Ysgol Crug Glas prides itself on its caring, nurturing ethos and values, and places high emphasis on the importance of establishing positive relationships of trust, especially during the early years of our pupil’s schooling.  The value of this period of learning cannot be understated, and specialist support to ensure development at this crucial stage, is vital to our pupils beginning their journey through education.  The Early Years at Ysgol Crug Glas provide a firm foundation for our children develop at their own pace, and ultimately reach their full potential.

The 3 Enablers at Ysgol Crug Glas:

Enabling Adults; the role of our Early Years staff is integral to all our pupils’ progress, but is particularly significant in this period of learning. It is our enabling adults who set the expectation for learning by creating emotionally safe environments that support our youngest children to begin to understand how they can express their feelings, emotions and behaviours in positive ways. Every member of our Early Years staff team are consistent in their care, and model compassion and kindness. They support our pupils to cope with new situations, and uncertainty and change, preparing them to manage transitions and changes in daily routines.

Enabling Experiences; promote all pupils’ independence at every available opportunity, offering the opportunity to experience success and uninterrupted active learning, rooted in real-life, authentic situations. Enabling experiences within our Early Years Department support each pupil to develop their social and communication skills, undertaking a rich variety of experiences our highly trained staff support them to begin building emotional resilience through caring interactions and play, which give time and support for every child to begin to recognise their own feelings.  Pupils in our Early Years Department will experience their curriculum through practical, multi-sensory activities which promote communication, physical development, social interactions, connections with people and objects around them, and a range of digital technology.

Enabling Environments; our classroom and outdoor environments are central to providing our pupils’ with authentic, first-hand learning experiences. During their Early Years at Crug Glas, our youngest children’s’ exploration of the environment is a key driver for their emerging development. Each classroom is carefully planned to facilitate independence in play, through sensory exploration areas linked to topics, areas of learning and celebrations. Through exploration of their class environment, in the different areas of their school, our youngest learners begin to develop a sense of belonging, both within their class and in the school as a whole.  Learning environments within our Early Years Department scaffold learning for pupils to learn in specific areas such as communication and physical development, but also across areas such as creativity and well-being.

More information about the 3 Enablers within Welsh Government Guidance ‘Enabling Learning’ can be found by clicking here.