Curriculum
Ensuring the very best outcomes for all our children and families is embedded in our practice at Chertsey Nursery School. We are committed to empowering every child to reach their full personal and learning potential.
We recognise and value each child as a unique individual. There is a strong and sustained focus on meeting individual needs, with personal, social and emotional development at the heart of everything we do. Our practice fully reflects the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework, ensuring that all children are supported to learn, develop and thrive.
Our aim is to provide a secure and inspiring foundation that supports children’s future life chances and readiness for the next stage of education.
Our Learning Environment
We offer a rich, enabling indoor and outdoor environment that promotes curiosity, independence and a love of learning. Children are encouraged to investigate, explore and ask questions, while we ensure that safeguarding and welfare are always prioritised.
Our curriculum is shaped by the EYFS and:
- supports children as active, independent learners
- offers a broad, balanced and stimulating range of experiences
- promotes the characteristics of effective learning: playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically
Children benefit from free-flow access to our outdoor garden, supporting their physical development, risk-taking, and connection with the natural world.
Preparing Children for Life in Modern Britain
Preparing children for life in Modern Britain is an integral part of our ethos at Chertsey Nursery School. We promote an inclusive environment where every member of our community is respected, valued and heard.
We actively promote the following key threads:
- Democracy – encouraging children to express their views, listen to others, take turns and collaborate
- Rule of Law – supporting children to understand boundaries, behaviour, consequences and fairness
- Individual Liberty – developing confidence, independence, self-esteem and the ability to make choices
- Mutual Respect and Tolerance – valuing differences and similarities across families, cultures, faiths and communities
What We Believe About Learning
At Chertsey Nursery School, children learn through high-quality interactions, meaningful play and carefully planned experiences that ignite curiosity and enjoyment.
We prioritise:
- communication and language development
- emotional wellbeing and self-regulation
- social development and positive relationships
- physical development and early skills for learning
We know these foundations are essential for lifelong learning.
We believe children thrive when adults:
- respond to their interests and developmental stage
- provide warm, secure and consistent relationships
- create environments that encourage exploration and challenge
- celebrate diversity and individuality
- ensure learning is inclusive, ambitious and accessible for all children
A Place Where Children Thrive
Our vision is simple:
To give every child the very best start, so they grow with confidence, curiosity and a strong sense of belonging.
We are proud to be a maintained nursery school with:
- qualified teachers
- highly skilled early years practitioners
- a knowledgeable and committed leadership team
Together, we ensure that Chertsey Nursery School is a place where children—and their families—feel supported, respected and inspired.
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Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum intent is based on appropriate learning needs of two, three and four year olds. Our aim is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum where the children can access learning opportunities which promote high expectations, risk taking and independence through a combination of adult-led and child-initiated activities. These equip the children with the motivation, skills and attitudes needed for life. The needs of each individual are carefully planned to ensure the best possible outcomes.Accordion content
Curriculum Intention
The environment is carefully planned to support the implementation of the curriculum and promote learning. This enables the children to be independent and autonomous in their learning both inside and outside. The children are taught to take responsibility for their own learning and practise the skills they have been taught through their own child initiated learning. Adults are deployed in the provision to ‘tune in’ to the children to support, intervene, extend play and ask inciteful questions. The role of the adults is key, as this will support further planning opportunities by adding resources and activities to extend their play and learning. In order to teach key skills, specific activities are planned and delivered using an adult (adult-led activities). Learning intentions for these are written onto the daily planning sheet and colour coded linked to the seven areas of learning. Specific skills and knowledge is also taught daily through ‘group times’. Group times promote specific language and literacy skills and knowledge . There are also planned opportunities for specific interventions to be provided for children who may need additional support. These may be individual or small group and delivered either within and alongside a child’s play, or in a more quiet, calm space.
Curriulum Impact
The impact of our curriculum will be demonstrated by the milestones* that our children achieve. Daily observations of children will inform our daily practice and planning for each individual. At specific moments during each academic year, the children will be assessed against the milestone for their age. For those individual children who are not meeting their milestones, targeted plans will be implemented to support their progress. For those children who are not on a mainstream pathway, or have enhanced levels of Early Intervention (Funding), progress for these individuals will be tracked through their personal support plans and targets.
*Milestones adapted and support by the principles of OPAL Observing Play and Learning, developed by The Barnet Early Years Alliance.