Early Years Curriculum
At Kells Lane, your child's Early Years experience is where everything begins. From the moment they join us in Nursery, we are committed to giving every child the warmest, richest and most inspiring start to their school life — building the curiosity, confidence and love of learning that will stay with them throughout their time at Kells Lane and beyond. Our Early Years provision covers Nursery (ages 3-4) and Reception (ages 4-5), and every aspect of it is carefully planned to ensure that children feel safe, valued and ready to explore. We believe that these earliest years are the most important of a child's education — and we treat them that way.
Our Early Years curriculum is built on the seven areas of learning set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. The three prime areas — Communication and Language, Physical Development, and Personal, Social and Emotional Development — underpin everything we do, particularly in Nursery, where building strong foundations in these areas is our highest priority. As children develop and grow in confidence, the four specific areas — Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design — are introduced and deepened, giving children a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares them well for Key Stage 1 and beyond.
What does learning look like in Early Years at Kells Lane?
Learning in our Early Years is active, purposeful and joyful. A typical day in Nursery or Reception includes a balance of adult-led teaching, adult-initiated activities and child-initiated learning — all carefully planned to ensure children revisit prior knowledge, build new skills and follow their own curiosity in a rich and inspiring environment. Our classrooms and outdoor spaces are thoughtfully resourced to spark imagination, encourage independence and provide endless opportunities for children to explore, investigate and create. We use the Plan, Do, Review structure to support child-initiated learning, helping children develop self-regulation, independence and the ability to reflect on their own thinking.
Oracy — the ability to speak and listen with confidence — runs through everything we do in Early Years. Rich opportunities for talk are woven throughout every activity, as children share ideas, ask questions, negotiate, explain their thinking and listen carefully to others. We know that strong spoken language is the foundation for reading and writing, and we invest heavily in developing children's vocabulary and communication skills from the very first day they join us.
At Kells Lane, our youngest children are known as Explorers — a name that captures exactly how we want them to approach their learning. Our three Explorer Learning Traits of Curious, Confident and Cooperative run through everything we do in Nursery and Reception, helping children develop the dispositions and habits of mind that will make them remarkable learners for life. These traits connect directly to our school vision of helping every child Find Their Remarkable — and for many children, that journey begins right here in Early Years.
Transitions
We know that starting school is a big step — for children and for families. We work hard to make every transition as smooth, positive and well-supported as possible. Before children join our Nursery, we hold settling-in sessions and home visits to help children feel familiar and secure before their first day. As children move from Nursery into Reception, and from Reception into Year 1, careful transition planning ensures that children's knowledge, relationships and confidence are carried forward. Our Reception curriculum is carefully sequenced to bridge the gap between the play-based learning of Early Years and the more structured curriculum of Key Stage 1, ensuring every child is ready and excited for the next stage of their journey.
Supporting Every Child
We are committed to ensuring that every child in our Early Years thrives — whatever their starting point, background or additional needs. Children with SEND receive carefully adapted support, tailored provision and early intervention to ensure any gaps are identified and addressed as quickly as possible. Children who speak English as an additional language are warmly supported through visual resources, key vocabulary and consistent adult relationships. We work closely with families, health professionals and outside agencies to ensure every child in our Early Years community gets exactly the support they need to flourish.
You can find out more about what your child will learn in Nursery and Reception using our curriculum overviews below.
Remarkable Foundations in History
Remarkable Foundations in Science
Remarkable Foundations in Music
Remarkable Foundations in Geography
Remarkable Foundations in Computing