In our Foundation Stage class the teaching and learning is creative, fun and challenging. The environment is rich in opportunities to motivate and inspire children to develop and learn effectively.

The Foundation Curriculum is built upon what children know and can do. It recognises and provides for children that have different starting points. Children have a natural curiosity for learning and we encourage them to broaden their experience through exploring new concepts and ideas. We structure and model the language for learning and encourage them to recognise their own learning styles right from the start.

The Foundation Curriculum is structured into seven distinct areas of learning.

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Communication and Language
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Together these areas combine to give children an excellent start to their formal education and allow them to make progress in every area.

At Ongar Place our learning experiences are well planned, cross curricular and purposeful, they build on the young learner’s interests and needs. Play is essential for children’s learning and development and so we ensure that the children have time to initiate their own learning through play with other children and the class practitioners. Our well-resourced outside classroom gives children the opportunity to extend their learning further as they build and construct on a large scale, investigate and explore and challenge themselves physically.

We measure the progress and success that children make towards the Early Learning Goals continuously during the Foundation year. Their achievements are reported to parents at the end of the Foundation Stage. We ensure that the children receive a smooth transition into Year 1 and are ready to begin their next stage of learning.

For more detailed information about our Learning in Nursery  - click here for Curriculum