Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances.
A secure, safe, and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high-quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. The Early Years sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe
We believe children’s learning and development is best supported when you begin with the individual child, their interests and needs. Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. In a supportive and challenging enabling environment children demonstrate their learning and understanding in a wide range of contexts that have meaning to them. Responsive adults tune into their play, interactions and thinking, identifying how best to support their ideas, interests and priorities.
Our observation, assessment and planning cycle allows us to gather a holistic picture of the child, through both formative and summative assessments.
Key practitioners observe children as they interact and play, gather information from families and use this to decide how best to support each child’s learning.
We use this rich information to understand and assess how each child is developing, learning and growing, and plan the next steps to support and extend upon this learning.
Here at Canterbury Road, our families are essential partners. We encourage families to share views and observations about their child’s development and involve them in the opportunities and experiences we offer here at nursery. Consistent collaboration is key, we communicate daily with our families both verbally and digitally. We hold regular meetings and parents evening to provide feedback surrounding each child’s learning and development and share all planning, observations and assessments with the family.