At CNPG we know our children, families and community well and have designed a tailored curriculum around this knowledge to ensure that our children gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to grow into citizens that we want to continue to support our community.
Our Curriculum
The CNPG Curriculum
We recognise that every child is a competent learner. We understand that children develop in individual ways and ensure that we plan experiences that are personalised to children’s individual learning styles and interests. Practitioners promote child led learning within all age groups and provide environments that are engaging, through offering a variety of experiences that are sequenced, challenging and achievable to extend the children’s learning.
The CNPG curriculum is based on four areas of learning:
Adult-led activities are centred on our professional knowledge of what we want to teach our children, introducing new concepts and opportunities for children to develop specific skills
The CNPG curriculum is supported by five teaching principles:
Focus Child
Every child will be the ‘Focus Child’ once per term. The Focus Child approach offers the key person the opportunity to get to know your child extremely well and have a secure understanding of your child’s development.
Using the Focus Child method enables us to work closely with parents using your knowledge and expertise of your child to involve you in the planning process. The Focus Child process takes place over a three week period. In the first week, parents receive a consultation form to complete which is used to document the knowledge you have of your child and also provides the opportunity to share any significant happenings taking place in your child’s life. Using this information, we plan adult led activities for your child.
During the second week of the cycle, the key person delivers the planned adult led activity and closely observes your child. Your child’s key person will hone in on the individuality of the Focus Child, making their observations and inferring what this tells them about the child’s thinking. At all times throughout this week the key person will be ready to respond to your child, using appropriate strategies to react to children in the moment and support their well-being and learning.
In the third week, the key person and parent(s) will have a link meeting where they will discuss the observations that were made in the previous week. From this discussion, the key person and parent(s) will plan your child’s next steps together. Taking the knowledge from their observations and that of the parent’s, the key person will produce the child’s assessment.
Mindful Curriculum
Mindfulness is a technique which helps people to focus on the present moment, it develops the whole brain and helps children to understand their emotions, reducing the risk of mental health issues and anxiety.
Our Forest School sessions supports the practice of mindfulness but in addition to this, children take part in activities such as yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, hand massage and chocolate therapy.
Planning
Adult Led Activities
Adult Led Activities are planned around the Focus Child and concentrate on the Intent, Implementation and Impact of the activity.
Adult Led Activities are based around a specific area of learning (see EYFS) and centre on what the key person is intending to develop with the child both in terms of the curriculum and their attitudes to learning and self-esteem, this is referred to as the ‘Intent’. Key persons also pre-determine the ‘implementation’ of the activity, considering how the activity will be delivered, the role of the adult, the teaching skills used and what language to include. The skill and ability levels of all children are considered to ensure that the activity is inclusive to all. The key person reviews the ‘impact’ of the activity, assessing what the children have learned and how the activity may be extended or enhanced to further support the children.
Curriculum Mapping & Continuous Provision
Curriculum mapping occurs on a termly basis and sets out the curriculum intent (areas of learning) across the setting. Teams meet every half term to review the curriculum mapping and set next steps in development and learning for each child.
Continuous provision maps are used in each setting / room to ensure that the environment is enhanced for child led learning and play through the resources and equipment that are available.
Get In Touch
The Charnwood Nursery & Pre-school Group is a family run business. We opened our first setting in Thurmaston in 2001. We now have four nursery and pre-school settings as well as three out of school and holiday clubs.