Our curriculum

At Little Cherubs, we recognise that children develop more rapidly from birth to five years than at any other stage of life. These early years are critical in shaping confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

Children need time and space to explore independently, follow their interests and develop their own ideas through play. Through sensitive and meaningful dialogue with parents, we gain a deeper understanding of each child’s individual needs and can offer practical suggestions to extend learning at home.

Every child is supported by a dedicated Key Person, who builds strong, secure attachments and closely monitors development, decision-making and progress. Our team spend quality time interacting with children, applying professional knowledge to support progress naturally without excessive paperwork , ensuring children remain at the centre of everything we do.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework, which all early years providers are required to implement.

This framework sets the standards for:

  • Learning and Development
  • Assessment
  • Safeguarding and Welfare

To guide our practice, we use Development Matters, the non-statutory curriculum guidance that supports practitioners in assessing children’s progress against expected developmental milestones while recognising that every child develops at their own pace.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced, ambitious and responsive, ensuring children make strong and consistent progress throughout their early years.
Cherubs

A curriculum that inspires

1. High quality care – Our vision

At Little Cherubs we are passionate about childcare, believing each & every child matters. We support children individually to help them reach their full potential and fully prepare for school.

We believe in investing in our staff to teach the Little Cherubs ways which is reflected in strong bonds and special partnerships between the staff, children & parents.

We encourage learning through imaginative & fun play to help the children grow, throughout their time with us.

The Positive images from staff help children, and families to show respect for each other and themselves promoting diversity & equality.

2. Partnership with parents – Parents as first educators

Parents know their children best. Strong partnerships between home and nursery are essential to children’s success.
We support this partnership by:

  • Listening carefully to parents’ insights
  • Holding regular parent meetings
  • Providing clear progress information
  • Completing statutory progress checks
  • Offering workshops and guidance for home learning

Through our nursery App ‘Parent Zone’ , parents receive daily updates about personal care, meals and activities, alongside photographs and videos of special moments. This transparency strengthens communication and encourages meaningful conversations at home.

By truly knowing our children and their families, we can provide tailored support where it is needed most.

3. The curriculum – What we want children to learn

Our curriculum is broad, balanced and rooted in early language and social communication. Each Key Person plans meaningful experiences based on:

  • Children’s interests
  • Celebrations and cultural events
  • Developmental needs
  • Real-life experiences

Learning builds progressively over time. Planning remains flexible, especially for babies and toddlers, recognising that development does not follow a fixed path.

Practitioners “scaffold” learning , offering just enough support to help children achieve something they could not yet do independently.

4. Pedagogy – How We Help Children Learn

Children are powerful, capable learners. Our skilled practitioners create enabling environments both indoors and outdoors that inspire exploration, creativity and critical thinking.

Our approach blends carefully selected educational influences, including:

  • Reggio Emilia
  • The Curiosity Approach
  • Steiner principles
  • Learning through play

We use real-life objects and authentic experiences to inspire curiosity. Practitioners role model, collaborate and extend learning through sensitive questioning, encouraging children to become confident thinkers and problem-solvers.

5. The best for every child – Equality of opportunity

We believe every child deserves the very best start. Our high-quality early education is fully inclusive, ensuring all children have equal opportunities to succeed.

We are proactive in identifying and supporting:

  • Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
  • Children with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
  • Children who may have experienced disadvantage or difficult life circumstances

Early identification and timely intervention ensure children receive the additional support they need to flourish

6. Self-regulation – Supporting behaviour

Language development is central to self-regulation. Through conversations, storytelling, role play and meaningful discussion, children learn to:

  • Focus their thinking
  • Plan ahead
  • Manage strong emotions
  • Be patient
  • Adapt when challenges arise
  • “Bounce back” from difficulty

By supporting emotional understanding and problem-solving, we help children develop lifelong resilience.

7. Assessment – Understanding progress

Assessment at Little Cherubs focuses on noticing what children know and can do.
We complete written assessments:

  • When a child joins the nursery
  • At age two (linked to the statutory 2-year progress check and health visitor review)
  • During transition to school

Ongoing observation ensures we identify strengths, celebrate achievements and quickly recognise when additional support may be required.

8. School readiness

At Little Cherubs, we are passionate about preparing every child for their next stage of learning.

Starting school is a significant milestone for both children and parents. Our experienced team support this transition sensitively, helping to reduce anxieties and build confidence.

Children develop the essential skills needed for school through:

Social Development

  • Building friendships
  • Communicating confidently with adults and peers
  • Working collaboratively

Independence

  • Following instructions
  • Spending time away from parents
  • Managing personal belongings

Responsibility

  • Tidying away toys
  • Caring for book bags and library items

Self-Care

  • Independent toileting
  • Hand washing
  • Feeding themselves
  • Dressing and undressing

Through structured activities, nurturing guidance and real-life experiences, we ensure children leave Little Cherubs confident, resilient and fully prepared for school life.

 
 

Key Person System

We believe in investing in our staff to teach the Little Cherubs ways which is reflected in strong bonds and special partnerships between the staff, children.

Once each child has started to settle into the nursery they will be given a Key Person. This is a member of our team who is responsible for;

  • Being that special person that knows the child best and who the child will form strong bonds with
  • Ensuring the child’s individual developmental needs are met
  • Being the point of contact for the parents if they have any questions
  • Recording achievements and reflected upon them
  • Reviewing and producing progress summative reports
  • Setting challenging activities in different areas so each child makes meaningful steady progress through their time at Little Cherubs.

What is EyLog?

