Early Years Curriculum

Modelling and role play:

At The Hamlet Preschool, we understand the power of modelling and role play as key strategies for supporting children with disabilities. These approaches provide meaningful opportunities for children to explore, practice, and develop new skills in a safe and supportive environment.

We use modelling to demonstrate appropriate behaviours, communication methods, and social interactions. By showing children how to express their feelings, engage with peers, or complete tasks, we give them clear examples of how to navigate different situations. 

Role Play

Role play is another powerful tool in our  curriculum. Through role-playing activities, children can practice real-world scenarios in a low-pressure environment, allowing them to explore social interactions, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.

Role play offers children the chance to experiment with different roles, from being a teacher or doctor to acting out family situations, and is particularly effective for children who benefit from social skills development.

Clear routines and boundaries:

Consistent routines and clear boundaries are vital for creating a supportive environment for children. Predictable schedules help reduce anxiety and build confidence, while well-defined boundaries offer a sense of security and structure.

By setting clear expectations and maintaining consistency, children can feel more empowered, understand their limits, and thrive in their daily activities

Sensory and physical awareness:

Understanding sensory and physical awareness is crucial when supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Each child’s sensory experiences whether they relate to sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell can vary significantly, and their responses to sensory stimuli may differ.

It’s equally important to be aware of physical needs, such as mobility challenges, motor skills difficulties, or any discomfort caused by a physical condition.

Sensory processing difficulties can affect how someone interacts with the environment and how they learn, so providing an accommodating and supportive environment is key.

Understanding these factors allows staff to create a more inclusive space that encourages both emotional and physical well-being.

Interactive meal/snack times:

Interactive meal/snack times can be a valuable tool for children with SEND, offering both sensory and social benefits. These meal/snack times are designed to engage the child, encouraging independence, communication, and development of life skills, while being mindful of their individual needs.

Benefits:

1. Encouraging Communication
   Meal/snack times can serve as an opportunity to build communication skills, whether verbal or non-verbal. Using visuals, symbols, or simple sign language during meal/snack time can support understanding and expression.
2. Promoting Independence
   Giving children the chance to choose their food, serve themselves, or even help with food preparation builds confidence and autonomy. For children with sensory sensitivities or motor challenges, adaptive utensils or specialised seating can help make this easier.
3. Sensory Exploration
   Sensory sensitivities or preferences are common among children with SEND. Interactive meal/snack times allow for exploration of textures, smells, tastes, and colours in a way that can be enjoyable and non-threatening. Offering different textures or foods in small portions can reduce overwhelm and increase acceptance of new foods.
4. Social Skills Development
   Group meal/snacks can encourage social interaction and turn meal and or snack time into a shared experience. This could include modelling table manners, encouraging taking turns, or simply practicing making eye contact and engaging in conversations.
5. Supporting Attention and Focus
   Interactive meal times can help children develop better attention skills, particularly when meal/snack times are structured with clear routines and expectations. This gives children predictability, which is often important for those with autism or other communication delays.

Emotional regulation support:

Offering personalised emotional regulation support for young children with SEND, focusing on simple, child-friendly strategies to help manage big feelings.

This includes visual aids, calming routines, sensory play, and positive reinforcement to create a safe and supportive learning environment where each child can develop self-regulation skills at their own pace."

Fostering independence and autonomy for children with disabilities is essential for their emotional, cognitive, and social development.

By integrating structured yet flexible approaches into daily routines, we help children build the confidence and skills needed to navigate the world around them.

This process is gradual and is adapted to each child’s unique needs and abilities, but it is incredibly rewarding as it lays the foundation for future success.

Daily routines:

The morning routine sets the tone for the day. When children know what to expect and can take ownership of small tasks, they start the day with a sense of accomplishment.

Snack and meal times offer opportunities for children to develop independence in self-care and decision-making. Allowing them to serve themselves, make choices, and clean up encourages autonomy.

