At Little Stars Nursery, our curriculum is rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, which supports children’s learning and development through play-based exploration. We believe that every child is a unique individual, and our curriculum is designed to meet their diverse needs, interests, and abilities. Through a combination of structured activities and child-led experiences, we encourage curiosity, creativity, and independent thinking. Our focus on school readiness ensures that children develop essential social, emotional, and cognitive skills, preparing them for a smooth transition to primary education. We also provide a nurturing environment where children can develop at their own pace, with our dedicated staff guiding them every step of the way.
Little Stars Nursery offers a range of purpose-designed facilities designed to create a stimulating and nurturing environment for all children. Our spacious indoor areas are filled with natural resources that encourage hands-on learning, while our dedicated sensory rooms provide a calming space for children to explore their senses. We have a large free-flow outdoor space with a well-equipped playground and decked areas where children can engage in active play and connect with nature, no matter the weather. We also serve home-cooked, nutritious meals, ensuring that children are well-nourished throughout the day. These hot meals are available for a small charge of £2.45 or free to those eligible for Free School Meals. Our facilities are thoughtfully designed to support every child’s growth and development, providing a safe and inspiring space for them to thrive.
At Little Stars Nursery, we are proud to be an integral part of the Ellacombe community, working closely with local families, schools, and early years professionals to support the development and wellbeing of every child. Our nursery is more than just a place for learning; it’s a hub where families come together, and children feel a strong sense of belonging. We maintain close links with local schools to ensure a smooth transition when children move on to the next stage of their education. By fostering positive relationships with parents and community members, we create a supportive environment where both children and families feel connected and valued.
EYFS Framework: The framework covers all education of children from 0-5 years of age. Play and learning through play is an essential part of the framework. There are three prime areas of development – Communication and Language, Physical Development and PSED (personal, social & emotional) and four specific areas Literacy, Maths, Understanding the world and Expressive arts and design.
The framework has four guiding principles to support an optimal learning environment.
During your child’s time at Little Stars, they are assessed by the nursery teachers and practitioners, who are experienced in identifying any additional educational or development needs. Individual learning and development plans (ILDP’s) are sometimes needed to support children’s progress. Families can be signposted to external support agencies such as the Early Years Advisory service or speech and language services. All SEND support is done in partnership with families and carers. We are mindful of the fact that the educational journey of a child with additional needs can be very challenging, and we endeavour to provide as much support as we can to the child and their families throughout their time at Little Stars.
We support lots of multilingual children as we have children attend from many cultures and backgrounds. The children’s environment plays a key role in language development and it is vital for all children to learn the language of their own community. High quality interactions with children and practitioners fosters all young children’s language development. In the latest Ofsted report it was noted that
‘Children in the early years benefit from a curriculum with communication and language at its core’.
Trauma-Informed Care: We are proud to be part of a trauma informed school, where all teachers and practitioners have specific training in trauma informed care. This means staff understand the wide-ranging impact trauma can have on children, their development, their well-being and how this impacts the children’s ability to learn. Research show that having a caring trauma informed approach to early childhood education can make a huge difference to children’s wellbeing, learning and educational outcomes.