Curriculum

Within our nursery we aim to build on the natural curiosity and previous learning that children bring with them. Children engage in all curricular areas across the Early Level of Curriculum for Excellence in line with our whole school curriculum.

At Skene Square we are committed to developing children’s knowledge and understanding of curricular areas through a wide variety of play opportunities, both free play and those more structured.

Outdoor play

At Skene Square Nursery we spend each Wednesday nursery session (Wild Wednesday) at either Victoria or Westburn Park. These sessions will take place in all weather conditions with the exception of thunder/lightning. When sessions are cancelled due to inclement weather or staffing shortages, parents will be notified by a message sent through our school app and groupcall. Please ensure you have the app downloaded and inform office staff should you not have access to a smart device.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and our need for parent helpers we are unable to offer this experience to the children at this time.

In addition to our Wild Wednesday sessions, our pupils access our school playground for play on a daily basis. Again, children will access outdoor play in all weather conditions. Please note that in both our playground and at Victoria Park there is shelter available for our pupils should they wish to access it however most children are having too much fun to notice the rain!

The 8 Curricular Areas

Curriculum for Excellence places learners at the heart of education. At its center are four fundamental capacities. These capacities reflect and recognize the lifelong nature of education and learning.

The four capacities are aimed at helping children and young people to become:

  • Successful learners

  • Confident individuals

  • Responsible citizens

  • Effective contributors


There are eight curriculum areas:

  • Expressive arts

  • Health and wellbeing

  • Languages (including English, Gaidhlig, Gaelic learners and modern languages)

  • Mathematics

  • Religious and moral education

  • Sciences

  • Social studies

  • Technologies.

Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing are recognised as being particularly important – these areas are seen as being the responsibility of all staff.

The nursery uses the Experiences and Outcomes given by the CfE which are a set of clear and concise statements about children's learning and progression in each curriculum area. They are used to help plan learning and to assess progress.

We also use a document called ‘Benchmarks’ given by the CfE which set out clear statements about what learners need to know and be able to do to achieve a level across all curriculum areas.

Below is each curricular area and a list of key elements each area covers.

Health and Wellbeing :

Mental and emotional wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Physical wellbeing, Planning for choices and change, Physical activity and sport, Relationships, Food and Healt, Substance Misuse.

Literacy and English:

Listening and Talking, Reading and Writing.

Enjoyment and choice, Tools for listening, talking, reading and writing, Finding and using information, Understanding, analysing and evaluating, Creating texts.

Numeracy:

Estimation and Rounding, Number and Number Processes, Fractions, Decimal Fractions and Percentages, Money, Time, Measurement, Shape, Position and Movement, Data and Analysis.

Expressive Arts:

Participation in performances and presentations. Art and Design, Dance, Drama and Music.

Religious and Moral Education:

Beliefs, Values and Issues, Practices and Traditions, Development of Values and Beliefs.

Science:

Planet Earth and Space, Forces, Electricity and Waves, Biological Systems, Materials and Topical Sciences.

Social Sciences:

People, Past Events and Societies.

People, Place and Environment.

People in Society, Economy and Business.

Technologies:

Digital Literacy, Food and Textile Technology, Technological Developments in Society and Business, Craft, Design, Engineering and Graphics, Computing Sciences.

Here at Skene Square Nursery we achieve this through skilled interactions with each child and by providing stimulating contexts for active learning, building upon the child's knowledge and skills and recognising their stage of development.

We use Planning in the Moment or 'responsive planning' to ensure children receive a broad experience and extend upon their own likes and interests across the curriculum.

To see further information on how this is used within our setting click on the icon below.