The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5.  We believe that your child’s early years experience should be happy, active, fun and secure, and should support their learning and development.

Early Years Foundation Stage Framework
Nurseries, pre-schools, reception classes and childminders registered to deliver the EYFS must follow a legal document called the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework sets out:

• the legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare
• the 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge
• assessments that tell you about your child’s progress
• expected levels that your child should reach by age 5, usually the end of the reception year - these are called the Early Learning Goals (ELGs)

We use the EYFS framework to help us provide an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience for your child, taking into account their individual needs and interests.

Learning and development
The EYFS framework covers seven main areas of learning and development:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

We offer a wide range of activities and experiences to help your child develop in all of these areas, ensuring a rounded approach to their learning and development.  Your child will learn through playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking.

Our well-planned and stimulating curriculum supports your child’s learning and development and encourages a positive attitude to learning.  We help your child to:

• explore, develop and represent learning experiences that help them to make sense of the world
• practise and build up ideas, concepts and skills
• learn how to understand the need for rules
• take risks and make mistakes
• think creatively and imaginatively
• communicate with others as they investigate or solve problems.

We ensure that we include a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities during all our pre-school sessions.  We work closely with parents to make sure that you are kept up to date on your child’s progress.  We welcome children from all different backgrounds and with different levels of ability, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.  We always make sure that we promote positive attitudes to diversity and difference, and consideration for others.

Find out more about the Early Years Foundation Stage on the Foundation Years website.