Circle time is an important part of preschool where children can practice social skills and become more independent in following group routines.

During child-led play or structured activities, children can explore their interests, practice new skills, and make independent choices. This time builds confidence and decision-making abilities.

Outdoor time provides children with essential opportunities for physical development, independence, and exploration. Playing outside strengthens gross motor skills—such as running, climbing, and balancing—while also encouraging social growth through teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

Beyond skill development, outdoor play offers significant health benefits. Fresh air and natural sunlight support vitamin D production, boost mood, and promote better sleep patterns. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight, supports heart health, and builds strong bones and muscles. Spending time outdoors can also reduce stress, enhance focus, and improve overall well-being.

Encouraging children to explore the world outside helps them grow into active, confident, and healthy individuals—ready to thrive in every area of life

For children who still need nap or quiet time, this is an opportunity to practice self-regulation and independence in a calming environment.

Cleaning up after activities reinforces the importance of responsibility and teamwork, giving children a sense of accomplishment in maintaining their space.

Self-care and hygiene are fundamental skills that promote independence and autonomy in all children, including those with disabilities. For children with disabilities, developing these skills may require tailored strategies, but with consistent practice and supportive techniques, they can gain confidence in participating in tasks like dressing, brushing teeth, handwashing, and toileting.

Encouraging problem-solving:

For children with SEND, learning to solve problems helps build confidence, enhances cognitive skills, and allows them to navigate the world more effectively. By supporting and encouraging problem-solving, children can begin to develop strategies for overcoming challenges on their own, improving their sense of self-reliance and resilience.

Trips and outings:

Trips and outings provide valuable opportunities for preschool children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to build independence and autonomy in real-world settings. For some children—particularly those who experience anxiety, rarely leave the home, or whose parents feel uneasy about taking them out—these experiences can be especially transformative. Visiting new environments in a supportive, structured way allows children to gradually develop confidence, familiarity, and resilience. Outings offer safe opportunities to practise decision-making, problem-solving, and social interaction while also helping children adapt to change and manage sensory or emotional challenges. By providing these experiences in a nurturing and well-prepared manner, we can empower children to overcome barriers, enrich their learning, and equip them with the skills they need to engage with the wider world more comfortably and independently.

Now and Next boards / visual schedules:

To support smooth transitions for children, we implement Now and Next boards and visual schedules to offer clear, predictable structure. These tools help reduce uncertainty, support understanding, and promote independence, especially for those with communication or sensory processing needs.

Gradual exposure:

Effective transitions for children can be challenging, but gradual exposure plays a crucial role in ensuring success. By breaking down changes into smaller, manageable steps, we can reduce anxiety, build confidence, and promote independence for children as they navigate transitions between activities, rooms and at the beginning and end of each day, activities.

Gradual exposure involves introducing new environments, routines, or expectations at a pace that aligns with the child's individual needs and abilities. This approach allows children to acclimatise in a supportive, low-stress way, encouraging them to engage with new situations without feeling overwhelmed.

Individual transition objects:

Children may use comfort items, such as photos or toys, to help regulate their emotions and manage transitions more effectively. These familiar objects can provide a sense of security and stability, helping to ease anxiety and support emotional well-being.

Songs and countdowns:

Transitions for children —whether moving from one activity to another or shifting between environments—can be challenging. Incorporating songs and countdowns into these transitions can provide structure, predictability, and comfort, helping children feel more in control and less anxious.

Why Songs Work:

• Routine and Consistency: Songs help create a familiar and predictable routine, which is particularly beneficial for children with SEND who may thrive on structure and repetition.
• Engagement and Attention: Familiar melodies or rhythmic songs can capture the child's attention and provide a sensory cue that it's time to transition.
• Emotional Regulation: Music has a calming effect on many children, helping to regulate emotions and reduce feelings of stress or frustration during transitions.

