A look at how Erdington Hall School's foundation stage leader promotes quality play-based experiences in nursery, and how these are built on by two reception teachers.
Reception pupils are preparing to visit a zoo by role playing the booking of their visit by phone, drawing and annotating maps, and by practicing animal names phonetically.
On the trip, practitioners tape record the pupils' excited comments for later use in story writing. They are encouraged to read environmental print and some read the map to guide themselves around. The children use basic video cameras to film the animals and their friends.
Back at school, the pupils write about their experience, using their own video as a prompt. They are encouraged to use their letter sounds, building their confidence as writers.
The practitioners, together with an expert from the local authority, reflect on how these experiences impact on the children's learning.
