Curriculum

At our nursery, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides everything we do. It provides a framework for delivering a broad, balanced, and inspiring early years education that meets the needs of every child. Through this, we help children gain the skills, knowledge, and understanding they need to flourish on their individual learning journeys—whatever their starting points.

Our Approach to Learning, Development, and Assessment

In Nursery, we plan and deliver activities using the EYFS framework, ensuring that learning is engaging, purposeful, and play-based. Through the seven areas of learning, we create carefully designed environments and experiences that encourage curiosity, independence, and a love of learning.

Children are encouraged to follow their own interests, explore freely, and make choices in their play. Some activities are child-initiated, allowing children to lead their own learning, while others are adult-led, providing guidance and structure to support skill development.

The Seven Areas of Learning and Development

Prime Areas — These form the foundation for all learning and development in the early years:

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development building confidence, independence, and relationships

  • Communication and Language – developing listening, understanding, and expressive skills
  • Physical Development – promoting coordination, movement, and healthy habits

Specific Areas — These strengthen and build upon the prime areas:

  • Literacy – fostering early reading and writing skills
  • Mathematics – developing number sense, shape, and problem-solving
  • Understanding the World – exploring the environment, people, and communities
  • Expressive Arts and Design – encouraging creativity, imagination, and self-expression

Observation and Assessment

We continuously observe and celebrate each child’s progress through Tapestry, our online learning journal, where we share photos, observations, and milestones with families each week.

Regular assessment summaries help us understand each child’s development and plan the next steps in their learning. We deeply value our partnership with parents, recognising that families know their children best. We invite parents to share their own observations, insights, and celebrations from home, helping us build a complete picture of every child’s growth.

These assessments take place regularly and during key transition periods such as when a child is preparing to move on to school to ensure a smooth, confident progression in their learning journey.