Our Curriculum 

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From this May 2025 we have changed our planning techniques and recording to ‘our own personal curriculum designed with our cohort, community of children in mind’.

 

The Early Years Foundation Stage covers the first stage of a child's care from birth to five years old. It sets the standards to ensure that all children learn and develop, as well as keeping them healthy and safe.

The EYFS framework explains how and what your child will be learning. Your child will be learning new skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through the 7 areas of learning and development.

The main 3 areas are:

• Communication and language

• Physical development

• Personal, social and emotional development

These prime areas are the most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.  As your child grows these prime areas will help them develop skills in 4 specific areas.

These are

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the world

• Expressive arts and design

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. We aim to make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s individual needs. This is similar to a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but is suitable for very young children and is designed to be really flexible so that we can follow your child’s unique needs and interests. Children learn by playing and exploring, by being active, and through creative and critical thinking. This takes place both in and outdoors.

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Our Curriculum Approach

 

At our setting, we embrace a range of approaches to ensure that all children are supported in their individual learning journeys. We place a strong emphasis on learning through play, creating an environment where children can explore, discover, and thrive.

Our preschoolers benefit from access to Forest School sessions, which help to support development across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). These outdoor experiences foster independence, resilience, and a deep connection to the natural world.

 

 

Early Literacy Focus

One of our key focus areas is early literacy. We enhance children’s communication and language skills by introducing rich vocabulary through carefully chosen key stories, rhymes, non-fiction texts, and poems each half term. This allows staff to:

• Support speech and communication development

• Broaden children’s vocabulary

• Embed the foundations of literacy

• Develop a love for Traditional Tales

We also focus on nursery rhymes each term to build awareness of rhyme, rhythm, music, story, character, and counting. This helps children develop a repertoire of familiar songs and supports early literacy and numeracy in a fun, engaging way.

Child-Led and Adult-Led Learning

Children are encouraged to explore a wide range of activities based on their individual interests, as well as engage in adult-directed and adult-led activities. These are thoughtfully planned and delivered by skilled practitioners who model and support learning through themed topics that cover all seven areas of learning.

Cultural Capital & Real-Life Experiences

We offer enriching real-life experiences to build on children’s cultural capital. This includes inviting visitors into the setting, taking trips and local outings, and celebrating seasons, festivals, and the wider world. For example, we explore topics such as egg hatching, Chinese New Year, and more—providing children with meaningful links between their learning and the world around them.

Sensory Play

Sensory play is embedded across all rooms within our setting. These activities engage children’s senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—and support natural exploration and discovery. Sensory experiences contribute to brain development by stimulating neural connections and supporting growth across all areas of learning.

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Three Characteristics of Effective Learning (Revised EYFS)

Playing and Exploring – do they investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’?
Learning Actively – do they concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements?
Creating and Thinking Critically – do they have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.