Nursery & Reception

Play

Play is an essential part of learning. Boys and girls in The Orchard regularly take their learning outside into the stunning classroom that is the school grounds; exploring, investigating and problem solving. Activities include story-making, art, den building, orienteering, maths investigations – the opportunities for learning are endless, whatever the weather.

Our day

Our day in the EYFS is structured but also flexible. Free-flow between our reception and nursery classes provides our children with the opportunities to access a wide variety of activities; encouraging interaction, investigation, independence and child-led learning. It also provides staff in the foundation stage the opportunities to support and extend children in their learning, development and their individual needs.

Children in nursery have a daily maths and phonics time with their teacher. This extends and develops when they move into reception class with phonics and maths becoming key lessons, a central focus of the school day. Children in reception also read on a daily basis with their class teacher, starting with picture books and progressing to books with words. With our small classes, children are supported, challenged and nurtured to be confident individuals who believe in their own abilities.

Our learning is “free range” in the sense that it puts the children’s own interests at the heart of our lessons. At the outset of a termly topic all of the children in reception and nursery are involved in the planning process, suggesting avenues of investigation and learning through collaborative mind-mapping and sharing of knowledge.

Outdoor learning

Outdoor learning in our beautiful surroundings is an integral part of our curriculum in the Orchard and very much part of our ethos. We are incredibly lucky to be based in 30 acres of glorious Dorset countryside. Our grounds provide a fabulous classroom and children are able to engage in learning which is real and hands on. In the Orchard, children are not confined by four walls but have daily access to an abundance of learning opportunities and experiences outside, whatever the weather.

Children need space to move, explore and discover as movement prompts the development of the brain and body. Giving our children the freedom to move is a key focus of learning in the Orchard and why our outdoors has such a significant place within the school day. Our children are provided with daily opportunities to access activities that focus on the key movement senses, tactile, proprioception and vestibular to support their learning and overall development.

Children in Reception and Nursery have a weekly Out and About session with the reception class teacher; a planned activity to further develop and extend children’s knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the world we live in.