Whilst attending our Nursery your Child's learning and competence in communicating, speaking and listening, being read to and beginning to read and write is supported and extended. They are provided with opportunities and encouraged to use their skills in a range of situations and for a range of purposes, and is supported in developing the confidence and disposition to do so.

Aspects of Communication, Language and Literacy

Communication, Language and Literacy at our Nursery is made up of the following aspects:

Language for Communication - At Hydesville this is introducing and showing the children how to become communicators. Learning to listen and speak emerges out of non-verbal communication, which includes facial expression, eye contact and hand gesture. These skills develop as your child interact with others, listen to and use language, and is able to extend their vocabulary and experience through stories, songs, poems and rhymes.

Language for Thinking - is about how children learn to use language to be able to imagine and recreate roles and experiences and how they use talk to clarify their thinking and ideas or to refer to events they have observed or are curious about in and outside the setting.

Linking Sounds and Letters - is about how children develop the ability to distinguish between sounds and become familiar with rhyme, rhythm and alliteration.At our Nursery they develop an understanding of the correspondence between spoken and written sounds and learn to link sounds and letters and use their knowledge to read and write simple words by sounding out and blending, this is done through following a set programme called Read Write Inc.

Reading - is about children understanding and their ability to enjoy stories, books and rhymes, and will be able to recognise that print carries meaning, both fiction and fact, and reading a range of familiar words and simple sentences. Within the Spring Term, if your child is familar with the majority of their sounds they will begin to read this will be a picture book for them to describe what is happening in the story, as they progress they will then go onto phonic books with small words in to help your child word build.

Writing - is about how children build an understanding of the relationship between the spoken and written word this is through making marks, drawing and personal writing children ascribe meaning to text and attempt to write for various purposes. This is then developed by the children beginning to follow directions to form letters correctly starting in the correcty place, and working on mane writing.

Handwriting - is about the ways in which children's random marks, lines and drawings develop and form the basis of recognisable letters After the above we work with the childen to be able to copy simple sentences and some will be able to write these on their own before the transition to reception.

What Communication, Language and Literacy means for children who attend our Nursery :

• They will become skilful communicators,your child needs to be with people whom they can build warm and loving relationships, such as their family or carers and, working within a group situation in the setting they are designated key person whom they know and trust.
• All children learn best through activities and experiences that engage all the senses. We provide a range of Music, dance, rhymes and songs that can support language development.
• As children develop their speaking and listening skills they build the foundations for literacy, for making sense of visual and verbal signs and ultimately for reading and writing. Children are given  varied opportunities to interact with others and to use a wide variety of resources for expressing their understanding, including mark-making, drawing, modelling, reading and writing.