From September 2021 the Government outlined a new Early Years Framework that sets the standards to ensure all children from birth to five learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. The framework underpins the learning and development of our children at Richmond Hill Academy and is the core of the daily teaching and learning in our Early Years Setting.

We recognise that every child is unique and deserves positive relationships and enabling environments to fulfil their learning and development potential. All children have a curiosity to learn and to flourish through providing rich and stimulating learning environments and warm and nurturing relationships where the children feel safe, valued and loved so that they thrive and achieve their full potential.

We have detailed the provision on offer in our Early Years setting at Richmond Hill Academy below for your information; please do get in touch if you have any questions. If you wish to apply for a place in Nursery please follow the link and fill in your child’s details. We will contact you shortly before the term after they turn 3 if we have a space available for them.

The importance of oracy

Every opportunity is taken to develop children’s oracy through high-quality adult interactions and purposeful and stimulating learning environments. The key focus of interactions is the modelling, extending and enhancing of children’s language in order to improve fluency and vocabulary. A prominent part of the school day which contributes to the children’s oracy, is family group time. All children engage in conversations with their adults and peers on either a news item from around the world, ‘Show and Tell’ session or it may be a question linked to our school values. Conversations are focused on building children’s confidence and self-esteem, reiterating conversation expectations around manners and improving social skills including speaking and listening to understand.

Characteristics of Effective Learning

Being an active and motivated learner, who thinks creatively and critically through play and exploration is our philosophy. Developing their emotional self-regulation is a key component to their success and adults are consistently modelling and scaffolding strategies, allowing opportunities to practise through our enabled environments, as well as quality first teaching.

The Importance of Play and Adult Interaction

All children have a right to play, and we truly believe that open ended play allows children to explore and experiment with confidence, take risks and challenge themselves with an adult to guide and lead them. We observe each child to understand their development, assess their progress and plan next steps through tuning in and watching closely. Learning together with adults is the best combination for a child to become a resilient learner that is able to create and celebrate their own successes and build on their own learning with confidence and through their positive relationships established in our setting.

Home–School Partnerships and Celebrating Identity

We actively encourage home links, and this is reflected in the school environment and through the use of our home-school platform, ClassDojo. Our children are given opportunities to share with us their home traditions and experiences through many parts of our curriculum such as Family Group time, Show and Tell sessions and our whole school unity days. Parents/carers will often use ClassDojo to share pictures and videos of their home celebrations which we then take time to discuss and honour in the classroom. The children gain a rich understanding that there are many aspects of diversity and that all children and communities have their differences and specialities.

We strive to create strong partnerships with parents because we know this makes a crucial difference to children’s love of learning and, therefore, their outcomes. This is reflected in our school’s ‘Team around the family’ approach which focuses on getting it right for the whole family.

Transitions and Continuity of Care

Effective transitions from one part of our Early Years setting to the next are a very important process that is not viewed as a single event but is carefully planned and built up over time. Children need to feel ‘known’ and so we provide as much transition time as possible, ensuring their emotional development and wellbeing are prioritised.

Transitions across the year provide valuable opportunities for professional dialogue, as well as collaboration with parents and carers, who hold the most knowledge about their child. Each child in Nursery is allocated a key worker to ensure essential relationships are formed. Transition from Reception to Year 1 is strategically planned, with children spending time in their new classrooms and being gradually introduced to a more structured approach to teaching and learning.

Communication and Language

The development of spoken language is the golden thread in our curriculum and the key skill that underpins all other areas of learning. Children need to be able to express themselves effectively and are consistently supported by adults to use the power of communication so that their wants and needs are heard and valued.

At Richmond Hill Academy, we recognise that some children, including those with EAL and SEND, may experience initial communication difficulties. We work closely with each individual child to ensure these are addressed so they do not become barriers to learning. Our adults are highly experienced in using a range of communication strategies, including symbols, visual supports and body language, to support children with additional needs.

Developing Language Through Texts and Talk

Our children are exposed to a wide range of high-quality and diverse texts, including stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, through frequent shared reading opportunities. Through meaningful conversations, storytelling and role play, children are encouraged to confidently use and apply new vocabulary in a range of contexts, while embedding key English language structures.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

We place the development of our youngest children’s personal, social and emotional skills at the forefront of our daily practice. This is a fundamental aspect of the curriculum that supports overall cognitive development, enabling children to flourish and reach their full potential as they transition into Year 1.

We believe in strong, warm and nurturing relationships between adults and children, which support children to develop a positive sense of self, manage their emotions, build confidence in their own abilities and meet their personal needs as independently as possible. Through carefully supported interactions, children learn how to socialise, co-operate and resolve conflict effectively.

Early Reading and Phonics

The teaching of early reading and phonics is a well-established part of our curriculum, beginning in Nursery with a focus on environmental and instrumental sounds. Children receive daily, systematic phonics teaching that is fun, engaging, and carefully sequenced to build both confidence and a love of reading. We follow the Little Wandle phonics scheme, which we value for its clear progression, consistency, and strong emphasis on early reading success, ensuring all children are supported to become confident, fluent readers.

Mathematics: Building Strong Foundations

We focus on developing a strong grounding in number so that all children build the essential foundations needed to excel mathematically. Through a systematic approach that builds upon prior learning, children develop a deep understanding of numbers to 10, the relationships between them and the patterns within those numbers.

Using a mastery approach, children are given varied opportunities to build and apply their understanding through the use of manipulatives, pictorial representations and abstract methods. In addition, we provide rich opportunities through play for children to develop their spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics, including shape, space and measure. Children develop a secure base of mathematical knowledge and vocabulary from which mastery is built. We actively promote positive attitudes towards mathematics so that children feel confident to have a go, articulate their thinking and view mistakes as part of the learning process.

Expressive Arts and Design

The arts are embedded into our daily routines and practices. We place a high priority on developing children’s imagination and creativity, providing regular opportunities to explore, experiment and play with a wide range of media and materials. High-quality lessons and carefully planned environments enable children to develop their artistic and cultural awareness, express themselves creatively and build confidence in their own self-expression.

Understanding the World: Learning Through Role Models and Real-Life Experiences

At Richmond Hill Academy, we believe that child role models are at the heart of learning, providing meaningful experiences and opportunities that reflect the diverse world and society we are part of. Children are encouraged to think and explore ‘as a historian’, ‘as a scientist’ and ‘as a geographer’ as they investigate the world around them.

First-Hand Experiences and Enquiry

Children’s first-hand knowledge is built upon strong foundations through visits to inspiring establishments that spark awe and wonder. To further develop their understanding of the world, children are exposed to a wide range of quality texts that support knowledge acquisition and later reading comprehension. Learning is brought to life through hands-on experiences and the use of artefacts from the past and present, enabling children to explore how people lived in the past and compare this with life today.

Scientific Thinking and Exploring the Natural World

Children are encouraged to think and work like scientists through their exploration of the natural world. They are supported to observe similarities and differences, ask questions and recognise important processes and changes, such as the changing seasons. Through these experiences, children develop curiosity, enquiry skills and a growing understanding of the world around them.

We are very proud of our Early Years provision and we would be delighted for you to visit. To arrange this please email [email protected] and we will be in touch.