Observing Children: the crucial role of purposeful observation in our nursery

Mar 15, 2018

About purposeful observation

Observation of children’s activities, interests, and interactions by our early years teachers is an integral part of our daily routine. It is a crucial responsibility of every practitioner to ensure that accurate, purposeful observations are recorded on all children, not just their key children. Observations are as important as every other part of the practitioners’ role. Time is made to discuss and evaluate observations as a team so as to inform children’s individual profiles accordingly and to set targets for learning, which in turn inform all future planning.

Why is it important?

Observation for us is the key to effective planning and assessment. Here are some of the reasons why we observe children, and why it’s important to do so consistently and with due care:

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Bringing Stories to Life

Mar 13, 2017

We are continuing with our long-term project of ‘Bringing Stories to Life’: children are capable of experiencing stories immersively, giving them an opportunity to experiment and see things from different perspectives.

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We have worked on The Enormous Turnip story in the first half of this Spring term. The children enjoyed exploring various different vegetables on our nature table and acting out their unique versions of the story. Our key learning aims in choosing this story were to teach co-operation and working as a team, as well as introducing the mathematical language for size.

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Alphablocks Nursery School chosen as Client of the Month by A&L

Sep 8, 2016

We are pleased to announce that our Barnet / Enfield nursery school has been selected as the Client of the Month for September 2016 by A&L.

Among various nurseries in Cockfosters, Enfield, Barnet, Potters Bar and the surrounding areas, Alphablocks Nursery School is unique in its unwavering commitment to personalized learning and its hybrid approach in early education, combining Montessori, Reggio Emilia, High Scope, and Forest Schools. You can read the full interview here.

A Hybrid Educational Approach in Early Years

Jan 22, 2016

There are a number of established educational approaches in the early years sector and, even though there are many differences between them, they all share the same simple goal: to help every child fulfil his or her potential.

The main differences between these approaches lie in the fact that they use different methodologies, all of which are recognised by Ofsted and form part of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The Montessori approach, for instance, puts at its centre a child’s independence in learning and development, while the Reggio Emilia approach focuses on how the environment can act as a ‘third teacher’.

In this post we will navigate through the core approaches and explain, in simple terms, how we combine their best elements into a unique hybrid approach which is followed here at Alphablocks Nursery School & Pre-Prep, a boutique nursery in the heart of Hadley Wood village, serving the local communities of Barnet, Enfield and parts of Hertfordshire.