our children to feel safe and confident in their learning environment and in their interactions with their peers and the familiar adults in our setting. We aim for our children to learn about turn taking and “kind hands” to help their interactions with their peers. We aim for our children to develop a ‘can do’ attitude to new tasks, activities and challenges.
Communication and Language
Our aim is for our children to be able to listen to others and participate in conversations (both verbal and non-verbal), express themselves, using both verbal and non-verbal communication to articulate their needs, interests and ideas. We aim for our children to develop a rapidly expanding vocabulary, to enjoy a wide range of stories and rhymes and to join in familiar refrains and simple songs, as appropriate to their age and stage of development.
Physical Development
Our aim is for our children to develop both confidence and control in using bodies to be able to crawl, walk, run, jump and dance with ease and control. We aim for our children to gain spatial awareness and co-ordination. We aim for our children to begin to mark make, using a variety of one-handed equipment, to enable them to develop their writing skills.
Plus, four specific areas of learning:
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Our aim is for our children to love exploring our outdoor environment and develop a love of nature. We aim for our children to learn about different job roles in our local community.
Literacy
Our aim is for our children to have a wide range of stories and fact books. We aim for our children to know how to handle books and understand that words tell a story or facts. We aim for our children to recognise their own name and to be able to form letters of their name, by starting with mark making in a variety of ways.
Mathematics
Our aim is for our children to be engaged in a range of play activities to develop their concept of number, measures, shapes and patterns.
Expressive arts and design
Our aim is for our children to express themselves and their ideas through dance, art and music. We offer our children opportunities to act out their own experiences through role play.
Your child will learn through the exploration of play and activities using children’s interests, supported by qualified and passionate staff, who ensure children’s individual needs are met in a calm and nurturing environment. With both Ripe and The Nest set in rural villages, children’s learning is enhanced by being involved in village life, taking part in village’s musical festivals, fetes, visiting the village’s shop, ponds, churches and going for walks in fields, where children are immersed in nature and frequently see tractors and farm life!