The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. It ends when a child enters Key Stage One. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and reception classes.
 
 

Personal Social and Emotional Development
Children learn to be able to separate from their parent and enjoy exploring the fun environment of Cuerden Nursery School, choosing favourite activities and exploring new ones. We encourage our children to take pride and have confidence in being able to tackle new tasks and share and communicate with their peers and adults. The children learn good behaviour, as Cuerden Nursery School provides clear boundaries that encourage sharing and caring and respect for one another other. The children learn to be part of a group and work cooperatively. All our children are allocated a key worker who builds a warm relationship with each child and is responsible for their pastoral care.


Communication and Language Development
We encourage the children to sit and listen to stories and join in with simple rhymes and songs. They enjoy sharing their news with the larger group at carpet time, enabling them to build their vocabulary. They learn to follow simple instructions through a variety of activities and are able to share their experiences with their peers and adults.


Physical Development
Our children learn to manage their own bodies through learning about healthy eating and using the toilet independently, confidently negotiating space and holding a pencil correctly. They have continuous provision to outdoor play in the enclosed garden, no matter what the weather and we also have access to Cuerden Church School’s large playing field, throughout the Summer months. A daily range of activities is available, cutting, pouring and threading, these enhance our children’s fine motor skills which are vital for their development.
 

Literacy Development
We follow a recognised phonics scheme and every month the children learn a new alphabet sound. We use a combination of rhymes, songs, games and focused literacy activities. Our children learn to recognise the shape and sound of individual letters and begin to be able to form them. Every child is taken at his or her own pace.
 

Mathematical Development
Numbers and counting are part of our nursery environment. We have focused activities that ensure that our children understand number value and begin to represent them. They are encouraged to complete puzzles, construct with a variety of blocks, sort, match and problem solve. Our children also enjoy engaging in hands on activities, measuring, and taking an interest in the shapes within their environment
 

Understanding the World Development
Our children learn to take an interest in the customs and beliefs of their families and those of their peers. We invite our parents and grandparents to share their celebrations with us so that the children can appreciate and understand the similarities and differences in various traditions. The children learn the importance of caring for the environment. They see how the seasons change through visits to the park, planting seeds and we also have a visitors come in to nursery, based around the children’s interests and any topics we are discussing.. The children also experience the local community first hand.  The children have the opportunity to use simple programmable toys and digital cameras so they can experience how technology works.
 

Expressive Arts and Design Development
Our children are encouraged to explore their creativity. Our children experiment with a range of imaginative resources and produce their own artistic creations, which we display with pride around the nursery. Imaginative role play is encouraged and developed, with access to props and costumes, so the children learn to express themselves in individual ways.