Curriculum Intent

“The school has thought very carefully about the key knowledge that it wants children to
learn. It provides staff with the coaching and guidance that they need to understand the school’s curriculum. Well-trained staff make learning deeply meaningful and engaging. It is no surprise that children love coming to school. Children achieve very well. They are richly prepared for the next stage of their learning.” (Nursery School Ofsted – March 2024)

Our Curriculum Intent

Grosvenor Nursery School and Day Care Centre puts individual children’s care, learning and development at the very heart of its curriculum. We provide parents with the opportunity to secure for their children the very best start in an early years setting of the highest quality.

Grosvenor is a place where children can grow and develop, becoming confident, independent, creative and resilient learners, supported and nurtured by highly qualified and experienced early years practitioners.

Children’s previous experiences and learning are considered carefully and next steps identified, so that they may make good progress. At each stage in their development, children’s language and communication skills, physical and social adeptness as well as their health and emotional well-being, is paramount. Children at Grosvenor spend a large amount of time outdoors, giving them the opportunity to develop a sense of awe and wonder at the natural world, as well as familiarity with their local environment. Throughout the setting, children have the opportunity to develop early literacy and numeracy skills in readiness for the next stage in their educational journey.

Grosvenor is a safe and secure place where children are able to flourish, learn, achieve and fulfil their potential.

Each room at Grosvenor has clear over-arching intentions for the children; it is these intentions, or objectives, which underpin our practice.

Babies

In our Baby Room, children will:

• Feel happy, settled and secure
• Have their basic needs met
• Develop an attachment with their key person
• Begin to develop language and communication skills
• Develop an awareness of and the ability to control their bodies intentionally
• Participate in a range of new experiences
• Have the opportunity to explore the world around them
• Participate in a range of sensory experiences
• Begin to develop self-confidence and independence

2 Year Olds

Our provision for 2 year-olds enables children to:

• Make connections with familiar experiences from home, for example, routines, aspects of their culture and favourite food, books and toys
• Develop language and communication skills (usually from the use of single words to sentences) and to express themselves clearly, making their needs known
• Develop their understanding
• Form relationships with adults and other children
• Play alongside and with others, learning to share and take turns
• Gain in confidence and build self-esteem
• Develop self-help skills such as toileting, hand-washing, feeding and putting on outdoor clothing
• Make choices
• Develop individuality with their own like, dislikes, preferences and interests
• Explore the world around them, indoors and outdoors
• Investigate and experiment
• Become increasingly independent as they master new skills such as climbing

In readiness for the next stage in their educational journey, our aim is that when children leave Grosvenor to start primary school, they should:

3-4 Year Olds

• Be self-confident
• Be self-aware, having a positive self-image and awareness of the things they can do
• Have an awareness of their feelings and be able to regulate their emotions
• Have an awareness of and respect for others
• Have a developing range of social skills, including turn-taking and sharing, being kind and caring, showing empathy, and the ability form relationships
• Possess a range of skills for learning such as: the ability to concentrate; to persevere; to listen attentively and follow instructions; to solve problems and think creatively
• Be able to communicate their needs, thoughts and ideas clearly
• Have a range of physical skills including control and coordination of large body movement as well as fine manipulative skills and hand-eye coordination enabling them to use tools and mark-making equipment effectively
• Show curiosity – exploring, investigating, questioning and experimenting in order to find out for themselves
• Be independent and have self-help skills which include: toileting; hand-washing; putting on/taking off outdoor clothing; and recognising when they are hungry and thirsty
• Have developing literacy skills including: a love of books and stories and the ability to talk about them; an understanding of the importance of print around them; confidence to make marks; and the ability to form the letters of their name clearly
• Have developing numeracy skills including concepts of number, size and shape
• Be imaginative in their play
• Have a range of skills for life such as food preparation, re-cycling and the use of tools
• Show awareness and respect for other cultures and ways of life
• Respect and care for their environment, indoors and outdoors, including plants and living things
• Understand that there are certain rules and expectations of behaviour
• Begin to manage risks and understand how to keep themselves safe

High Needs Base

Our High Needs Base offers specialist provision for children with additional needs, providing them with the opportunity to:

• Develop communication skills
• Develop awareness of self and of others
• Develop social skills
• Begin to form relationships with others
• Participate in a range of new and sensory experiences
• Develop self-help skills such as toileting, hand-washing and feeding
• Explore the environment and the world around them
• Engage in adult-guided activity, focusing and concentrating for increased periods of time
• Become increasingly independent
• Self-regulate and begin to manage emotions
• Integrate with their peers

“With creativity and care, leaders design a curriculum that thoughtfully accommodates each child’s unique learning. Leaders’ and staff’s meticulous monitoring of children’s attendance patterns in designing the curriculum ensures that no moment of discovery or growth is missed. There are particularly strong relationships between staff and children. All children are treated with the utmost care and respect. As a result, children are extremely happy and settled”. (Day Care Ofsted – Nov 2024)