Early stages unit

Dunrossness Primary School responded to the levels set out in A Curriculum for Excellence - Progress and Proposals by creating a new ‘Early Stages Unit’, combining nursery and P1 pupils.

Background

Staff at Dunrossness Primary School were keen to integrate the nursery class into the main school, which they hoped would also improve the transition process from nursery to P1.

The headteacher, Alex Thorp, recognised that Curriculum for Excellence offered more freedom to take this forward. 'Progress and Proposals' clearly defines Early Level and a learning stage for children from age 3 to the end of P1 so she took this as a signal for action and started planning the new unit, which she named after the early level.

The Early Stages Unit accommodates children from 3 to 6 years in one room which is divided into two areas: one for noisier activities and the other for more focused work. There is free-flow learning and children are able to access both rooms. They work at their own pace in a style that best suits them within mixed-stage groups and more focused groups appropriate to their learning stage and style.

The unit has two teachers, one nursery nurse and one classroom assistant, who plan together to ensure continuity of learning and experience for all the children. Independence and choice are a focus of the unit and an emphasis is placed on outdoor activity.

Watch the film to find out more about the Early Stages Unit at Dunrossness Primary.

Developing an Early Stages Unit - Dunrossness Primary School, Shetland
Description	Find out more about developing an Early Stages Unit - in response to Curriculum for Excellence.
Duration	4 minutes 58 seconds
Windows version	Windows Media video: WMV - Dunrossness Primary School, Shetland
Mac version	QuickTime movie: QT - Dunrossness Primary School, Shetland
Transcript	Transcript of video from Dunrossness Primary School

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