Nursery 1

The workshop visits Canterbury Cross Nursery, Handsworth, Birmingham to concentrate on observation and assessment.

This predominantly Muslim setting takes children who between them speak up to ten different languages.

The topic is gardens. Our first day starts with a story about planting seeds, told by Jane, the teacher, with bilingual support.

We follow Amani, a four-year-old girl, during the free-flow play session. She is a bubbly, has a determination to access all the activities and writes her name independently.

Our second day is outdoors with four-year-old Fatima, a quiet, considered learner. She takes the story starter book to read to the class puppet. We focus on a construction activity which is the starting point for an extended assessment.

The next programme, Nursery 2, features analysis of assessment opportunities.