EYFS CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

"For every child to live an abundant life" (John 10:10)

Our EYFS curriculum is purposefully crafted to create a nurturing, vibrant, and fully inclusive environment where every child feels valued and inspired. We are committed to sparking children’s imagination and creativity, actively encouraging curiosity and independence from the very start.

Our curriculum goes beyond simply covering the areas of learning – it empowers children to become confident, resilient learners who embrace challenges and develop a genuine love of discovery. By fostering these qualities, we ensure every child leaves our EYFS with the essential skills, self-belief, and enthusiasm they need to thrive not just in school, but throughout their lives.

Intent:

Our EYFS curriculum is thoughtfully designed to integrate both Nursery and Reception through rich, overarching themes that run seamlessly across each term. These broad themes spark children’s curiosity, allowing them to investigate big ideas in depth and make meaningful connections in their learning.

By weaving these themes throughout our curriculum, we provide continuity and progression, enabling every child to build confidently on what they already know. Our approach helps children relate new knowledge to real-world experiences, fostering deeper understanding and stronger retention across all areas of development.

Through this thematic, connected approach, we empower our youngest learners to:

• Explore concepts in greater depth and see their learning as part of a bigger picture
• Make links across different areas of learning, supporting cognitive, social, and emotional development
• Develop critical thinking skills as they question, investigate, and reflect on their discoveries
• Experience a smooth transition from Nursery to Reception, ensuring steady progress and a sense of belonging

Implementation:

We implement our EYFS curriculum through a carefully balanced approach, combining adult-led planned activities with rich, child-initiated continuous provision. This ensures every child experiences both structure and autonomy in their learning journey.

Our practice is underpinned by:

• High-quality interactions: Practitioners skilfully engage with children, using conversation and questioning to deepen understanding and extend learning.
• Ongoing observation and assessment: We regularly observe and assess each child, allowing us to identify interests, celebrate achievements, and tailor support to individual learning and development needs.
• Responsive planning: Our staff use their observations to adapt planning, ensuring activities remain relevant, challenging, and meaningful for every child.

Thematic planning provides a unifying thread throughout our provision, promoting continuity, sustained engagement, and authentic real-world connections. We remain flexible, ready to adapt to children’s emerging interests and developmental needs, ensuring their learning is always purposeful and engaging.

This integrated approach means that:

• All areas of the EYFS are covered in a cohesive and child-centred way
• Children’s individual strengths and next steps are recognised and supported
• Learning is lively, relevant, and rooted in children’s own experiences

As a result, every child is empowered to thrive—developing curiosity, independence, and the foundational skills needed for lifelong success.

Impact: 

Our carefully chosen overarching themes provide a consistent thread throughout Nursery and Reception, ensuring every child experiences a smooth transition and clear, purposeful progression in their learning journey.

By embracing thematic learning, we empower children to:

• Make meaningful connections across subjects, linking ideas and concepts in ways that deepen their understanding
• Develop critical thinking skills as they explore, question, and reflect on a wide range of experiences
• Build engagement and curiosity through topics that capture their interests and imagination.                                                                      

This approach nurtures confident, inquisitive learners who are eager to participate and share their discoveries. As a result, our children leave the EYFS not only with a strong grasp of key skills and knowledge, but also with the social, emotional, and academic foundations needed to thrive in Key Stage 1 and beyond.

Click to view our learn more about our EYFS.

Click to view our EYFS Topic & Curriculum Planning Grid 2025-2026