“Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured… Babies and children develop in individual ways and at varying rates.” (EYFS, 2007)

At Heaven Sent Day Nursery we nurture each child and develop them to their maximum potential allowing them to explore the Early Years curriculum through play and active learning.

What is the Early Years Curriculum?

The Early Years Foundation (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework supports an integrated approach to early learning and care. It gives all professionals a set of common principles and commitments to deliver quality early education and childcare experiences to all children. The EYFS is broken down into seven areas of development under two main groups;

The Prime areas are the skills which your child innately has to interact with the world around them that need to be nurtured from birth to enable them to flourish. They consist of;

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Communication and Language Development
  • Physical Development

The Specific areas are the skills your child learns to help them understand and contribute to the world around them. As your child becomes more confident across the prime areas of development their interest and capabilities across the specific areas grow to offer your child a more balanced view of the world. They consist of;

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

What is Play and why is it important to learning?

“Children’s play reflects their wide ranging and varied interests and preoccupations. In their play children learn at their highest level. Play with peers is important for children’s development.” (EYFS, 2007)

A child’s play is the best and most effective way for a practitioner to promote learning. It is through their free exploration of ideas that they achieve their highest level of understanding and thinking. A skilled practitioner will use each child’s own interests and ideas to plan and deliver play opportunities to promote the skills they need across each area of development.