Overview

Phonics – Good phonic knowledge is important in supporting children to learn to read. At Norcot our phonics teaching uses the Letters and Sounds Phase 1 scheme and we mainly focus on pre-reading skills such as hearing, identifying and repeating sounds. We deliver daily focused phonic sessions as well as making the most of phonic opportunities that may arise throughout the day, such as hearing a helicopter flying over head.

Makaton - Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. It supports the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall and organisation of language and expression. With Makaton, signs are used with speech in spoken word order. This helps provide extra clues about what someone is saying. Using signs can help people who have no speech or whose speech is unclear.

At Norcot we have carefully selected Makaton signs from Stage 1 that we believe will be best placed to help our children communicate their wants and needs alongside Staff communicating their requests to children.

Please see this video for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRiW0s7wWIc&t=15s

Reading Spine – We have created our Reading Spine based on one developed by Pi Corbett. We have selected texts that will be read frequently to the children so that they become familiar with them. This familiarity will lead to children have a deep knowledge of the stories, allow them to make links between stories and characters and help children engage with stories at a deeper level.

Song and Rhyme Spine – We have created a Song and Rhyme Spine to include songs and rhymes that we will regularly sing with the children. The children will become secure in their knowledge of the rhythms, tune and words which will benefit their communication and language as well as self-regulation.

Cultural Capital - Cultural capital is ‘the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success’. At Norcot, we celebrate and build on children’s prior experiences and provide them with new opportunities.

Festivals and celebrations – As part of our Cultural Capital and our diverse and inclusive approach to education we celebrate a range of Festivals and significant events. If you celebrate these events yourself at home, we invite you to come and share your experiences with the children.

Focus Stories – At Norcot we believe that developing children’s knowledge and understanding of story language, structure, characters and settings is vital. We have selected 6 traditional tales as our Focus Stories that the children will become very familiar with during their time with us. We have created story bags that will come home with each child once a term so that you can re-tell the story together.

Allotment  – We have worked hard to create an Allotment space at Norcot Nursery and the children visit weekly to help plant, tend and harvest food that we then eat. Seeing where our food comes from and the hard work it takes to get the end product is a great experience for the children.

Woodwork  – Children now in their early years may have future professions that do not yet exist. It is more important than ever for the new generation to be able to think creatively and develop problem-solving skills. Woodwork exercises such skills as children make their own choices and learn through trial and error. It sparks creative thinking and imagination, qualities that are at least as important in our changing world as the practical skills gained. Woodwork invites connection between all aspects of learning and development.