Early Years Foundation Stage

At Chestnut Nursery School, we believe that all children are unique and possess the potential to be confident and capable learners. Our aim is to create an environment that is not only interesting and engaging but also rich with learning opportunities designed to nurture a lifelong love for exploration, investigation and discovery for every child.   Children possess a natural curiosity that drives them to explore, test ideas, solve problems, and make sense of the world around them. We recognize that young children learn best through experiencing their environment—through feeling, seeing, hearing, touching, and doing. Therefore, we create an environment that actively engages all of their senses.  

We believe that, alongside an enabling environment, it is critically important to cultivate strong relationships with children to aid in their development as confident and capable learners. Positive adult relationships during early childhood serve as a foundation for emotional and cognitive growth, providing the essential safety and security that enable children to explore their surroundings, engage in critical thinking, absorb new information and thrive.

Our educational approach is fundamentally grounded in the Birth to Five Matters curriculum of 2021, along with the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. These frameworks are intricately woven into all aspects of our provision, ensuring that they play a pivotal role in fostering independent learning among children. Through this approach, we nurture curiosity, focus, and problem-solving skills, while also promoting a diverse array of thinking skills and cultivating positive attitudes towards learning. We recognize the paramount importance of personal, social, and emotional development, as well as communication, language, and physical development for young children. These areas of growth are crucial for ensuring that children are happy and healthy, laying a solid foundation for their lifelong learning journey.

PSED – Personal, social and Emotional Development

We provide enriching experiences that empower children to build a strong sense of self and foster positive relationships with others. Our focus is on nurturing essential social skills and emotional literacy. We prioritize children's well-being, helping them to recognise their own emotions and build resilience. To support this, we use the Thrive approach. Thrive is a specific programme which enables children to engage with life and learning by helping them to become more self-assured, capable and adaptable.

Making Relationships is the importance of children forming good relationships with others and working alongside others companionably.

Sense of Self is children having a sense of their own value and understanding the need for sensitivity to significant events in their own and other people’s lives.

Understanding Emotions is how children are able to develop their self-control and express their emotions and read emotions in others.

C&L - Communication and Language

Communiction is a fundamental part of development and learning.  We provide many opportunities for talk and build on shared attention and listening skills. We support children to extend their communication by - encouraging them to communicate in their way, developing their language through conversations and using key texts to promote language acquisition. We celebrate diversity and families who speak more than one language.

Language for Communication (including speaking) is how children become communicators in a variety of ways; non-verbal to start with, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, signs and spoken word.

Language for Thinking is how children use language to talk through what they are thinking, imagining or planning to do next.

Listening, Attention and Understanding is being able to follow simple instructions, as well as joining in with group activities, beginning to show increased focus, attention and concentration.

PD - Physical Development

We support children’s physical development by providing opportunities for the children to develop both their fine and gross motor skills. We encourage the children to be active, using activities inside and outside to improve their skills of coordination, control and manipulation of tools and movement.

 Moving and Handling are the ways in which children:

Use a range of small and large equipment.

Learn to move with confidence, imagination and safety, with an awareness of space, themselves and others.

 Health and Self-Care are how children:

Learn the importance of keeping healthy by what they eat and being active.

Gain a sense of self-respect and concern for their own personal hygiene and care and they develop independence.