Nursery Curriculum

Everything we do in Nursery is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, which encourages children’s curiosity and independence, and gives them the confidence to bloom. In Nursery we support children in developing positive relationships with peers and adults through games and role play. Teaching focuses on three prime areas – Personal, Social & Emotional Development, Communication & Language, and Physical Development. These provide the building blocks for our children’s future learning.

Through circle times, story-times, play, arts & crafts, games and cookery, we explore the four specific areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Art & Design. Children in our nursery also enjoy specialist lessons in music, dance, ICT, French, sport and have weekly library sessions with our dedicated librarian. These lessons help prepare them for the transition into our prep school, so that they are used to the routine and have made firm friendships which carry forward into their school life.

Our teachers and teaching assistants also support children to develop their fine and gross motor skills through using tools like paint brushes, pens and crayons and exploring our climbing frame and main playground. In the playground and in their sports lessons, children develop basic movements such as skipping, hopping, running and jumping. We encourage children to be active through games such as ‘jumping beans’ and ‘stuck in the mud’. Our nursery also has a private, dedicated outdoor play area where activities are set up to support learning and which allows children to have plenty of outside time during their day.

In Nursery, children are encouraged to become more independent, for example, teachers promote bathroom hygiene habits such as hand washing and starting to independently put on and take off shoes. They learn how to stay focussed though small group work, working in pairs and playing games together as a class. Within the EYFS environment and through the gentle introduction of formal learning, our children learn to become confident, independent individuals. They engage in positive and encouraging activities and grow into their own unique potential.