Using Countdowns:

• Visual and Auditory Cues: Countdowns, whether verbal or visual (like a timer), offer clear signals about how much time is left before the next activity begins. This visual or auditory support helps children manage their expectations and reduces anxiety about the unknown.
• Promoting Independence: By gradually increasing their understanding of time, children can begin to anticipate changes and feel more in control of their environment.
• Clear Boundaries: A countdown sets clear boundaries, helping children know when the activity will end and what is expected next, which can be reassuring for those who may struggle with time management.

Home-preschool links:

Effective communication between home and preschool is vital for providing a consistent and supportive learning experience for children with SEND. A strong partnership allows children’s unique needs, strengths, and progress to be regularly shared and addressed. This collaboration can be strengthened through strategies such as home visits, which help staff understand the child’s environment and routines, and settling-in sessions, which allow the child to become familiar with the preschool setting in a gradual, supportive way. By working together, parents and staff can create an inclusive environment in which the child feels valued, understood, and supported both at home and in preschool

Total communication approach:

The Hamlet's Total Communication approach is a holistic communication approach designed to support all children in our preschool. It recognises that every child has unique communication preferences and abilities, and no single method is suitable for all.

Total Communication uses a combination of verbal, non-verbal, and alternative communication methods to ensure that individuals can express themselves and understand others effectively.

Communication-rich environments:

Creating communication-rich environments for children involves intentionally designing spaces and activities that support diverse communication styles and needs.

This includes offering a variety of communication tools—such as visual aids, symbols, sign language, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices—ensuring that all children can express themselves effectively.

The preschool team can foster these environments by using clear, consistent language, providing plenty of opportunities for interaction, and offering individualised support to build language, social, and emotional skills.

These environments should encourage both verbal and non-verbal communication, be sensory-friendly, and be structured to reduce barriers, ensuring that every child can engage meaningfully and independently."

Core vocabulary focus:

For children with  Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), using core vocabulary helps to build communication skills and independence.

Core words like "more," "help," "go," "finished," "yes," and "no" are essential building blocks in everyday communication.

These words can be used in various contexts to support children in expressing their needs, making choices, and engaging in activities.

• "More": Used to request additional items or activities, helping children to  communicate their wants or needs.
• "Help": Crucial for children to express when they need assistance, fostering self-advocacy.
• "Go": Supports children in indicating transitions or actions, giving them control over movement or activities.
• "Finished": A key word to help children signal the completion of a task or activity, helping with structure and routine.
• "Yes" and "No": Fundamental for choice-making and decision-making, allowing children to have a voice in their interactions and daily experiences.

By focusing on these core words, we empower children to have a stronger voice in their communication, boosting both confidence and independence in their learning environments.

Communication games:

Communication games such as songs, bubbles, cause-and-effect toys, and sound-making activities fit perfectly into the Total Communication model by offering multiple ways for children to interact, express, and receive information.

Songs are an excellent way to combine verbal communication with visual, auditory, and motor elements.

Bubbles are an ideal tool for engaging children in cause-and-effect learning while also encouraging turn-taking and sensory exploration.

Cause-and-effect toys (like buttons that produce sounds, lights, or movements) are perfect for illustrating the connection between actions and results, which can support the development of understanding and language skills.

Toys or activities that make sounds are helpful in encouraging sound imitation and promoting language development. These activities are also great for auditory learners who benefit from hearing different sounds and speech patterns.

Attention Autism Approach

The Attention Autism approach is primarily aimed at supporting children with autism to develop their social communication skills, engagement, and attention. It focuses on creating opportunities for children to engage and interact with the environment in a structured, yet flexible, way. The approach is typically divided into 4 stages:

