The strength of excellence in Early Years education lies in the strength and expertise of your Early Years team, the richness of the learning and teaching experiences, along with an inspiring environment and a commitment to embracing not only the child but the family as a whole.
The EYFS team in any setting needs to be highly experienced, flexible with a deep knowledge and the ability to share and learn from one another in order to ensure outstanding practice. Practitioners need to be able to think outside the box and create stimulating and exciting activities that are hands-on and inclusive. It is widely known that a child’s early years are crucial in laying the foundations for development and success, so it is imperative that the practitioners match individual needs accurately, ensuring sharply focused and timely support and intervention. Our Early Years staff at Lincoln Minster know the children inside out, they take time to really talk and communicate with the child, which leads to a deep understanding of the stage they are at and what engages their interest enabling learning and then use this information to plan next steps in learning.
We all know that play within the Early Years Foundation Stage is fundamental for the child’s development and learning. However, these play experiences need to be thoroughly planned, with opportunities built in to develop their own interests and the application of the skills taught in meaningful ways. At the same time the child still needs to be taught certain skills and learn in context. Early Years settings must not shy away from teaching. At Lincoln Minster more formal education such as reading, writing and maths is introduced through playful contexts. This leads to a smooth transition into Reception and then Year 1. The most successful transitions into main stream school happen over a long period of time and choosing the Nursery at Lincoln Minster, whether your child joins at 2 years old or 3 years old will mean your child will be guided towards independence, be prepared to take risks and be engaged and motivated learners by the time they transition into the main school. In short the excellent teaching and experiences in our Nursery leads to excellent learning.