Practitioners and teachers at Upperthorpe Nursery follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework for children’s education from birth to five. We also use Birth to Five Matters guidance to track children’s development. The EYFS is also followed in Reception. The EYFS Framework sets out; legal welfare requirements, the seven areas of learning, assessments that all settings must do and expected levels of development that your child should be working at at the end of reception, often called Early Learning Goals (ELGs).

The seven areas of learning we work with are; Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. These areas and development points within the Birth to Five guidance are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. Practitioners complete unique planning for each child to ensure they meet their development targets. At Upperthorpe, your child will be assigned a key person who is responsible for completing your child’s learning journey records and is your point of contact to discuss how your child is doing and any concerns regarding their development. Your child’s key person will complete the Progress Check done at age two as part of the EYFS requirements.

SEND

At Upperthorpe Nursery, we are committed to the inclusion of all children. All children have the right to be cared for and educated to encourage development to their full potential alongside their peers. We promote a positive and welcoming environment where all children are supported according to their individual needs and we work hard to ensure no children are discriminated against or have a disadvantage due to their needs. Every child is unique so practitioners/key workers consider children’s own individual needs and development to plan activities and tasks suitable for each child.

We undertake a progress check at age two in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice and EYFS. Key workers for each child consistently monitor and record children’s development to identify any areas of development the child may require support with. When we believe a child may have additional needs, we will work with the child’s parents and relevant professionals to establish if any additional action is required. Where a child has additional needs we feel it is paramount to understand as much as possible regarding what support the child may need, the SENDCO will support nursery practitioners in providing this support during the child’s nursery sessions. Please read our SEND policy on the website to find out more information.