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This area was the toddler room. This is where i spent most my placement time in however i had some days in the baby room and the pre school room. Experiencing the different rooms allowed me to venture into the nursery setting more and how the rooms differentiate. As seen in the image, different resources in the room can help with emotional , social , physical and cognitive development.

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In the toddler room there were different objects and activities children could engage in to support their cognitive and emotional development. For cognitive , staff placed activities around the setting which allowed children to use their minds to act upon activities set. Also for the child's emotion development, they were taught to manage their own feelings, a swell as the children around them , their feelings too. I noticed this happen a few times in the nursery, especially when other children were frustrated and peers tried to look out for them.

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This area in the toddler room was known by staff as the home corner. The home corner is good for development for children as they are getting ready for there next steps and more grown up activities. it can also allow a growth in physical , emotional and social development, as well as encouraging problem solving skills. Additionally to these skills they can get from it it can also encourage healthy eating if the kitchen has fake foods like fruit and vegetables. In the little plums, children knew to cook the food in a pan etc and serve it in a bowl. this shows the play kitchen has benefits for children and their development. In the picture there is also a table and a set and chairs with the table being made, this allows children to understand table manners on a wider scale for when their at nursery and at home.

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In settings that involve children ,all should be treated equally and with the same respect. No matter what their ethnicity race or gender is. Allowing all children to equally have a say in decisions and activities, for example at the little plums all children were engaged in the activities and participated the same amount s all the other children.Article 12 in the UNCRC states all children have a right to express their views freely (UNCRC). Respecting children’s views and their free opinion helps build their trust and self esteem for later life, such as primary and secondary school.

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Safeguarding is also important to know when in childhood settings. Staff should know the safeguarding policy thoroughly to avoid abuse and neglect in the setting. If i was to work in this setting again as a qualified staff member i would attend regular training and make sure to get advice from safeguarding lead i feel faced to ethical dilemmas that need looking into. A relevant policing would be the EYFS statuary framework as they focus on protecting children from harm, abuse and neglect EYFS(2024).

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Whilst I was completing my placement at the nursery, it was world autism month - April. The toddler group and staff including myself put together this colourful jigsaw piece with enhancing colours to draw the children in to pay more attention to it and some will question what it means. The nursery put the art in the space where handover is completed, allowing parents to see the piece of art. This is brilliant artwork to present to parents as equality with children with disabilities is a problem within the world. Stated in The Equality Act (2010) 63 percent of children may be bullied in educational settings with autism. Promoting awareness months like this, will allow children to start to understand more what autism is and why its no different to any other child as well as teaching them not to treat them differently. For example in my setting, there was a child that had autism and the children that were around the child/in the same proximity, knew how to act and to treat them like all of their other peers in the room.

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Gate, C. and Hurst, R. (2020). How to Become a Nursery Nurse: A Complete Career Guide. [online] Course Gate. Available at: https://coursegate.co.uk/how-to-become-a-nursery-nurse/.

Sense. (2024). The Equality Act 2010 and disability discrimination - Sense. [online] Available at: https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/life-stages/adult-life/disability-discrimination-and-your-rights/.

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‌Jackson, L. (2022). 8 Soft skills your nursery practitioners need and how to develop them. [online] Blossom Educational. Available at: https://blossomeducational.com/blog/8-soft-skills-your-nursery-practitioners-need-and-how-to-develop-them/.

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Children's Health (2018). Hydration tips for children [Infographic] - Children’s Health. [online] Childrens.com. Available at: https://www.childrens.com/health-wellness/hydration-tip-for-your-childs-health-infographic.

Riley, C. (2022). 30 Best Students Strengths And Weaknesses List & Examples. [online] Rigorous Themes. Available at: https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-students-strengths-and-weaknesses-lists-examples/.

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Pizzo, L. (2022). Stars Pre-School Parnwell Newsletter: March 2022 | Stars Day Nurseries. [online] Stars Day Nurseries | Peterbrough. Available at: https://www.starsdaynurseries.co.uk/stars-pre-school-parnwell-newsletter-march-2022/ [Accessed 22 Apr. 2025].

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‌Department for Education (2024). Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (EYFS). [online] GOV.uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

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birthto5matters.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Birthto5Matters-download.pdf

Twinkl.co.uk. (2022). Available at: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/cultural-capital-eyfs.

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Completing my work experience in the nursery required me to have many skills and to adapt them into my work ethics- adding them into day to day work life in the little plums and for future day to day jobs that require these skills.

