Little Chicks Class

2 year olds

Welcome to the staff in the Little Chicks class: Miss Lucy (Room Leader), Miss Rebecca (Key Person), Miss Emily (Trainee Key Person), Miss Denise (Key Person) and Miss Laura (Key Person).

The children in this room are the youngest in the nursery and for some this will be their first experience of a play setting, so it is all about having fun and building friendships. There is a great emphasis on nurture and supporting the children to settle into the group. Upon arrival each child is assigned to a ‘key person’. The key persons in this in this class have specialist training in the needs of two year olds and work closely with parents to ensure that each child is treated as an individual in their learning and development. Parents are asked to supply adequate nappies, wipes, clothing and food for the day. Staff ratios in this room are 1:4.

The Little Chicks room is organised so that the children start to access resources independently. There are various areas in the room such as role play, dressing up, a book corner and reading area, a writing area, a number area, creative development with a paint board and easel, and a water play area. The children also enjoy a wooden rocker and a trampoline to encourage gross motor development. A door from the classroom enables free-flow indoor/outdoor access where children may choose to play outside if they prefer. We aim to encourage the children to be creative, independent thinkers by allowing them to choose the activities they wish to play with, whilst at the same time presenting them with new ideas to extend their learning and confidence.

Whilst all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum are provided in The Little Chicks Room, there is a strong emphasis on encouraging Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language skills, and supporting Physical Development. The nursery nurses in The Little Chicks room use Makaton signing in a language rich programme of stories, rhymes and songs in order to help children with their language development. Progress checks are undertaken around this time to highlight achievements and to describe how extra support issues may be addressed.

Daily plans are displayed in the room so that parents can see which activities are planned for the week ahead. This planning has been developed by key persons in Little Chicks room and are based on the children’s current interests. Medium term planning is also incorporated to ensure that all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum have been covered throughout the year.

The Little Chicks Class have regular Show and Tell days, which provide the children with the opportunity to develop their self-confidence along with their communication skills. Show and Tell is held on a Friday in the Little Chicks room and follows weekly themes which are displayed along with the planning. The Little Chicks also attend our onsite Forest School area on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings.