A Creative, Child-Centred Approach to Early Learning, Development and School Readiness
At Walmgate Day Nursery, we follow the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework, which sets the standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to five years in England.
For families in Walmgate, York city centre and surrounding areas, choosing a nursery is one of the most important decisions you will make. Our aim is to give every child the very best start in life by creating a nurturing, stimulating environment where children feel safe, confident and excited to learn.
At the heart of both the EYFS and our nursery philosophy is the belief that every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support they need to fulfil their potential. We deliver the EYFS through a creative, play-based approach where learning happens through discovery, hands-on experiences and meaningful interactions with caring, experienced staff.
🌱 What This Means for Your Child
Following the EYFS framework ensures your child is supported to develop:
- Confidence and independence
- Strong communication and language skills
- Emotional security and positive relationships
- Physical coordination and wellbeing
- Early reading, writing and maths foundations
- Curiosity about the world around them
- Creativity and self-expression
Our goal is not just to meet EYFS requirements, but to help children become happy, confident learners who are ready for school and life beyond nursery.
🧩 What Is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?
The EYFS is a national framework that all Ofsted-registered early years providers in England must follow, including nurseries, preschools, childminders and school reception classes. It sets out:
- How children learn and develop
- What they should be taught
- How they should be kept safe and healthy
- How their progress is assessed
Children are primarily taught through play and practical activities, allowing them to explore, experiment and make sense of the world in a way that is natural and enjoyable.
🧸 Our Approach to the EYFS at Walmgate Day Nursery
At Walmgate Day Nursery, we bring the EYFS to life through a rich, topic-based, child-centred curriculum. We believe that children learn best when they are curious, engaged and having fun.
Our approach includes:
- Learning through play, discovery and hands-on experience
- Skilled practitioners who observe, support and gently scaffold learning to help children take their next steps
- Flexible planning, with many experiences arising spontaneously in response to children’s interests or events happening on the day
Each month, our practitioners observe what children are interested in, identify their individual next steps in learning and plan topic-based activities that support both their interests and development. This ensures learning is meaningful, engaging and tailored to each child.
Throughout the year, we also celebrate a wide range of festivals, cultural celebrations and national events, such as Chinese New Year, World Book Day, seasonal celebrations and cultural awareness events. These experiences help children develop a wider understanding of the world around them while making learning fun and memorable.
🎭 Enriching Our Preschool Curriculum
We are committed to continually developing our preschool curriculum to provide enriching experiences that enhance learning beyond the core EYFS framework.
Preschool children benefit from weekly drama sessions every Wednesday, supporting confidence, creativity, communication and social development. We also introduce modern foreign languages to support early communication skills and broaden children’s understanding of the world. This term, children are learning Spanish with Elena, our Deputy Manager, and next term they will be introduced to Italian with Clara.
Children also take part in children’s yoga sessions delivered by Gladys, our trained practitioner. These sessions support physical development, coordination, body awareness and emotional wellbeing.
These enhanced experiences support a wide range of EYFS learning areas, particularly Communication and Language, Physical Development, and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
📖 Encouraging a Love of Reading
At Walmgate Day Nursery, we are passionate about developing a lifelong love of books, stories and language from the earliest age.
We support this through our Book of the Week in every room, helping children explore new stories, vocabulary and ideas together. Children also benefit from regular trips to the local library, helping them build confidence around books and encouraging excitement about choosing stories for themselves. In addition, we are proud to take part in the Bookstart programme, supporting early reading development and helping families enjoy books together at home.
By surrounding children with stories and rich language experiences from an early age, we help build strong foundations for literacy, communication, imagination and future learning.
📚 What Are the 7 Areas of Learning in the EYFS?
The EYFS is organised into seven areas of learning and development. These areas work together to support the whole child, academically, socially, emotionally and physically.
- Communication and Language
Children develop their listening, attention, understanding and speaking skills. Through stories, songs, conversations and role play, we help children build the foundations for confident communication.
