EYFS (Nursery and Reception)
“The Early Years department is superb. The team achieve the perfect balance for the children. They are both professional and warm, focused on each child’s individual learning approach, whilst also instilling a sense of independence and confidence in all children. It really is the perfect foundation for a love of learning. The proof- how happy the children are. My son skips happily into school every day.”
There is a very warm and welcoming feel to the Early Years department at Dolphin. Every child is treated as an individual and the children feel safe and secure in the happy, stimulating environment.
Kindness, making thoughtful personal choices and forming positive relationships with each other is evident when you watch the children at work and play.
Developing a love of learning is the main aim of Jane Robinson and her highly experienced and enthusiastic team. She and her team share a passionate belief that the potential of each child is limitless, and this is shown by the excellent progress every child makes whilst in the team’s care.
Jane found the school for her own children 20 years ago and it inspired her to train as an Early Years teacher.
The children have a wealth of wonderful learning opportunities including visits to the copse, embracing foreign languages, dance, off site trips and working with the older children who inspire them with their caring yet confident attitudes.
The department retains a Montessori ethos yet also embraces current thinking with the child’s ideas and interests placed at the heart of the curriculum.
Jane Robinson, Head of Early Year
"The Early Years staff at Dolphin are calm, patient, and caring. They treat the children as individuals, and take the children’s concerns seriously - from a grazed knee to a homeless flower. They understand that to a small child, the ‘little’ things are ‘big’ things. Our child loves the Forest School at Dolphin, as have we during our visits in the termly Family Week. We are grateful that a school such as Dolphin exists, and that our children have the privilege of attending it."
EYFS Curriculum Overview
There are three prime areas and four specific areas of learning in the EYFS:
The Prime Areas
Communication and Language
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
The Specific Areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Aims
- To develop a love of learning in every child
- To plan a curriculum using the EYFS statutory guidance (last updated January 2024) and Development Matters (last updated January 2021) to provide the children with learning experiences of the highest quality, considering both children’s needs and achievements and the range of learning experiences that will help them to make progress towards (and, where appropriate, beyond) these goals.
- To enable children to receive a broad and balanced curriculum.
- To provide a curriculum that is relevant and enjoyable to pupils and draws on their own experiences.
- To provide a curriculum that acknowledges the age, maturity and different capabilities of the pupils.
- To provide a challenging and ambitious curriculum.
- To foster independence.
- To offer opportunities for pupils to learn in a practical way, encouraging pupils to use all their senses to explore the world around them.
- To help children become creative and imaginative.
- To develop communication skills.
- To encourage pupils to care for each other and for their environment.
- To work with parents to ensure individual pupil’s needs are met, successes are shared and areas of concerns/development are communicated.
- To provide an environment which is safe, secure and has the confidence of parents.
Objectives
- To put every child in the Early Years at the heart of our curriculum.
- To use in the moment planning where we take moments of children’s curiosity in our Montessori choosing time and turn them into an activity
- To complement this we use medium term and weekly planning. At the end of each week we take time to celebrate and reflect upon the teaching opportunities of the week. By doing this we identify future enhancements to our teaching.
- To deliver the curriculum through methods appropriate to learning by, collaborative, exploratory, manipulative and imaginary play and if appropriate more direct teaching situations.
- To involve parents in the shared responsibility of their children’s learning.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
These encapsulate the crucial skills and dispositions that underpin children's learning and development. These Characteristics run through all aspects of our curriculum. By nurturing the Characteristics of Effective Learning, teachers support children in becoming confident, independent learners who are curious, resilient, and passionate about learning. Children in the Early years at Dolphin, learn through both adult-led and child-led experiences.
Dolphin Habits
Our Habits are linked with the Characteristics of Effective Learning. We introduce them in Early Years assemblies, and they are reinforced during the week. We enable children to thrive and grow by recognising success at all levels. We celebrate with the child in the moment by giving them a ‘Dolphin Habit’ certificate. At other times, we celebrate these habits with special praise using specific language. Through this, we see children developing self-confidence, resilience, and emotional well-being.
For more information about our Early Years Dolphin Habits, see below:
The Early Learning Goals
The Early Learning Goals are statutory milestones we must assess children's progress and achievements against at the end of the Reception Year. They encompass the seven areas of learning. Dolphin Nursery teachers are mindful of the goals as they help support the children on their journey towards them. The Early Learning Goals can be found in full at the end of our curriculum.
Nursery Curriculum
You can find out more about our Nursery Curriculum here.
In summary, in Dolphin Nursery we aim to inspire children and create in each one: “a true love of learning”.
Reception Curriculum
You can find out more about our Reception curriculum here.
In summary, our Reception curriculum aims to foster holistic development. It aims to empower every child to be confident, curious, resilient, and to love learning!
