Lower Wortley Primary School

Children develop their communication and language skills through daily interactions and structured activities. At snack time, we discuss our Question of the Day using a circle time approach, encouraging children to listen, take turns, and share their ideas and news with their peers.

Each week, a Talk Ticket linked to our Nursery learning is sent home via SCHOOP to support communication at home. Throughout the term, children enjoy stories, singing, small group games and activities that promote listening, understanding and confident communication in a language-rich environment.

We continue to support children in becoming more independent by encouraging them to put on and fasten their own coats, use the toilet independently, and wash their hands. A visual timetable helps children feel secure and confident by providing a clear structure to the day.

Children learn to recognise and talk about their feelings using our emotions board and the Colour Monster characters. Small world resources and puppets help children explore emotions through play. Staff spend time talking and listening to children, building strong relationships and confidence, while modelling play to encourage independent use of resources.

Positive behaviour is promoted through strategies such as using High Five, a Super Star Chart, Star of the Day and specific praise. We regularly reinforce Nursery rules and routines and use Achievosaurs to help children understand the characteristics of effective learning. At snack time, children also take on responsibility as milk and fruit monitors, helping to give out snacks to their friends.

Children develop both gross and fine motor skills through a wide range of activities. In the movement room, children use equipment to build strength, balance and coordination. Weekly enhancements in our Funky Fingers area focus on developing fine motor control. Activities include ribbon sticks, weaving, hoops, threading beads, peg boards, writing in crazy foam, tracing tactile letters, using tweezers, building with bricks and using the interactive whiteboard. Children also take part in Cosmic yoga and Dough Disco sessions, which are regularly linked to our learning.

Healthy eating is promoted daily through snack time and cooking activities.

Our mark-making area provides a range of resources to encourage early writing, including superhero writing capes to make mark making fun and engaging. Children have access to name cards to support name recognition and early writing, and letter formation rhymes are used where appropriate.

Mark-making opportunities are available throughout our role-play areas, including the Home Corner, Toy Shop and Garage in Spring 1, and the Garden Centre and Building Site in Spring 2. Focus activities include writing labels for plants and dinosaurs, making Mother’s Day and Easter cards, and creating posters and invitations for our end-of-term party.

Children enjoy a daily story time. Our Talk for Writing texts this term are Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Enormous Turnip. Children also borrow books weekly from the Nursery library to share at home. Our focus rhymes include The Grand Old Duke of York and Humpty Dumpty. Regular phonics sessions support sound discrimination, oral blending, alliteration, voice sounds, and rhythm and rhyme.

Children explore shape, space and measure through play in the sand, water, malleable and construction areas, as well as by hunting for shapes around the school environment. They measure themselves and objects to compare height and length and explore size through stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

We continue our Star Numbers focus throughout the year, encouraging children to recognise numbers and their values using resources such as Numicon. Children practise number formation using fun materials including crazy foam, coloured sand, glitter and paint. Jigsaws, maths games and collaborative number lines (including a beanstalk number line) support early mathematical understanding.

Children learn about the world around them by celebrating cultural events such as Shrove Tuesday and Chinese New Year, including tasting foods and creating related crafts. They also make cards for Mother’s Day and Easter.

All children take part in planting activities, learning how plants grow and change over time. Technology is used daily, with access to computers, the interactive whiteboard and light panel. Children also use iPads during a focus activity to take their own photographs.

Creativity is encouraged throughout Nursery. Planned activities include puppet making, box-craft robots, painting dinosaurs, colour mixing with powder paints, designing costumes, creating crowns and tiaras, modelling with boxes, using the puppet theatre and making music on the music wall.

Children use their own “mini-me” figures to support imaginative play in construction and small world areas. A performance area inside Nursery allows children to showcase their talents and perform to their peers.