It is an ordinary day in early years at Prospect House –
Callie holds a feather, turning it slowly and examining it carefully. She places it under the microscope, adjusts the magnifying glass, and spends some time looking, noticing and wondering. She describes the pattern to her teacher, who then challenges her to paint what she sees. Callie takes the feather to the art table, selects her chosen media and begins to paint circles within circles. The teacher points out this is like the Kandinsky art work they explored in the previous week and Callie recalls the circles she made with the beads on the light box.
Down the hall there is much excitement as an old typewriter has been brought in to inspire conversation as part of an investigation into different eras. The children ask questions about this funny machine, discussing what it might be and how it works before using it themselves. Each child is challenged to predict what it might be, and to use their phonic knowledge to write a sentence. Some children do this independently, others with some adult support. They discuss the similarities and differences between a typewriter and the class laptops, and then are invited to draw it from observation, using charcoal.
An ordinary typewriter – inspiring communication and language, exploration of technology, handwriting, phonics and expressive arts.
In the opposite classroom, Jackson has discovered the rectangle stencil in the maths area. He takes a sheet of paper and pencil to the mark making area and traces around the shape 3 times. He cuts these out, then chooses to go to the art area. Jackson finds different coloured tape which he measures to size and places around the edges. The teacher wonders aloud what the difference is between a rectangle and a square, which inspires a conversation about the properties of shapes amongst the group of peers at the table. The teacher records the conversation on the online journal system. This informs planning for the following week.
Jackson is intrinsically motivated and focused, so finishes his self appointed task. The teacher has scaffolded the learning and in doing so has identified knowledge of 2D shapes and their properties, and observed understanding of measurement.
Just an ordinary day.
Real experiences. Inviting investigation. Every day moments to inspire learning.
Prospect House uses elements of various approaches to heighten children’s development. Our teaching incorporates elements of the Curiosity Approach, Reggio Emilia and Montessori ideals. These call for a calm space with neutral tones and elements of nature, where children feel at home and see themselves represented. Gone are the days where brightly coloured plastic tea sets and ‘cute’ toys grace the classroom, where colour dominates on every display and every minute of every day is scheduled. Outdoor learning is a key element, and open-ended resources that connect to nature and encourage sustainability are increasingly utilised.
We have a semi-structured timetable each week which enables the children to lead their own learning experiences during ‘discovery time’ as well as having didactic lessons where we introduce phonics, handwriting, mathematics and topic exploration activities. Specialist lessons are delivered by our Head of Sport, Head of French and Head of Lower School Music. We use topic based learning each half term as a way to connect activities, making sure to reflect and adapt to the children in front of us.
A timely refurbishment of the Lower School in 2023 has been a golden opportunity to think about our classroom environments and how children are ‘invited’ to explore within them. When selecting new resources, real objects are chosen rather than plastic toys. For example, an aeroplane role play area was set up and stewards offered tea from real tea pots into china cups. If they broke, there was a dustpan and broom set nearby on the Montessori shelves waiting to be used – with adult supervision of course, but with controlled risk. There are intricate activities set up for small groups of children to experience at a time, and challenge questions are displayed to show the learning intention behind them. This could be quite open ended, for example what will you use to stick and join the boxes together successfully, or have a slightly more focused intention.
Often when we think of ‘free play’, an image of children just grabbing anything and doing what they want with it comes to mind! Our approach is ‘child led’; as the examples illustrate above, careful planning and observation is required. The adult plays a special role and it takes control to recognise where to step in and scaffold, rather than take over and direct.
The art of observation is a honed skill. Every staff member has their own style which we celebrate. At Prospect House we use an online platform called Tapestry rather than handwritten journals. Most of the observations taken every half term are individualised and no online journal is the same. Observations are shared with parents every half term, and families are encouraged to share with us too! It may be a quiet moment or where a child puts their own shoes on for the first time, a special holiday or a family celebration. These moments are then displayed on the interactive whiteboard in the classroom to share with the other children. Not only does this strengthen the connection between home and school life, it encourages children to communicate and share their feelings about real, ordinary events.