1. Stage 1: Attention Getter
• Objective: To capture the child’s attention in a fun and engaging way.
• Example: Using brightly coloured, visually stimulating materials like toys or objects (e.g., a bucket filled with items that are revealed one by one), accompanied by animated expressions and voice tones to engage the child. The focus here is on capturing the child’s interest and inviting them to interact.
2. Stage 2: Developing Joint Attention
• Objective: Encouraging the child to share attention with an adult or peers on an activity or object.
• Example: The adult demonstrates an action, like opening a box or playing with a toy, and encourages the child to look and respond. This stage helps with focusing attention on shared experiences.
3. Stage 3: Expanding Attention and Engagement
• Objective: Gradually increasing the complexity of the interaction and fostering longer periods of sustained engagement.
• Example: Adults may introduce a series of actions or prompts related to a game or activity, where the child is expected to follow simple instructions or engage with multiple objects.
4. Stage 4: Independent Play and Social Interaction
• Objective: Encouraging the child to initiate interactions or engage independently in activities.
• Example: Providing opportunities for children to play with peers or adults in group activities. The aim is to encourage independent social interactions and longer engagement periods.

Intensive Interaction Approach

The Intensive Interaction Approach is focused on building communication skills through one-on-one interactions. It’s based on the idea that communication is not just about language but also about understanding and responding to the social cues of others. It’s particularly helpful for children with SEND who might have limited communication or be pre-verbal. This approach fosters a child’s social skills and emotional development through carefully structured, interactive sessions.

The approach is typically child-led, meaning the adult follows the child’s cues and interests, building on the child’s behaviours, sounds, and gestures. The key elements include:

1. Being Present and Responsive
• The adult observes and responds to the child’s vocalizations, gestures, and movements. This gives the child a sense of being understood and supported, even if they cannot use words.
2. Mirroring and Imitation
• The adult mirrors the child’s actions or sounds to establish a mutual rhythm. For instance, if a child makes a noise or movement, the adult might replicate it, showing the child that their actions are being acknowledged and valued.
3. Turn-Taking
• Structured, back-and-forth exchanges help children learn the social skill of taking turns in communication. The adult might use simple, repetitive words, or mimic the child’s actions to encourage participation.
4. Non-Verbal Communication
• The focus is on using facial expressions, body language, and gestures to communicate. This helps children who are not yet verbal to understand and begin to use non-verbal methods of communication.

Intensive Interaction Approach

The Intensive Interaction Approach is focused on building communication skills through one-on-one interactions. It’s based on the idea that communication is not just about language but also about understanding and responding to the social cues of others. It’s particularly helpful for children with disabilities who might have limited communication or be pre-verbal. This approach fosters a child’s social skills and emotional development through carefully structured, interactive sessions.

The approach is typically child-led, meaning our staff follow the child’s cues and interests, building on the child’s behaviours, sounds, and gestures. The key elements include:

Being Present and Responsive

Staff observes and responds to children's vocalisations, gestures, and movements. This gives children the sense of being understood and supported, even if they cannot use words.

Mirroring and Imitation

Staff mirror the children's actions or sounds to establish a mutual rhythm. For instance, if a child makes a noise or movement, staff will replicate it, showing the child that their actions are being acknowledged and valued.

Turn-Taking

Structured, back-and-forth exchanges help children learn the social skill of taking turns in communication. Staff use simple, repetitive words, or mimic the child’s actions to encourage participation.

Non-Verbal Communication

The focus is on using facial expressions, body language, and gestures to communicate. This helps children who are not yet verbal to understand and begin to use non-verbal methods of communication.

Creating a Safe, Predictable Environment

A consistent and familiar routine helps children feel safe and secure, which in turn encourages them to engage more freely in communication.

Both Attention Autism and Intensive Interaction focus on meeting children where they are developmentally and helping them build fundamental skills for communication, engagement, and socialisation.

Supporting children to explore and engage with the world around them, fostering curiosity and encouraging them to try new experiences in ways that are tailored to their individual needs and abilities.

This involves promoting safe risk-taking, where children are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones while remaining in a secure and supportive environment. 

Ensuring they feel safe, happy, and valued, while also supporting them to communicate in their own unique way, helps build confidence and self-expression. 

