Our Philosophy
At Little Oaks we believe learning starts at home and the partnership between the family, the nursery and the local community all contribute to the best early years experience for each child. Learning does not take place alone but as a union of experiences and interactions that happen in daily life. As a member of the Leatherhead community we aim to make a difference here.
Our nursery places great emphasis on creativity and individualism, where children are encouraged to display kindness and respect for one another and therefore lay the foundations of good manners and sociability. We aim to encourage positive relationships and friendships between children. Our teachers carefully record progress of each child in order to prepare and plan carefully for the next steps of their development.
At Little Oaks we use an online learning journey called ‘Eylog’ to record our children’s learning and development. Children’s learning is referenced to the EYFS profile so that parents are able to see the areas of learning their children are achieving. ‘Eylog’ enables our parents to view their child’s observations, photographs and videos as they happen. Not only does this fantastic software give our parents the opportunity to see what their children are doing on a daily basis but it also enables them to write comments, add their own photos/videos and observations to their child’s learning journey with us.
We ensure that all our children benefit from varied and well-directed child led and adult led early learning opportunities through their involvement in a wide range of practical and educational activities.
Curriculum:
At Little Oaks our Curriculum Intent highlights what we strive for each child to achieve by the time they leave for school. Our Curriculum is based on both the seven areas of development of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and our nursery values.
Room expectations are set for each age group whereby the children are encouraged to reach a particular development stage before they move on to the next room or their future schools. We understand children develop at their own pace and each child’s development is closely monitored and the curriculum is tailored accordingly.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The principles of EYFS are:
- Children are continually learning and developing and can be able, competent and confident.
- Each child is unique, they learn and develop in various ways and at different pace.
- Children learn and progress better in stimulating environments.
- Each child’s learning responds best when focus is on their individual interests and needs and where there is a strong relationship between parents/carers and key persons.
- Positive relationships and role models can help children be resilient and independent.
- The statutory framework sets out the curriculum and standard of care for all children in early years provisions, including children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEN).
The core Learning and development areas are:
Prime areas:
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Specific areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding of the World
- Expressive Arts and Designs
Further information regarding the EYFS can be found at www.education.gov.uk.
All Little Oaks policies and procedures are available on request from the main office.
Extra curricular activities
To extend the learning and creative opportunities for our children, we offer the following extra-curricular activities which are linked to the curriculum. Sports lessons hosted by Ezeesport, Music classes are hosted by Jo Jingles and Forrest School sessions hosted by Silverwoods Forest School.
