Introduction to the Early Years Curriculum

Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil  their potential. In The Foundation stage we follow the Early Years Curriculum. We focus particularly on the development of skills in communication and personal and social development.

If a young child already has an EHCP and we have space then they can attend in nursery years before transfering into Reception year. The focus is on the individual child and we aim to plan for an enriching and stimulating environment where children can explore and enjoy their surroundings. 

All children are assessed using Birth to 5 and the learning needs of all the children help us to build up a clear picture of every child's strengths and needs. We work in close partnership with families to provide opportunities for all our children to enjoy as many different activities as they can.

Overarching Principles

Four guiding principles shape our early years setting:

• Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

The Learning and Development Requirements

We work in partnership with families to promote the learning and development of all children in our care and to ensure they are ready for school. The learning and development requirements are informed by the best available evidence on how children learn and reflect the broad range of skills, knowledge and attitudes children need as foundations for good future progress. Early years providers must guide the development of children's capabilities with a view to ensuring that children in our care complete the EYFS ready to benefit fully from the opportunities ahead of them.

The areas of learning and development

There are seven areas of learning and development. All areas are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas are:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

The four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design