What Curriculum Do Day Nurseries Follow?
If your child is due to start nursery in the near future, you may be wondering what curriculum day nurseries follow. The curriculum is determined by a nursery’s location; those in Scotland follow the early years Curriculum for Excellence, nurseries in Wales follow the Foundation Phase and Northern Ireland has the Curricular Guidance for Pre-School Education to abide by.
England follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), a series of guidelines set by the government that outline what our little ones should be learning while at nursery and in their first year at primary school.
The EYFS curriculum applies to all paid nurseries and childminders in England. The mandatory framework ensures that early years leaders and practitioners in day nurseries provide the necessary care to each child while supporting their development and learning. Each child’s development is assessed periodically by childcare practitioners and health visitors until they’re five years old.
The EYFS framework ensures that most learning takes place during play-based activities, which form the building blocks of more structured learning at school.
What does the EYFS curriculum cover?
There are three prime areas that the government deems to be particularly important in creating an enthusiasm for learning and developing skills that will help children thrive later in their education. The key areas are:
- Communication and language: this is crucial for all areas of learning and development. Through role-play, reading, and conversation, children learn to use a range of vocabulary.
- Physical development: gross motor skills are the bedrock for developing healthy bodies, while fine motor control supports hand-eye coordination, a critical skill for literacy.
- Personal, social and emotional development: by prioritising relationships with others, healthy eating, and independence, children learn to manage their personal needs and develop a positive sense of self.
The EYFS framework provides four further areas in which nursery practitioners should support children. The specific areas are:
- Literacy: a crucial life-long love of reading is developed through reading together, poems, and rhymes and can start from birth. Children develop writing skills throughout their time in nursery by learning foundation skills, such as a tripod pen grip for writing.
- Mathematics: Children develop a deep understanding of the numbers up to 10, while building a secure base of knowledge and vocabulary in maths.
- Art and Design: Painting, making music, and dancing are just some of the ways in which children develop their imagination and creativity.
- Understanding the world: This includes helping children make sense of the world around them and the different roles in their communities.
A nursery with your child’s development in mind
At First Steps Day Nursery, Peterborough, our experienced staff members encourage each child to engage in their own learning and development.
There’s only so much you can glean from a website, and we’d be happy to talk you through how we deliver the EYFS curriculum. Why not book a tour of our Peterborough nursery now and see our wonderful learning environment for yourself?
