What is our Curriculum?
In line with EYFS, we support children’s learning through the Specific Areas by building on the strong foundations developed in the prime areas.
Birth to Five Matters recognises that these areas “include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society” (Birth to Five Matters).
Through Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design, we create rich, meaningful experiences that are rooted in children’s curiosity and interests.
Our environments and invitations to learn encourage exploration, problem‑solving, creativity, and deep thinking, using authentic resources, storytelling, real‑life experiences, and strong links to the natural world.
We understand that learning is not taught in isolation. Instead, we ensure that the specific areas are woven into everyday play and experiences, allowing children to make connections, develop a love of learning, and grow in confidence as capable, independent learners.
The Specific Areas of Learning are Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design. These areas support children in developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable them to make sense of the world, communicate effectively, think mathematically, and express themselves creatively. At West Exe, we introduce these areas through meaningful, play‑based experiences that are carefully planned and responsive to children’s interests, ensuring learning is engaging, relevant, and developmentally appropriate.
Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Please see our Thrive Video filmed here at West Exe Nursery School.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/747700659?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479
We are teaching children how to express their emotions and to develop empathy for others. All emotions are acceptable, not all behaviours. We use Thrive and our "Golden Rules" to help children understand themselves and how to be with others.
At West Exe nursery we value the importance of children’s social and emotional wellbeing. To support this, we use the Thrive approach.
Thrive is a specific programme which enables children to engage with life and learning by helping them to become more self-assured, capable and adaptable. Thrive strategies help to build resilience and confidence and foster positive relationships through play and creative activities.
Fun activities including messy play, 1:1 shared experiences, turn taking games and language development around feelings and emotions are embedded into the curriculum for all children at West Exe.
The Thrive approach draws on the latest research into brain development and attachment and helps us to understand how individual children learn. More information can be found by clicking the button below:
Communication & Language
Here at West Exe Nursery School we understand that young children depend on back-and-forth interactions with responsive others to develop confidence as effective communicators and language users. We provide many opportunities for talk and build on shared attention and listening skills. We provide a language rich environment. We celebrate our diversity and families who speak more than one language.
At West Exe we aim to work together to meet the full range of needs of all children and their families, ensuring they all feel valued in our community. We work together with the English as an additional language service.
Our key texts (please click on the link above) are stories that your children will hear when at West Exe Nursery School. We will let you know which ones we are reading via Tapestry. We sometimes plan additional activities connected with them it will depend on our observations of children at play and what next steps are needed. Please ask us if you have any questions. If you know any fantastic stories we haven’t included we would love to know which books they are. Plus if you have time to volunteer and read stories in English or another language please let your keyworker know.
Physical Development
‘Intricately interwoven with emotional, social, cognitive and language development, physical development underpins all other areas of a child’s learning and development. Extensive physical experience in early childhood puts in place the neurological, sensory and motor foundations necessary for feeling good in your body and comfortable in the world.’
Birth to five matters
Here at West Exe we are able to offer wonderful opportunities to support physical development small and large scale inside and outside in our stunning environments. This has become increasingly more valuable as we have observed more childhoods that have become more sedentary.
We highly value the benefit from outside play see outside play section.