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This area focuses on helping children develop self-confidence, manage their emotions, build relationships and understand feelings – both their own and those of others.
- Physical Development
Children develop movement, coordination and control through active play, outdoor learning and practical activities. We also support children in learning about healthy choices and self-care.
- Literacy
Literacy includes early reading and writing skills. Through stories, mark-making, phonics and a love of books, children begin to understand language, sounds and symbols.
- Mathematics
Children explore numbers, counting, shape, space and measure through play, problem-solving and everyday experiences, building early mathematical understanding in a practical way.
- Understanding the World
This area helps children make sense of their environment, people, communities, nature and technology. We encourage curiosity through exploration, discussion and real-life experiences.
- Expressive Arts and Design
Children express themselves through art, music, dance, imaginative play and design. This area nurtures creativity, confidence and individuality.
📊 How Children Are Assessed
Assessment in the EYFS is observation-based and forms part of everyday learning.
Progress Check (Age 2–3)
Between ages two and three, we complete a progress check alongside the health visitor and share this with parents.
EYFS Profile
The EYFS Profile is completed by your child’s school at the end of the Reception year (the school year in which they turn five).
At nursery, we regularly observe children through play and activities and share updates with parents to support their next steps in learning.
🤝 Working in Partnership With Parents
We believe parents are a child’s first and most important educators.
We support this through:
- Regular progress updates
- Open communication with your child’s key person
- Sharing learning and development observations
- Supporting learning at home
💛 Supporting Every Child’s Best Start
We are proud to deliver the EYFS in a way that is engaging, thoughtful and tailored to each child.
Our goal is not simply to meet statutory requirements, but to go beyond them, creating an environment where children feel valued, inspired and eager to learn.
If you would like to see how our EYFS curriculum works in practice, we would love to welcome you to visit Walmgate Day Nursery.
Get more information about Walmgate’s EYFS Curriculum:
Get more information about Walmgate’s EYFS Curriculum:
❓ EYFS Frequently Asked Questions
EYFS stands for Early Years Foundation Stage. It is the statutory framework that all Ofsted-registered nurseries, preschools, childminders and school reception classes in England must follow to support children’s learning and development from birth to age five.
The EYFS ensures that your child learns and develops well, is kept safe and healthy, and is ready for the next stage of their education, including starting school. It provides a balanced, broad curriculum through play and purposeful activities that help children build knowledge and skills in all areas of development.
The EYFS framework groups learning into seven areas:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
These areas help practitioners plan activities that support your child’s development in a rounded way.
Want more detail on how these help with school readiness? See our article How to Prepare Your Child for School here: https://www.walmgatedaynursery.co.uk/guides/how-to-prepare-your-child-for-starting-school/
Children learn through play, hands-on experiences and exploring the world around them. At Walmgate Day Nursery, we plan activities around children’s interests and next steps in development, helping build confidence, independence and a love of learning.
Progress is monitored through observation, not testing.
• Progress Check at age 2–3 (with health visitor, shared with parents)
• EYFS Profile completed by their school at end of Reception
There are many simple things you can do that make a big difference:
✔ Chat and sing with your child
✔ Read together daily
✔ Encourage counting and noticing patterns around you
✔ Play games that build vocabulary and imagination
For more ideas on supporting speech and language development, see our guide: https://www.walmgatedaynursery.co.uk/parenting-tips/speech-language-tips-for-toddlers/
You, as a parent, know your child best. If you have concerns, we encourage you to talk to your child’s key person as soon as possible. We work in partnership with parents and health professionals to make sure every child gets the right support.
The EYFS emphasises caring, nurturing relationships with familiar adults - a key foundation for children feeling secure and confident. For tips on supporting your child’s first day at nursery, check out: https://www.walmgatedaynursery.co.uk/guides/prepare-child-first-day-nursery/