At Little Sunlights, we believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life. Our curriculum is rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, which sets the standards for learning, development, and care for children from birth to five. It ensures that children learn and develop well, are kept healthy and safe, and are ready for their next stage of education. Our curriculum aligns with the EYFS Statutory Framework, Development Matters, and Birth to 5 Matters, ensuring clear progression throughout each child’s journey at the nursery.

A Holistic Curriculum

At Little Sunlights, we take a holistic approach to early childhood education, recognising that children’s development is interconnected. Our curriculum supports the whole child by fostering:

• emotional wellbeing through secure relationships and positive interactions
• social development through collaborative play and respectful communication
• physical growth through active movement, sensory exploration, and fine motor activities
• cognitive development through inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, and creative expression

We value each child’s unique journey and provide opportunities for them to flourish in all areas of life, not just academically. Our holistic curriculum ensures that children feel safe, seen, and supported, laying the foundation for resilient, empathetic, and lifelong learners.

Our Curriculum Approach

Our curriculum incorporates everything we want children to experience, learn, and be able to do during their time with us. It is:

• Ambitious: designed to give all children, including those with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds, the knowledge and cultural capital (the essential experiences and understanding that help children thrive in society) they need to succeed.
• Progressive: carefully sequenced to build on what children know and can do, ensuring cumulative knowledge and skill development.
• Flexible: responsive to children’s interests, needs, and developmental stages, allowing for spontaneous learning opportunities.
• Inclusive: adapted to meet the needs of all learners, with targeted support and interventions where needed.

Guided by the EYFS Principles

Our curriculum is underpinned by the four overarching principles of the EYFS:

1. The Unique Child – Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
2. Positive Relationships – Children learn to be strong and independent through loving and secure relationships.
3. Enabling Environments – The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.
4. Learning and Development – Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

How We Deliver Our Curriculum

We offer a play-based curriculum that values exploration, creativity, and discovery. Children are encouraged to free-flow indoors and outdoors, with continuous provision enhanced by high-quality resources and texts.

Our practitioners are skilled in high-quality interactions, using research-informed approaches such as ShREC (Shared thinking, Reciprocity, Extending, and Communication) to promote deep learning. Planning is informed by children’s interests, next steps, and developmental needs, and is enriched through themes, cultural celebrations, and real-life experiences.

A Balanced and Responsive Curriculum

We recognise that the Prime Areas (Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development) form the foundation for all learning and development, while the Specific Areas (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design) provide breadth and depth.

We value not only what children learn, but also how they learn, embedding the Characteristics of Effective Learning throughout:

• Playing and Exploring – Engagement through curiosity and investigation
• Active Learning – Motivation through persistence and concentration
• Creating and Thinking Critically – Thinking through ideas, making links, and choosing strategies

SEND

We adopt a proactive and inclusive approach to identifying and supporting children with SEND. Practitioners conduct ongoing observations and use developmental tracking tools to monitor progress and identify emerging needs early. We prioritise early identification and work in close partnership with families to ensure timely support and shared decision-making.

We implement individualised support plans and collaborate with external professionals (e.g., speech and language therapists, occupational therapists) when needed. 

Strategies to support children include the use of physical objects (e.g., a nappy to signal changing time) and visual timetables to support routine transitions and reduce anxiety. Our speech and language interventions include Mr Tongue, repeating everyday words, making choices, turn-taking games, and circle times, which help children build expressive and receptive language skills. Makaton signs, emotion cards, and sensory resources can also be used to support communication and emotional regulation.

Assessment and Impact

We use ongoing observation and assessment to understand each child’s development and to plan meaningful next steps. Our curriculum ensures that children:

• make good progress from their starting points.
• develop strong communication, social, and self-care skills.
• build early foundations in literacy and mathematics through playful, meaningful experiences
• explore and understand the world around them, developing curiosity and cultural awareness
• express themselves through art, music, movement, and imaginative play
• are school-ready, confident, and enthusiastic about learning.