Curriculum and Learning

Expect the best from the beginning

Our Nursery offers a nurturing environment, welcoming children from 3 years of age. Our dedicated staff will support your child as they grow into a confident and expressive individual through a variety of structured and free-play learning experiences.

The children in our Nursery follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and this is based around seven areas of learning and development. These are broken down into three prime areas and four specific areas, each of which plays its part in building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning through life.

Prime Areas

Communication and Language:

The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. This area therefore involves giving children opportunities to speak and listen in a range of situations, as well as helping them to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves.

Physical Development:

Physical activity is a vital part of a child’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives. In this area, children are provided with opportunities to be active and interactive, and to develop their coordination, control, and movement, as well as an understanding of how to make healthy choices in relation to food.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development:

Underpinning a child’s personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world; this area therefore involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others. They are supported to manage their emotions; be aspirational, persistent and confident; and to look after their bodies, including managing their personal needs independently. These attributes will provide a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.

Specific Areas

Literacy:

The skills required for reading and writing are included here, and children are encouraged to comprehend, read and write, both through listening to others reading and beginning to read and write themselves. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials such as books, poems, and other written materials to ignite their interest.

Mathematics:

Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to practise and improve their skills in counting numbers, subitising (recognising a number of items by their pattern), knowing all about numbers to 10 and what numbers make them - their composition - as well as describing patterns, shapes, spaces, and measures.

Understanding of the World:

This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. There are three areas: Past and Present; People, Cultures, and Communities; and The Natural World.

Expressive Arts and Design:

In this area of learning, children explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. They are provided with opportunities and encouragement to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology. There are two areas: Creating with Materials; and Being Imaginative and Expressive.