Douglas Valley – Early Years Curriculum

The school’s curriculum is founded on the premise that every child (particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or with SEND) has a right to receive an education that develops the attitudes, knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to become confident, capable, independent and self-motivated learners which in turn enable them to fulfil their potential and achieve the best possible outcomes. The foundations of our curriculum are:

• The school’s vision:
  • Each child is valued as an individual,
  • Every child is entitled to a positive nurturing environment where they feel happy and secure.
  • Children’s skills and attitudes are developed to enable them to become successful lifelong learners
• The school’s values:
  • Children at the heart of practice – children’s safety and wellbeing is the cornerstone of practice; children are valued as individuals and competent learners
  • Respect – for everyone in the school community
  • Working professionally – to uphold our vision and values and promote the ethos of the school
• The guiding principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage

1. Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
2. Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
3. Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers
4. Children embrace learning and development in different ways and at different rates.

• Lev Vygotsky’s thinking that ‘what the child can do with support today, they can do themselves tomorrow’.
• Deci & Ryan’s (1985) premise that an individual’s wellbeing is created from three components; competence, relating to cognitive aspects; relatedness, relating to social aspects and relationships and autonomy, relating to self regulation and motivation.

The curriculum has been designed to:

• Start with the child, recognising their uniqueness and individuality;
• Be underpinned by the characteristics of effective learning, to enable children to develop the skills and attitudes to become confident, capable and self-motivated lifelong learners
• Develop and enhance curiosity, critical thinking skills and metacognition
• Prioritise children’s physical and emotional wellbeing, including recognising and celebrating their achievements, their dispositions to learn, their social development and relationships
• Provide balance and depth across the seven areas of learning working towards the Early Learning Goals

What is curriculum?

Intent – What we want the children to be able to do

Implementation – What we do as educators to support this

Impact – SO WHAT! What benefits does our curriculum provide for children