“Children should experience the curriculum through play and other relevant experiences”
Observation and Evaluation
Play will be planned in accordance with the agreed planning process. Appropriate records will be kept and play planners will be evaluated weekly by the teacher and supervised by the Head of Programs or Early Years Coordinator. Monitoring and evaluating will be used to inform future planning for play.
The teacher must observe the children at play in order to:
- Assess the skills they are developing through play
- Monitor progress in relation to areas of the curriculum
- Review efficient use of play space and the suitability of play materials
- Significant observations of children’s interactions will be considered in the short-term planning process.
- Observations should be recorded
Planning and Progression
We look at long-term planning and medium-term planning to discuss the topics being covered and link them to play-based learning.
These plans aim to:
- Ensure that children experience a whole approach to the curriculum with all areas of learning being given appropriate emphasis;
- Outline the knowledge, skills, and concepts, and the progression expected, within each area of learning;
- Include seasonal, festive, and other planned events that occur during the year allowing time for spontaneous learning;
- Inform termly planning.
Health and Safety
At Totsland Early years we aim to ensure utmost safety during playtime. Procedures we follow include:
- Considering the physical environment both indoor and outdoor;
- Children showing consideration to others and equipment;
- Negotiating rules and boundaries;
- Consistency in applying rules;
- Children being aware of Health and Safety rules eg brushing up sand and mopping water from the floor;
- Maintain high levels of hygiene e.g. play resources.
Play is a fundamental aspect of a child’s overall development; it is a critical factor in enriching learning and development. The Totsland Early Years curriculum acknowledges the importance of play and incorporates play as a key element of the learning experience.
The Early Years aims to ensure that:
- Play activities must always be intentionally set up
- Activities are freely chosen and should help ensure that play is enjoyable for children.
- All children have access to a balanced range of play with access to both the indoor and outdoor areas for the majority of the day.
- The Early years listen to children and aims to meet their needs inclusively.
- The Early years recognize the need for play opportunities to be challenging whilst free from unnecessary hazards.
- The Early Years reviews practices and resources to establish how children can best be supported in their play.
- The staff creates an environment that fosters play opportunities.
- Play is used to support and develop our planning to extend children’s learning experiences. We need to recognize the diversity and complexity of children’s play and use our skills and observations to extend children’s learning.
- Our role as practitioners is to enable rather than direct the child in accordance with the curriculum recommendations.
- Early Years helps and supports parents/guardians to understand the value of play in the overall development of children.
Outdoor learning
- We believe that outdoor learning is essential to children’s health, development and well-being.
- Outdoor learning complements indoor learning and is equally important. Play and learning that flow seamlessly between indoors and outdoors enables children to make the most of resources and materials available to them and develop their ideas without unnecessary interruption. Consequently, it is vital that as an early years setting we maximize the children’s opportunities outdoors.
- The outdoor learning environment is planned so that all seven areas of learning specified in the Early Years curriculum can be met through play.
- We aim to use our whole environment as an extension to our indoor classrooms so the children can freely use both indoors and outdoors. Statistics show that children are happiest when outside and thrive in the natural environment.
- Our outdoor areas are fully risk assessed and are checked daily. Staff follows correct procedures i.e. staff/child ratios, making sure areas are safe, monitoring play, etc.
- We ask that all parents/guardians be aware of our outdoor learning policy and dress their children appropriately for the weather conditions.
- Observations are made on the children’s learning developments whilst playing outside.
- The Early Years encourages parents/guardians to have discussions with their child’s teachers if they have any concerns about outside play.
Totsland Schools offer the chance to take learning out of the classroom and into the great outdoors. Children are allowed to learn in a new way and within a new environment. Totsland Schools introduces a whole new dimension to teaching and learning, with new experiences for both the children and teachers.
Totsland Schools promotes the opportunity to develop skills to manage risks and attempt new challenges they would not face in a classroom, such as climbing and building fires, and tent-making. This adds a sense of excitement and adventure for the children, who are free to explore and manipulate the environment around them using all of their senses. The weather has no impact upon forest schools, the children will still be outside making the most of the experience.
- The children will engage in activities that are fully risk assessed
- The staff; child ratio will also reflect the activities that are available and therefore the group size will be reduced
- Children are expected to wear raincoats and boots in the rains if outdoors