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For children between the ages of 3 and 5 years, the nursery school provides a curriculum for the foundation stage of education. This curriculum is set out in a document published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the Department for Education and Skills, and called Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage.The nursery school follows this guidance..

The guidance divides children's learning and development into six areas:

• personal, social and emotional development;
• communication, language and literacy development;
• mathematical development;
• knowledge and understanding of the world;
• physical development; and
• creative development.

For each area, the guidance sets out early learning goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their education.

For each early learning goal, the guidance sets out stepping stones, which describe the stages through which children are likely to pass as they move to achievement of the goal. Sutton Nursery School uses the early learning goals and their stepping stones to help us to trace each child's progress and to enable us to provide the right activities to help all of the children move towards achievement of the early learning goals.

The Family System
We employ the family system which divides the children into three groups. The emphasis is on learning through structured play and there are always activities planned by the staff which involve every child.

OFSTED report quote "Staff demonstrate in planning and practise a good knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum."

The Nursery School follows the Ginn Handwriting, Mathematics & Science programmes, the Letterland Scheme, and French is taught twice weekly by a visiting French Teacher. Cooking and Music are also enjoyed by the children each week. The Nursery School has 2 computers which are regularly used by the children.

Pesonal, social and emotional development:
This area of children's development covers:

• having a positive approach to learning and finding out about the world around them;
• having confidence in themselves and their ability to do things, and valuing their own achievements;
• being able to get on, work and make friendships with other people, both children and adults;
• becoming aware of - and being able to keep to - the rules which we all need to help us to look after ourselves, other people and our environment;
• being able to dress and undress themselves, and look after their personal hygiene needs; and
• being able to expect to have their ways of doing things respected and to respect other people's ways of doing things.

Communication language and literacy:
This area of children's development covers:

• being able to use conversation with one other person, in small groups and in large groups to talk with and listen to others;
• adding to their vocabulary by learning the meaning of - and being able to use - new words;
• being able to use words to describe their experiences;
• getting to know the sounds and letters which make up the words we use;
• listening to - and talking about - stories;
• knowing how to handle books and that they can be a source of stories and information;
• knowing the purposes for which we use writing; and
• making their own attempts at writing.

OFSTED report quote "Communication, language and literacy is a particular strength of the educational programme."

Mathematical development
This area of children's development covers:

• building up ideas about how many, how much, how far and how big;
• building up ideas about patterns, the shape of objects and parts of objects, and the amount of space taken up by objects;
• starting to understand that numbers help us to answer questions about how many, how much, how far and how big;
• building up ideas about how to use counting to find out how many; and
• being introduced to finding the result of adding more or taking away from the amount we already have.

OFSTED report quote "problem solving is included in daily activities."

Knowledge and understanding of the world
This area of children's development covers:

• finding out about the natural world and how it works;
• finding out about the made world and how it works;
• learning how to choose - and use - the right tool for a task;
• learning about computers, how to use them and what they can help us to do;
• starting to put together ideas about past and present and the links between them;
• beginning to learn about their locality and its special features; and
• learning about their own and other cultures.

OFSTED report quote "Children experience a variety of activities to explore and investigate."

Physical development
This area of children's development covers:

• gaining control over the large movements which we can make with our arms, legs and bodies, so that they can run, jump, hop, skip, roll, climb, balance and lift;
• gaining control over the small movements we can make with our arms, wrists and hands, so that they can pick up and use objects, tools and materials; and
• learning about the importance of - and how to look after - their bodies.

OFSTED report quote "Skills and confidence are developing well whilst moving in a variety of different ways."

Creative development
This area of children's development covers:

• using paint, materials, music, dance, words, stories and role-play to express their ideas and feelings; and
• becoming interested in the way that paint, materials, music, dance, words, stories and role-play can be used to express ideas and feelings.

OFSTED report quote "Children are encouraged to explore their senses."

Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children think. Sutton Nursery School uses the early learning goals and their stepping stones to plan and provide a range of play activities which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities information from the early learning goals and stepping stones has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.

• exchanging knowledge about their children's needs, activities, interests and progress with the staff;
• sharing their own special interests with the children;
• being part of the management and fund-raising committees of the nursery school;
• taking part in fund raising events and informal parents’ evenings; and
• building friendships with other parents in the nursery school.

OFSTED report quote "The partnership with parents is good. Parents are made very welcome and are asked to share as much information as possible on their child and play an active part in their child's learning. All records and documentation including written and displayed information for parents is comprehensive, regularyl reviewed and well organised."

Key Worker
The nursery school has a key worker and ‘family’ grouping system. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she is particularly responsible. Your child's key worker will be the person who works with you to make sure that what the nursery school provides is right for your child's particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at the nursery school, she will help your child to settle and throughout your child's time at the nursery school, she will help your child to benefit from the nursery school's activities.

OFSTED report quote "Children show confidence and are motivated to learn. They decide within their key worker group what they think they may choose during the session from the range of activities available and then enthusiastically talk about their experiences at the end."

Record keeping and assessment
The nursery school keeps records and assessments for each child. Staff and parents working together on their children's records and assessments is one of the ways in which the nursery school and parents work in partnership. Your child's records and assessments help us to celebrate together her/his achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for her/his well-being and to make progress. Your child's key worker will work with you to keep this record. To do this you and she will collect information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. The nursery school has 3 informal parent’ evenings each year and information can be shared at these evenings. This information will enable the key worker to identify your child's stage of progress. You and the key worker will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage.

The nursery school also adopts an ‘open door’ policy. Parents are welcome to talk to staff at the start or end of the nursery day, if they have any concerns.

Learning opportunities for adults
As well as gaining qualifications in early years care and education, the nursery school staff take part in further training to help them to keep up-to-date with thinking about early years care and education.

The nursery school also keeps itself up-to-date with best practice in early years care and education through the Pre-school Learning Alliance's various publications. Other publications are also purchased by the nursery school to assist with assessments and planning.