Our Educational Programme

Early Years Foundation Stage

Our aim is to provide a structured daily routine where every child feels secure, confident and valued. We are proud of our warm, happy family atmosphere, and how we introduce the children to learning through play, without pressure. Children explore our resources at their own pace in a stimulating environment which encourages natural curiosity. A wide variety of activities offered daily, such as art and craft, music, singing, drama, movement, early sciences, water and sand play.

The staff within Oranges and Lemons Rooms create lively and interesting 'themes' for each week, around which all activities are based. Planning and activities focus upon the interests of the child, and are predominantly child led.  Each day, children will experience learning in seven areas: Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. Detailed plans of work are recorded and parents are very welcome to share these with us and perhaps contribute their own suggestions for activities. All of the children have time to play in the grounds, and the nursery provides weatherproof clothing for outdoor experiences in the rain and snow! In the summer months a huge variety of activities are conducted outside.

Monkton is one of the very few nurseries in Liverpool to benefit from the presence of qualified teachers, who lead all practice in the pre-school rooms of Oranges and Lemons.

Children are highly motivated, confident and enthusiastic learners. They gain excellent skills to support their future learning. Children behave exceptionally well. They are friendly and helpful and play harmoniously together. Children develop excellent mathematical skills. Older children use concepts such as estimation and they enthusiastically learn about the features of geometric shapes.

Each day children will experience learning in six areas:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Regular observations and assessments are completed for each child, to ensure that he or she is developing in each sphere, and to check any problems which they may encounter.  Constant communication is maintained with parents through the Family app.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

It is our intention that through the caring attitude of the staff all children will gain an understanding and empathy for others, an asset to all beliefs. Our interest themes encourage children to develop sensitivity toward all living things, and to express their emotions appropriately. Children participate in feeding and caring for our goldfish, learning of their needs and habits. We learn and sing the hymns of other faiths, and share many varied religious festivals with the children. Grace is said before all meals. If any parents are willing to share elements of their own faith with the children at Monkton, we are always grateful for their participation. Children progress through rooms according to age, but also to their stage of development and individual needs.

Children flourish in the highly nurturing environment and develop an excellent sense of belonging. Staff expertly support children's emotional well-being while playing alongside them. They support them to settle into the nursery with compassion and reassurance.

Communication and Language

The ability to sit still and concentrate is encouraged by involving the children in games such as lotto, which require both visual and auditory discrimination. Communication skills are of the utmost importance in later life, and confidence in this area is built up through the learning of nursery rhymes, poetry, I Spy and rhyming games, together with comprehension through discussion each morning and afternoon, and the sharing of news. Memory is extended through the giving and receiving of messages and the carrying out of instructions

Physical Development

Exercise in the garden is part of every day, and staff encourage co-ordination, balance and body awareness through the use of the trampoline, climbing frame and obstacle courses. We have regular dance, movement and 'keep fit' activities in the rooms. Physical awareness and social skills are also encouraged in many other ways, such as in teaching the children how to use the bathroom, wash their hands, use a knife and fork correctly, and display good table manners. An ex Olympian gymnast, Dave Simpson, presents a weekly "Gymtots" session at Monkton and we regularly invite visitors to Monkton to provide courses such as Yoga & Mindfulness, Ballet and Football.

Children benefit from excellent music and movement sessions, which help them to develop confidence, as well as improving their coordination and physical development.

Literacy

Once your child has shown a positive interest in the printed word, he or she will progress through a series of pre-reading activities, to ensure his or her readiness for the next, more formal stage of reading. Preparatory reading schemes are introduced if your child reaches a stage of readiness, and children find the animal characters in these stories fun to get to know. Children will not, however, learn to read until they are ready, and this stage will be different for each child. Skill in pencil work, colouring within boundaries etc, indicates a control which will lead to letter formation. After completing writing patterns, the children proceed to writing over letters and joining dots, until they can copy, and then write, their name. The pride which children show with this achievement is immense, and they are soon copying writing eagerly. We also ensure that each letter is formed correctly, and encourage parents when helping their child to use lower case letters, and the correct letter formation. We have weekly sessions with ‘Lingotots’ for our Oranges & Lemons children which introduces the Spanish language. Monkton's reputation for supporting children with English as an additional language has inspired parents from Europe and South America to seek our care for their children.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language have excellent relationships with staff. Children in the pre-school room begin to recognise letters in their name. They copy over the letters on an interactive board and link them to new words with the same sound.

Mathematics

Board games with dominoes and dice help to teach children to count, and puzzles of increasing complexity aid visual perception and spatial awareness. Active first hand involvement with maths experiences and problem solving will prove that learning becomes a pleasure. Concepts of early mathematics such as classification, grouping and sets, ordinal number and comparison of quantity, weight and length are taught through practical experience, together with the more formal identification and recording of number. Each child will complete progressive activities in mathematics during the year.

Children develop excellent mathematical skills. Older children use concepts such as estimation and they enthusiastically learn about the features of geometric shapes.

Understanding the World

Through play in water and sand, children gain concepts of change, volume and weight. Weekly projects encourage exploration of the natural environment, and children enjoy participation in caring for the garden, growing and watering flowers and discussing their pets. Through project work, they will become aware of the workings of their bodies and the world around them. During the term before children join reception year, they will be introduced to the computer and the use of a keyboard and mouse, and other aspects of learning will be supported by technology in number and literacy programmes.

Children develop their knowledge of technology and understand that information can be retrieved from computers

In the springtime the children are as excited as the staff to be able to watch chickens hatch from eggs in an incubator and caterpillars turn into butterflies ready to be released into the garden. They are able to watch the daily progress of nest building through a camera installed in a bird box on the nursery wall. The monitor in the Library allows the children to follow the making of the nest, laying of eggs, hatching and the mother feeding the young until they fly the nest.

We frequently invite to nursery new experiences for the children such as Lounge Lizards who bring tortoises, snakes and even monkeys.  We have had visits from Owls and Birds of Prey as well as guide dogs and police horses.  The children also love visits from the Police and Fire Service.  We have also been fortunate to have some of our parents come in to talk to the children about different religious festivals, or the jobs they do in the community.

Staff have high expectations of children and help them to learn about tolerance and respect.

Expressive Arts and Design

Painting, drawing and cutting out activities are extended through daily art and craft sessions which contribute to a wall theme, or creations for children to take home. Fine motor skills are learned through the use of scissors, construction and collage techniques. Equipment such as the farms, zoos, garages, and fire stations act as catalysts for imaginative play. Role play through dressing up, the Home Corner and the use of dolls and puppets encourage the expression of emotion and characterisation. Movement, dance and music are also used as forms of expression, together with experimental sound making with instruments.

Toddlers thrive in the creative area. They analyse the marks they make in the shaving foam and enhance their dexterity and communication.