3 – 5 years

The 3-5 department has undergone radical changes in the last year or so with the revolutionary new curriculum “A Curriculum For Excellence” which is for children from 3 to 18 which aims to enable all Scottish people to become Responsible Citizens, Successful Learners, Confident Individuals and Effective Contributors.  

This is supported through 8 areas of the curriculum, main focuses being Language and Literacy, Health and Wellbeing and numeracy and Maths. Each staff member plans four activities per week 2 of which are responsive to the children’s interests or developmental needs.  Activities are provided and evaluated each day.  The children also use ‘Big Book Planners’  to enhance their learning.  The children pick the topic, then say what they already know about that topic, also saying what they would like to know.  Staff then plan activities relate to the chosen topic, evidence of which is all stored in the ‘Big Book’ with details of what the children are doing and what they are learning with photographs and comments from children.  Evidence of children’s achievements and development are all stored in their individual ‘Learning Stories’ which are on the computer.

The 3-5 room also has an interactive smart board which allows the children to explore technology for different uses.  The children do have access to the internet however it is always supervised and limited to 15 minutes per day.  The internet also has relevant safety restrictions. The 3-5 department occupies the entire upper floor of the building. They have three playrooms which are utilised to incorporate all areas required for the children and they also have a dining room where the children have their snacks and lunches.

Hyde n Seek is an ‘Assessment is for Learning’ establishment.   ‘Assessment is for Learning’ is a national initiative for schools and nurseries to provide a more coherent assessment system to support children learning.

Children in the 3-5 room participate in monthly children’s consultation meetings with the staff to discuss their own interests. This allows the children to reflect on their interests with their peers, encourage conversations, and vote on which subjects they would like to learn more about.

Child sized toilets outside the room allow children independence and some responsibility.

Children also enjoy outdoor play in our large garden area

Children in the 3-5 room also go on frequent outings to various places in line with our themes, workshops are available in all Glasgow museums which we frequently visit.