Some of the skills I used in the nursery were the following: Empathy, patience , communication , self awareness and confidentiality. Louise Jackson(2022)Using good communication in the nursery was a big skill I endured within my placement hours, this was because it isn't just interacting with the children its communicating with verbal, non-verbal and written depending the child. Talking to the child in a soft manner allows them to express themselves more, for example when children aren't listening, instead of using harsh language and tones I asked them to use their listening ears politely making sure I spoke in the manner where they know to stop and not repeat it. As well as this, body language plays a big part in communication, in the little plums , the manager made sure she told me to be soft and polite with the children (especially the younger ones) and to move quite slowly and not too harsh. Communication can also boost emotional development in children as when you make them feel comfortable enough they start to express their feelings and thoughts and by doing this it makes them feel less overwhelmed as for children going to nursery can be tough for them. It also gives us staff a idea if anything is going on at home with the child.

Another skill i enhanced into my day to day experience at the nursery was self awareness. The staff all learned and worked differently at the nursery so making sure we was all comfortable and understanding what was going on and how i personally could find out more about the setting, the staff made sure I was up to date.

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How and where can use the skills in other settings

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How and where can use the skills in other settings

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Every setting of workplace no matter the learning and content behind it, requires communication and self awareness along with good organisation and a high skill of confidentiality. primary and secondary schools will definitely require all these skills if not even more advanced knowledge of these skills. As well as these workforces , other settings such as retail, hospitality and customer service all require these skills in the job role so I am actively applying these skills to my day to day job, not just in the workforce of children.

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In the baby room at the nursery they had several interactive set ups for babies/children's development. One set up was a box which worked like a registration system with all the pictures of the babies in the "baby plums" and whoever is doing group time, they go round each baby with a picture of themselves and another baby and the baby being shown has to pick which one is them. this is helping development and learning skills and it is getting them ready to go up to toddler room and also reception at school. As well as it encourages this development it can also expand the fine motor skills of the baby, encouraging them to point at the picture of themselves. The environment they do group time in is also a place they should feel comfortable and happy.

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Healthy eating is massively encouraged throughout the nursery. Ensuring children are getting their 5 a day and enough food in the day. In the nursery i was in , they had breakfast, snack, dinner and tea. All containing healthy and filling foods for the better health of the child. Obesity is a rising issue in the younger ages so having a food menu in the nursery with fruit vegetables and healthy foods given to the child will avoid this issue if the parents carry on the healthy eating at home. The chef used colourful foods to engage the child to eat it more, for example carrots, cucumber and some times coloured pasta. Aswell as the healthy eating children should be drinking 4 or more cups of water a day depending on their weight and height but this being the average. We had bottles for the children with their faces on so it also enhances their development skills on problem solving and finding out things.

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Going forward into my second years of university, I want a development plan that I am going to stick to , making sure I follow it till the end. In the development plan, I want to make sure the objectives I'm following can successfully grow my development

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Strengths:

-Taking notes in lectures and seminars to help with my reading.

-Organisation plays a big part in success, having a organised set up allows you to work a lot better. I keep all files organised so I know where everything is, this helps me focus and I will continue this into my second year.

-Planning skills. Planning involves the consideration of different activities necessary to achieve a goal. It is a skill that requires other skills like communication skills, multitasking, project management skills, and problem-solving so this is vital to have in the next year of my university studies.

Weaknesses:

-Critical thinking. Going into my second year of university, id like to expand my knowledge and development of critical thinking.

For this skill, it involves the systematic analysis of evidence collected via experience, observation, reasoning, and reflection. Reflection should be a strength in studies so applying this too my plan, including reflection into my studies can become one of my strengths.

All of these strengths and weaknesses can be used in the child workforce. For example, planning is vital for activities in the settings. Knowing what activities the children will do that day if the setting was a nursery or which content the teacher has provided for them if they are in a primary or secondary school. Without planning skills, there would be nothing that can help a child's development through their early years. EYFS (2014) say that equipment should be used for activities in early years to help children progress with development.

Opportunities:

-Having a wide range of accessibility to technology. NTU now learning rooms , different policy documents, EYFS can all contribute to better my knowledge. I will continue to use all these websites and resources in my second year to expand my reading skills and put them into my work.

Threats:

-These opportunities may not apply in all circumstances depending on whether their is internet to access the resources, this could then limit the reading skills in my studies however going forward in my development plan i will make sure all resources and documents are saved to my one drive so i can access them at all time.

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At mealtime, the nurseries expectations were for me to wear a apron and sit with babies if they needed help with eating as some were still under 7 months old. Also to make sure we don't go to near the babies faces or food as they are vital for picking up germs.

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Outdoor activities are extremely important for a child's development for several reasons. Linking to cultural capital , n some circumstances, some children may live in a flat with no access to outdoor grounds and fresh air, so having a outdoor safe space at the nursery is good for their motor skills and also their health and fitness. Having play set up such as obstacle courses and tuff trays can have a positive impact on children's problem solving, for example the obstacle course I set out in the nurseries front garden had tyres, sticks and crates which the children had to figure out how to get around it - having these resources can help the child in further life such as moving up to school which is a whole different environment for them.

Social development is encouraged in outdoor activities as children have to work together as a team in certain situations also working as a team at a young age encourages leadership skills which will strengthen in teamwork.