We support this by providing open-ended sensory explorations, such as water, sand, and natural textures, that invite children to explore and engage their senses in a way that feels comfortable and stimulating.

We encourage children to actively engage with cause-and-effect toys, real tools, and games, which help them understand their environment and develop problem-solving skills.

Offering familiar and repetitive routines creates a sense of security, allowing children to feel confident enough to explore and try new experiences.

Additionally, we respond to children's individual interests with flexible and personalised planning, ensuring that each child’s unique needs, strengths, and preferences are met as they develop at their own pace."

We celebrate every child’s unique journey, acknowledging their persistence and enjoyment in activities. Our staff are dedicated to recognising and building on individual progress, no matter how small.

We provide tailored support, encouraging children to repeat actions, establish routines, and stay engaged in meaningful experiences that are designed to ensure they can succeed and thrive at their own pace.

We support this by:

Individualised Learning Plans (ILPs):

• Developed personalised plans are tailored to each child’s strengths, needs, and interests. These include setting achievable goals and providing specific interventions that meet each child's unique requirements.

Visual Supports and Schedules:

• Use visual aids (e.g., picture schedules, social stories, visual cues) to help children understand routines, expectations, and the steps involved in an activity. This can support children who may need extra guidance or find transitions challenging.
• Sensory-Friendly Environments:
• Create sensory-friendly spaces that allow children to regulate their sensory needs. Offering a calm-down opportunities with sensory toys can help children stay engaged without feeling overwhelmed.
• Encouraging Self-Regulation:
• Teach strategies for self-regulation, such as deep breathing or using a fidget toy. Encouraging children to practice these skills gives them more control over their emotions and helps them stay engaged.
• Positive Reinforcement and Encouragement:
• Focus on recognising and celebrating small achievements. This builds self-esteem and encourages further engagement.
• Flexible Learning Approaches:
• Understand that children may need different methods of learning. Some may thrive with hands-on, physical experiences, while others may benefit from more structured or quiet activities. Adapting the way activities are presented ensures all children can succeed.
• Collaborating with External Support Services:
• Working closely with professionals like speech therapists, occupational therapists, or educational psychologists. Their insights help tailor interventions that best meet the needs of children attending the preschool.
• Inclusive Peer Support:
• Encouraging  children to collaborate and support one another in group activities. Peer relationships and interactions can be especially beneficial for building social skills and confidence, fostering a more inclusive environment.
• Frequent Reflection and Adjustment:
• Regularly assess progress, reflect on what’s working, and adjust the support provided as needed. This ensures that every child remains on a path that suits their individual needs, ensuring that their engagement is consistent and positive.

Fostering creativity and critical thinking in children requires a thoughtful and inclusive approach. Every child has unique learning needs, and it’s essential to provide opportunities for exploration and problem-solving in ways that align with their strengths and challenges.

We support this by:

• Tailoring activities to individual learning styles, ensuring they are accessible for children with varying abilities. This might include using visual aids, hands-on materials, and clear instructions to support understanding and engagement.

Offering a range of creative outlets, from drawing and painting to music and dramatic play, these activities provide opportunities for children to express themselves in ways that are meaningful and comfortable for them.

Providing  guided opportunities for problem-solving by breaking tasks into manageable steps. Encouraging  children to think aloud, ask questions, and explore multiple solutions. This approach helps children build confidence in their ability to think critically.

Promote collaboration in diverse groups where children can share ideas and solve problems together. Use peer support to help develop social skills and provide different perspectives in solving problems.

Allow flexibility in how children engage with tasks. Some children may need extra time or alternative methods to express their creativity or solve problems. Providing a supportive and understanding environment helps children feel more confident in their abilities.

Focus on each child’s strengths and interests to create engaging learning experiences. This personalised approach not only fosters critical thinking but also encourages a love for learning.

By adopting inclusive practices that are adaptable to the unique needs of children, we can create an environment where every child has the opportunity to thrive creatively and develop critical thinking skills.