Our Curriculum

Union Memorial Preschool uses the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Emergent Curriculum which emphasizes following children's interests through play and exploration both indoors and outdoors. Children experience a wide range of rich learning experiences based on the goals set out in the EYFS. Each child's learning journey is recorded throughout the year with regular feedback to parents.

Our activities cover all seven areas of learning:

Prime Areas

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

One of the most crucial aspects of the curriculum, development in this area is focused on

· Managing Feelings and Behaviors

· Making Relationships

· Self Confidence and Self Awareness

Everyday activities and routines as well as teacher led sessions contribute to this area of learning.

Physical Development

The development of physical skills is vital in gaining independence and in our curriculum is focused on

· Moving and Handling

· Health and self-care

Indoor and outdoor activities and all types of play contribute to the development of physical skills.

Communication and Language

Children must become fluent in their communication skills in order to be ready for school and future learning. In all activities at Union Memorial there are opportunities to develop communication and language focused on:

· Listening / Understanding / Speaking

A range of activities to extend communication and language skills are planned for individuals and also groups of children in each of the classes.

Specific Areas

Literacy

The foundations of literacy are rooted in play, storytelling, drawing and mark making all of which contribute to the future development in:

· Reading

· Writing

Children in our Busy Bees (3’s) and Terrific Tigers (4’s) classes also receive some instruction in Phonics in preparation for Kindergarten.

Mathematics

Teaching in Mathematics is focused on learning in the areas of:

· Numbers

· Spaces, shapes and measures

Play with construction toys like blocks and Lego, counting games and cooking are examples of the types of activities which contribute to the development of mathematical skills.

Understanding of the World

Understanding of the World is about how children get to know about other people, the place where they live and about all aspects of the environment. This area of the curriculum is broken down into three aspects:

· People and Communities

· The World

· Technology

Expressive Arts and Design

This area of the curriculum has two key aspects:

· Exploring and using media and materials

· Being imaginative

The Expressive Arts and Design area of learning encompasses so many different skills-from pretend play and storytelling, to arts and crafts, to creating music and movement. The focus is on the creative process, rather than a perfect finished product.