Creativity and Learning

Creativity is a key part of the Academy’s curriculum. We emphasise that encouraging creativity in pupils’ learning is about two equally important factors:

• creative teaching which will inspire, engage and motivate pupils,

• developing creativity within the child.

 

The strand is broken down into three parts:

• the skills of learning which should be taught

• the attributes of children which should be nurtured

• the learning environment which should be provided

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Early Years education is the foundation upon which young children build the rest of their schooling. It is a holistic education that encompasses all learning and development. In the EYFS setting at RCPA we believe that all children are entitled to the best possible start in their school life, both intellectually and emotionally, in order to enable them to develop their full potential.

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We aim to support each child’s welfare, learning and developmental needs by:

• Recognising that all children are unique and special.

• Understanding that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates - physically, cognitively, linguistically, socially and emotionally.

• Providing a safe, secure and caring environment where children feel happy and know that they are valued by the practitioners looking after them.

• Fostering and nurturing children’s self-confidence and self-esteem through their developing awareness of their own identity and role within the community.

• Teaching them to express and communicate their needs and feelings in appropriate ways.

• Encouraging children’s independence and decision-making, supporting them to learn through their mistakes.

• Developing children’s understanding of social skills and the values and codes of behaviour required for people to work together harmoniously.

• Supporting children to develop care, respect and appreciation for others, including those with beliefs, cultures and opinions differ to their own.

• Understanding the importance of play in children’s learning and development.

• Providing learning experiences in play which reflect children’s personal interests and areas of curiosity in order to encourage and develop their natural desire, interest, excitement and motivation to learn.

• Providing experiences which build on children’s existing knowledge and understanding in order to challenge, stimulate and extend their learning and development.

• Providing effective learning opportunities in a range of environments, inside and outside.

• Providing opportunities and experiences for children to become responsible and active members of the school community.
   

Early Years Foundation Stage

Teaching in the EYFS setting at RCPA is delivered in accordance with the government’s statutory document ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage-setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five’ (April 2017). This document is a principled approach to Early Years education, bringing together children’s welfare, learning and development requirements through four themes: ‘A Unique Child’, ‘Positive Relationships’, ‘Enabling Environments’ and ‘Children Learn in Different Ways and at Different Rates.’

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At RCPA we provide a carefully structured curriculum based on the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ we offer provision which takes account of the differing starting points of the children in the Early Years across the seven areas of learning.

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The Development Statements provide a progression from Nursery through to the end of Reception. Children are provided with activities and experiences that allow them to achieve their full developmental potential. Activities are designed to challenge and extend their skills and knowledge.

 

The curriculum is based around Prime and Specific areas of learning, where the three prime areas underpin all of a child’s learning experiences.

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The teaching within the Early Years takes into account the ‘Characteristics of learning’ of individual learners to ensure that they are supported and taught in ways that suit them best.

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The seven areas of learning support, foster, promote and develop children’s well-being and development.

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Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

This is crucial for all aspects of life which will give the children the best opportunity for success in all other areas of learning. Each child needs a positive sense of him/herself and respect for others.

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Communication and Language Development

The key skills develop confidence in communication, teaching speaking, listening and understanding in a variety of settings and purposes.

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Physical Development

Children develop the skills of co-ordination, control, manipulation and movement both in fine motor and gross motor movement. This helps children to gain confidence and feel positive about being healthy and active and promotes a positive feeling of well-being.

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Literacy

Learners have a wide range of books read to them and will read simple texts for themselves. Familiar books help learners rehearse phrases and interesting vocabulary that will become part of their own speech and, ultimately, writing. They are also provided with a range of opportunities for writing and mark making for a variety of purposes. The school uses the ‘Letters and Sounds’ document to support our teaching of phonics.

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Mathematics

Pupils develop confidence and competence in learning and using key skills. This includes counting, sorting, matching, seeking patterns, making connections, recognising relationships and working with numbers, shapes, space and measures.

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Understanding of the World

Crucial skills of problem solving, exploring and understanding help children to make sense of the world. Foundations are developed for the later teaching of Science, Design and Technology, History, Geography and I.C.T.

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Arts and Design

Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. It enables children to make connections and extend their thoughts, feelings and understanding. It includes art, music, dance, role-play and imaginative activities.

Link here to EYFS curriculum docs – to follow.

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At RCPA we recognise that young children learn best when they are active. We understand that active learning involves other people, objects, ideas and events that engage and involve children for sustained periods. Therefore, we believe that Early Years education should be as practical as possible and our EYFS setting has an ethos of learning through play.

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We recognise that children’s play is an essential and rich part of their learning process, supporting them in all areas of development. Play is a powerful motivator encouraging children to be creative and to develop their ideas, understanding and language. Play is also flexible and able to suit the preferred learning style of the child. It can provide multiple ways for children to learn a variety of different skills and concepts.

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In the EYFS setting at RCPA practitioners provide both structured and unstructured play opportunities inside and outside. These activities are designed to engage children in practical, first-hand experiences which will allow children to discover, explore, investigate, develop their personal interests and areas of curiosity, and help to make sense of the world around them as they begin to understand specific concepts. Play opportunities are also set up to provide children with opportunities to apply newly acquired knowledge, demonstrating their skills and level of understanding. We ensure there is a mix of adult-led and child-led learning opportunities.

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Years 1-6

We encourage an active learning orientation for all pupils through the following:

• Belief that effort leads to success

• Helping children to use their creative skills

• Enabling children to be confident in making mistakes and taking risks

• Allowing children to have involvement at times in the direction of their learning

• Equipping children with the belief in their ability to improve and learn

• Preference for providing challenging tasks – the learning struggle

• Encouraging personal satisfaction from success at difficult tasks

• Providing opportunities for children to use problem solving and self-instruction when engaged in tasks

• Ensuring children have concern for improving their own competence

• Developing children’s skills of self-discipline

• Staff engagement for themselves in all of the above.

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The Academy has a large outdoor area, with Wi-Fi enabled, which can be used for a variety of aspects of Teaching and Learning. The learning environment is planned for both indoors and outdoors to encourage a positive attitude to learning that is not exclusive to a classroom setting, and provides different approaches and tasks to be adapted to different learning styles. This outdoor area enables pupils to take part in activities such as, but not exclusively, Science and Topic work in an authentic, natural environment.

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