Our Vision

At McMillan Early childhood centre, we believe we are a family. This acronym stands for fun, adventure, motivation, imagination, love and you. Our values of kindness, community, communication and creativity are our key drivers in enabling our children to learn and thrive.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) our aim is to provide every child with the skills to become a happy, independent and curious life-long learner. Our priority is that our provision provides a high level of engagement and active learning through a range of skill and knowledge based activities and teaching.

Our Principles

At McMillan we endeavour to inspire every child to develop a love of learning that will enable them to have the best possible future life chances. Our early years setting follows the curriculum as outlined in the 2021 EYFS statutory framework.

The EYFS framework includes 7 areas of learning and development that are equally important and inter-connected. However, 3 areas known as the prime areas are seen as particularly important for igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building children’s capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

The statutory framework for the EYFS states four guiding principles which should shape practice in the early years. These are:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured;
• Children can be strong and independent through positive relationships;
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and /or carers; and
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including
• Children with special educational needs and disabilities; (Statutory framework, March 2014)
• The ways in which the child engages with other people and his/her environment underpin learning and development across all areas. Adults and the considered use of the environment support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

Learning and Development

Learning and development is categorised into three prime areas of learning:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development

And four specific areas of learning:

•  literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design

Achievement of these prime and specific areas of learning is through the characteristics of effective learning:

• playing and exploring
• active learning
• creating and thinking critically

Our EYFS curriculum

• Is at the heart of our learning journey approach
• Is distinctive, innovative and strategically planned
• Is reviewed in the light of national developments, new thinking and research and development
• Introduces challenging, engaging and real life problems
• Strives to encourage and develop a love of learning
• Enables learning to develop within a child-centred approach
• Ensures resources and apparatus are available to support learning at every stage of development, and in every area of the EYFS curriculum
• Ensures all areas of learning are regarded with the same level of importance and are interlinked
• Includes fundamental British values to teach children a sense of self and belonging; enabling them to learn and stay true to the values that make people good human beings
• Ensures that children learn to live together celebrating their diversity, with each of them playing a valuable role in the multi-cultural world in which they live.

Please see our curriculum policy and our curriculum plans for more information

Learning through play - YouTube Video below