Nursery, Pre-School & Reception
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Bickley Park, a warm and friendly, family-orientated school community. We celebrate diversity and inclusion, recognise that all individuals learn differently and tailor our support to their needs.
One of the things I am most proud of here at Bickley Park is our Four Quadrants of Learning - our broad and balanced curriculum that provides the structure for all we do at our happy school. The Four Quadrants embody our commitment to offer all our children such an extensive range of opportunities that we can identify, nurture and celebrate everyone’s talents, wherever they lie. This journey begins in the Early Years.
At the heart of Early Years, is our unique Pre-School, led by a fully qualified teacher and providing the same warm and nurturing environment as the Bickley Park Nursery. Here, playbased learning meets early academic preparation including specialist teaching, to ensure that this is the perfect stepping stone to Reception.
My greatest hope is that all our pupils make the most of every opportunity on offer here at the school. We aspire for all our children to ‘BE ALL YOU CAN BE’, from Nursery right through to Year 8.
Our vision is to maintain the excellence of our 100-year-old Prep School with an ambitious, forward-thinking and nurturing outlook where the whole community lives our Values. Our children leave us as well rounded, confident individuals ready for their next steps into the wider world.
Tom Quilter Headmaster
SCHOOL VALUES
FREE FLOW ENVIRONMENT AND SPECIALIST TEACHING
A free-flow ethos is central to the way that our Nursery, Pre-School and Reception are set up, allowing the children to choose between a large variety of indoor and outdoor activities. These are designed to develop their fine and gross motor skills, number sense and phonological awareness – in a multi-sensory, fun and engaging way.
In addition to the holistic start to a child’s learning journey, children across the Early Years benefit from specialist teaching in areas including art, music, drama, Spanish and Forest School. This ensures the children are given the most incredible opportunities from a young age, enabling them to develop a breadth of skills far beyond their years.
EARLY YEARS CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK
The EYFS Framework is taught across Nursery, Pre-School and Reception through a range of engaging and inspiring topics containing exciting ‘hooks’ to instantly engage the children in their learning. Staff work closely together to ensure that there is a progressive curriculum across these important first years at Bickley Park.
Our experienced and enthusiastic staff are passionate about teaching in the Early Years. It is important to us that we have a fully qualified teacher working in Pre-School alongside our Nursery Lead so that together with the Reception Team, they ensure the children have a seamless transition into their first year at school.
Relationships are the foundation of all that we do, and we love to share your child’s progress and success with you. Through their personal journals, we keep in close touch with all our families and offer opportunities to visit on a regular basis for performances, sports days, picnics and parents’ evenings.
EYFS PATHWAY
PRIME AREAS
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
TOPICS COVERED: Here I am, Down on the Farm, Our Planet,
PATHWAY
Literacy
Maths
SPECIFIC AREAS
Understanding the World
Celebrations and Colours, People that Help Us, Minibeasts, Beside the Sea
Expressive Arts and Design
LITERACY AND NUMERACY
Our broad and balanced curriculum builds up throughout Pre-School and Reception, with a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Our aim is to foster a love of learning in all of our children from a young age and ensure our Pre-School children are given the best foundations ready for their move to Reception.
As they move through EYFS, the children begin a phonics programme that focuses on a variety of speaking and listening skills such as rhyme, environmental sounds, oral blending and segmenting. Through our delivery of a creative curriculum, we provide a range of inspiring opportunities to spark a lifelong love of reading and writing in our children, encouraging them to enjoy stories and develop their own imagination.
In Maths, children also get off to a flying start by learning through a range of highly engaging activities, specifically designed to develop their subitising, number sense and counting skills. These foundations are paramount to a child’s journey as a mathematician; with all future learning building on these key mathematical skills.
PE, GAMES AND FOREST SCHOOL
At Bickley Park, we have a ‘Sports for All’ philosophy and Games, Gymnastics and Movement take place on a weekly basis.
Swimming also starts weekly for Reception in the Summer Term.
Forest School takes place every week with our specialist Forest School teachers. This happens onsite in our fully kitted-out Forest School area. Children learn various skills, including fire safety, knot-making and woodwork, which support their rounded learning.
WRAPAROUND CARE AND CLUBS
Our aim is to support families in their day-to-day lives and as such pre and post school care is available to support working parents.
A Breakfast Club is available for children from 3 ½ years old from 7:00 am.
After School Care is also available with an afternoon snack until 6:00pm.
A range of exciting extra-curricular Clubs start for Reception from the Autumn Term including multi-sports and creative and craft activities.
