MEADOWLANDS PRE-SCHOOL'S GALLERY
Meadowlands Play Spaces
Enabling Environment
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. Enabling environments encourage babies and young children to play because they feel relaxed, comfortable and ‘at home’ in them. When children feel emotionally safe and secure they are able to explore and find out about the place they are in and the things they can see, touch, manoeuvre or manipulate. In the EYFS the environment is described in terms of three aspects:
The emotional environment, the outdoor environment, the indoor environment. These three aspects of the environment together make up the environment for play and learning in the EYFS.
Meadowlands has made every endeavour to ensure our physical environments, both indoors and out are stimulating, comfortable, interesting, attractive and appropriate areas for the children who use it and will hopefully come to feel like a second home to them during their time with us.
Meadowlands in Action
Meadowlands has a daily routine and structure that is designed to encourage familiarity and security for our children; which also promotes self-esteem and independence. Children are given adequate warning, in appropriate manners, at transition times throughout the day.
However, this routine is also flexible as it takes into account unexpected learning opportunities such as outings, visitors and events; which again helps children cope with change and disruption.
Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. Ongoing assessment (also known as formative assessment) is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations. In their interactions with children, practitioners should respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress and observations that parents and carers share.
Meadowlands planning cycle is unique for each and every child and takes into account their starting point and individual interests. Parents are actively encouraged to take part in this process and Individual Development Plans are shared with parents on a termly basis.
