Early Years Foundation Stage

Our youngest explorers join our Early Years Foundation Stage provision which includes Kindergarten, Nursery and Foundation learning stages.

Chapter House’s Early Years classrooms are filled with interesting, natural and inspiring items to spark curiosity and discovery. From ceramic tea sets, briefcases, typewriters and fancy dress there is plenty to encourage imagination and learning through creative play.

Early Years learning is planned around your child’s interests with lessons built around the children’s curiosity and questions rather than a formal curriculum. We call this “Planning in the Moment” with discovery built around the children’s daily experience whether at home or at school.

Facilities
  • Dedicated Early Years dining room
  • Outdoor gated play area 
  • Learn a foreign language
  • Expert music teaching
  • Indoor swimming pool on-site
  • On-site forest school

EYFS pupil at Chapter House, Queen Ethelburga's

Like a detective finding clues, children learn from being inquisitive, explorative, and creative.
Learning Through Play

The power of play is at the heart of our learning process as our explorers challenge themselves and work together to express their ideas, to discover and most importantly, to laugh!

Never Miss An Exciting Moment

Throughout Early Years, teachers keep in touch with parents with daily updates through Tapestry, an online learning journal. Every child is assigned a key person dedicated to tracking and supporting their learning. This ensures you never miss an important moment in your child’s day, and by updating us on your child’s activities out of school we can together build upon your child’s interests.

Overview of the Curriculum

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), there are seven areas of learning and development that mould and shape the curriculum. These seven areas are split into Prime and Specific areas.

Prime Areas:

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Art and Design

Queen’s Kindergarten focuses mainly on the prime areas which are crucial for igniting the children’s curiosity and love for learning.

After Kindergarten, children move to Chapter House’s Nursery and then on to Reception. The curriculum builds on the prime areas learnt in Queen’s Kindergarten, focusing on specific areas of learning (literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive art and design).