“Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education by
providing a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum for 3 to 18 year olds.
The curriculum includes the totality of experiences which are planned for children
and young people through their education, wherever they are being educated.”
(Learning & Teaching Scotland)
The aims of Curriculum for Excellence are that every child should know they are
valued and will be supported to become:
• Successful Learners
• Confident Individuals
• Responsible Citizens
• Effective Contributors
All children at Ballerup Nursery will experience a curriculum which provides
opportunities for children to learn at the differing stages of their development.
Principles of Curriculum for excellence
We aim to provide children with;
➢ A Coherent Curriculum – Taken as a whole, children’s learning activities
should combine to form a coherent experience
➢ Challenge and Enjoyment- Children will find their learning challenging,
engaging and motivating. There will be appropriate support for active
learning and learning opportunities will take account of previous
experience to enable each individual to achieve his or her potential.
Children are involved in planning and assessing their own learning and
are, as such, able to identify their own challenges and discuss with staff
which experiences they particularly wish to develop.
➢ Breadth – Children will have opportunities to experience a broad and
balanced range of learning experiences in a variety of contexts both
indoors and out.
➢ Progression – Children will build upon previous knowledge and
achievements and highlight what they are capable of. Children’s
achievements will be shared with parents informally and formally to
enhance learning opportunities, these achievements will also be shared
with the receiving primary school during transitions.
➢ Depth – Children will have opportunities to develop a variety of ways to
think and learn according to their level of understanding. Staff will support
children in deepening their learning in their areas of particular interest.
➢ Personalisation and Choice – Staff will support children’s individual needs
and enable them to attain in a wide range of opportunities with increasing,
appropriate, responsibility for choice.
➢ Relevance – Children should understand the purpose of their experiences.
They should see the value of what they are learning and its relevance to
their lives, both present and future.
➢ Opportunities for developing skills for learning and skills for life with a
continuous focus on Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Well Being.
➢ Personal support to enable them to gain as much as possible from the
opportunities which Curriculum for Excellence can provide.
➢ Support in making successful transitions within Nursery to Primary School.
Curriculum Areas
We will use the entitlements, in conjunction with the
experiences and outcomes, to plan curriculum programmes, covering the
curriculum areas. These are;
• Languages
• Mathematics
• Expressive arts
• Health and wellbeing
• Religious and moral education
• Sciences
• Social studies
• Technologies
We will support children in all aspects of their emotional, social,
cognitive and physical development. We will provide opportunities to enable
children to become increasingly independent, responsible and eager to progress
in their learning. Staff will assist in the process through skilled interaction with
each child and by providing stimulating contexts for active learning. They will
recognize each stage of development and build upon the child’s current
knowledge and skills. We will stimulate and utilise children’s enthusiasm,
inventiveness and creativity to plan learning experiences.
Environment
Active learning is firmly in place at Ballerup, we believe in, and create an environment where:
• children are fully engaged in their learning, which is interactive, purposeful
and defined within the outcomes and experiences.
• the learning environment is relaxed and supportive with opportunity for
observation, interaction and further exploration of interests and activities.
• the learning environment is imaginatively resourced and stimulating, with
opportunity for engagement in exploratory and spontaneous play.
• the imaginative use of space and resources creates opportunity for
children to work independently or collaboratively.
Staff Team
All members of Staff strive to create the desired environment and contribute
through open, positive, supportive relationships in which children feel that they
are listened to, promoting a climate in which they feel safe and secure. Staff
model behaviour to promote effective learning and wellbeing, they are sensitive
and responsive to each individual child’s wellbeing.
Children will be encouraged to contribute to the life and work of the nursery
which includes opportunities to participate responsibly in decision making.
