Early Years Curriculum
The Government has created a format for care and education called "The Early Years Foundation Stage" or EYFS.
Even as a private day Nursery, we are obliged to adhere to the requirements of the EYFS and to use the developmental stages the Government has identified to asses the progress children at Nursery are making. We regard the EYFS as an excellent starting point for guiding our professional practice and we work extremely hard to ensure that we are working to the highest possible standard in doing so.
The advantage for children is that their Reception year at school will follow the same EYFS curriculum. So there is good continuity between their experience at Nursery and what they will experience at school.
There are very specific criteria for us to follow, of course. And OfSTED will judge how well we meet the criteria (we are working so hard to be judged as an "Outstanding" setting!).
BUT, please don't think that the EYFS is a straightjacket, binding us to particular methods. It isn't. It is a consistent set of principles that should guide every Nursery and Pre-School in the country. What sets each setting apart, one from the other, is how WELL and CONSISTENTLY they understand, interpret and apply the Standards...