DEVIZES AND
DISTRICT OPPORTUNITY CENTRE
PRE-SCHOOL
CURRICULUM POLICY
Our aim is to provide the best quality stimulating play and
education through a planned curriculum tailored to meet the needs of
each individual child.
All sessions are
planned to provide developmentally appropriate activities which lead
to nationally approved desirable learning outcomes. High levels of
individual adult support enable a variety of teaching methods to be
used in order to stimulate interest and make learning fun.
Staff members
are sensitive to the individual needs and abilities of the children
in their care and work in close liaison with our multi-disciplinary
team of Health & Educational Professionals to support them
throughout, making sure any additional resources required to support
their learning e.g. special seating/equipment, Makaton signing etc.,
are readily available.
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
Great emphasis is placed on the development of communication skills
using both small and large group activities and one to one
situations.
We provide a
language rich environment with opportunities to develop listening
skills through stories, rhymes, music and songs. Children are
encouraged to use and enjoy books and understand that pictures and
written symbols have meaning.
We provide a
wide variety of activities to encourage pre-writing and pencil
control skills. We have specially training staff who facilitate the
Derbyshire Language Scheme under the direction of our Speech and
Language Therapist who provides individual language development
programmes devised to meet specific special needs.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
We celebrate
children's effort and success however small. Opportunities are
provided for children to receive encouragement and praise thus
promoting confidence and self esteem. Small and large group
activities are organised to encourage turn-taking, sharing and
cooperative play.
Time is
allocated during each session to enable free choice of activity,
providing opportunity to take responsibility for themselves and
develop an appropriate degree of independence. Children are
encouraged to develop acceptable ways to express their own emotions
and show respect for the feelings of other children and adults in
the group.
MATHEMATICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Opportunities
to develop concepts of shape, size and quantity are presented
through practical activities and first hand experiences. A wide
variety of games and equipment are used to promote sorting, matching
and numeracy skills. Understanding of weight, volume and measuring
etc., is developed through playing with sand, water, cooking etc.
Practical activities are reinforced with pictures, stories and
counting, number rhymes and songs.
KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD
A safe and
stimulating environment is provided to enable children to explore
and experiment with a wide range of natural and manmade materials
and play equipment.
Opportunities
are provided for children to talk about their families, who they
are, what they do, relationships etc.
Children are
taken out on visits to gain first hand experience of the local
environment, e.g. Kennet and Avon Canal, adjacent fields, woodland,
Thursday market and local shops etc.
Second hand
experienced are provided by using tapes, videos, books and computer
programmes to help children understand the world about them.
PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT
The Centre
has a wide variety of excellent indoor and outdoor equipment which
enables us to offer an appropriate and exciting range of physical
challenge for children of all abilities.
Opportunities to
develop large muscle skills of co-ordination, climbing. balancing
and spatial awareness are offered at every session together with
opportunities to develop the fine muscle control required to use
pencils, paintbrushes and scissors etc.
We have the guidance of an experienced Paediatric Physiotherapist
and Occupational Therapist to support children with physical
disabilities and special needs.
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
We are committed
to a multi-sensory approach and provide opportunities for children
to experience and explore a broad range of materials, mediums and
textures, using their senses of hearing, sight, touch and smell.
Children are
encouraged to develop their imagination and express their feelings
and emotions through role play, miniature play, joining in with ring
games, action rhymes and by playing musical instruments.