EyLogEyLog is a secure online early years log, which stores your child’s learning journey. EyLog is compliant to the EYFS (early years foundation stage) requirements, it allows Little Cherubs to capture observations and manage the learning and development journey of a child electronically. You can access pictures, videos, observations and much more at the click of a button!

Parents/Carers can download the EyLog Parent application which is available for smart phone and tablet users for easy access to their child’s learning journey. Parents/Carers can also comment on observations made by nursery practitioner’s and you can even create your own observation to share with the nursery!

All data for children and practitioners are stored in a secure database which cannot be accessed by search engines. Each parent is provided with a unique pin which the Nursery Office sends via email to enable access to their individual child’s learning journey only.

 

 

Mindfulness Practice

We understand the importance of promoting wellbeing for staff & children. This helps to create a positive environment within the nursery setting.
At Little Cherubs we have ‘mindfulness ambassadors’ to help promote mindfulness to our daily practice for both staff & children. Our ‘ambassadors’ come together to tailor our techniques to each age group helping to promote techniques into the children’s daily routines. Staff use the promoting positive behaviour policy to ensure consistency. Staff are able to recognise when a child may need support with their emotions and provide this one to one or in a small group, whichever is more appropriate. Teaching children to recognise and manage their emotions at a young age will support them throughout their life

We have an ‘relaxation & calming’ area in each room with books and sensory objects. During various parts of the day we support children’s self-regulation through carefully planned activities and resources. This includes supporting children to manage their own emotions and behaviours using rules and boundaries created by the children themselves. We provide activities in which children are able to recognise and express their emotions, including emotional literacy. Our practitioners promote calming stories, stretching and talking about each child’s feelings. This enables us to provide support for children who may be experiencing big emotions they can’t cope with just yet.

Staff and parents are given the opportunity to complete at home workshops with useful and practical tools to help them navigate life's demands and discover the peace and calm within themselves focusing their minds, promoting greater self awareness.

Our entire staff team complete workshops with professionals in the industry such as ‘Mindfulness Kids London’

Beam Academy Yoga visit our older Toddler & Pre Schoolchildren once a week for an extra curricular session.

 

Little Cherubs Library

At Little Cherubs, we recognise the importance of children reading books from a young age. Creating a language rich environment, helps to build confidence and self-esteem.  Aiding cognitive development, good mental health & wellbeing. This brings pleasure & builds a great bond between family groups.

The Little Cherubs have created a library system that will provide families the tools to start a partnership between the nursery learning & a child’s home. Our system is interactive for both parents & children to allow focus on promoting elements of British values. Children can take ‘ownership’ & responsibility of books, multimedia & owning their very own Little Cherubs library card.

Parents are also able to access the online library system and can reserve books & home learning packs from our online catalogue. These are ready for your child to take away at the end of the day with them. We also can offer a ‘click & collect’ if your child or family cannot attend during these times.
Browse & look at each item, write reviews for other families when items are returned.

Our library contains;

  • Books
  • Home Learning Activity packs
  • CDs
  • DVD
  • Resources

Children’s Workshops

During the year, Little Cherubs will be running various workshops that introduce key topics such as;

Mini First Aid

These Early Years sessions’ are designed to make first aid fun. Suitable for EYFS.

Children learn about what happens to their bodies if they are hurt and how they would be treated by a grown up. They are able to bring their favourite Teddy or Doll to help with the First Aid story, covering calling 999, bleeds & bumps & the importance of safe eating practice with Sit, Chop & Chew.

After each class children will receive a certificate for attending.

Dental Awareness

During Early Years’ Foundation Stage, a child’s first experiences with oral health can impact on the rest of their life.

That’s why it’s so important to teach them about their mouth and introduce them to good habits as soon as possible. It is equally vital to continue to ‘normalise’ dental visits and put them at ease with the role of a dentist as a person they can trust.

Working with professionals from Oral Health Foundation & Dental Wellness Trust. Children are able to complete an oral health workshop for dental health, hygiene with DR Linda Greenwell

Animal Visits

Various animal visits take place at the nursery with a few of their furry friends. Such as; Bunnies, Guinea Pig, Hedgehog, Chicks. Or creepy Crawlies, such as Millipede, Giant Snails, Frogs, Spiders, Lizards.

Catering for all key stages. Children with receive a specialist talk covering the origin, species, diet, growth, and behaviour of each animal presented. How various species of animals have adapted to fit in with our lifestyles, such as urban habitats.

Children will have the opportunity to meet & handle the animals. (prior parental permission is obtained).

 

School Readiness

At Little Cherubs we are passionate about childcare, believing each & every child matters. We support children individually to help them reach their full potential and fully pre-pare for school. Starting school is a developmental milestone for both children and parents. The majority of parents are understandably anxious about their child starting nursery & school. During Covid19 this has only created more anxieties with many younger children having not spent any times away from parents.

Little Cherubs staff team use our knowledge & skills to calm children’s anxiety and fully support the transition into the next chapter of a child’s life.
At Little Cherubs children gain important social and practical skills they need to succeed at school by interacting and playing with other children, adults. Forming friendships & close bonds with peers & staff.

Independence - They’re used to spending time apart from you, mixing with other children, taking instructions from and communicating with other adults,

Responsibility is encouraged by taking some responsibility for tidying up after themselves and looking after their ownership of belongings such as

Bookbags, Library books & cards and nursery toys.

Self care is promoted by using the toilet, washing hands, feeding themselves & getting dressed/undressed.

What to do next

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Little Cherubs Nursery