The EYFS Framework

Our Curriculum

Here at Carol Jane Nursery our key focus is your child’s development. Our aim is to enable your child to not only reach their full potential, but to surpass it, giving them the best start to their educational life.

At Carol Jane, we believe in the power of learning through play, based on topics and experiences our children are interested in. We observe and support children, and their approach to learning using The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning in the EYFS. These are organised into three main strands:

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

We want to encourage a lifelong love of learning in every child at Carol Jane and we do this through a balance of free play and structured, adult-led sessions including whole group, small group and 1:1 activities. Our learning environment is set up to provide continuous provision for each area of learning. This encourages children to access resources freely and become independent learners by following their own lines of enquiry.

We have drawn out expectations for our learners beyond academic success. We want our children to be:

Physically and mentally healthy
Resilient
Optimistic
Emotionally intelligent
Forgiving
Respectful
Confident
Able to deal with change
Able to maintain healthy relationships
Above all, we want our learners to be able to keep themselves safe

The starting point to achieving this goal is recognising your child’s interests; their likes and dislikes. This, along with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidance, is used to plan your child’s unique learning journey as they learn through play. Your child’s learning journey will be specific to them, as no child is the same, each individual and unique.

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

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:

Communication and Language;
 Physical Development;
 Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

The 3 prime areas are crucial for igniting children's curiosity and are essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:

 Literacy;
 Mathematics;
 Understanding the World;
 Expressive Arts and Design.