Ribblesdale Nursery School Curriculum

At Ribblesdale Nursery School, we have developed an approach to teaching and learning that meets the needs of our children and our community. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the basis of our curriculum and planning. We recognise that children have immense potential and that the quality of their early years’ experience will affect the rest of their life.  

The implementation of our curriculum intent is based on research in to quality early years practice and providing strategies to teaching and learning that have demonstrated impact and support all children to become successful life-long learners. Our practice is informed using an active research model and all staff adopt a reflective practice approach. Ongoing professional development is highly valued and effective.

Our curriculum is coherent and well planned. It has evolved  from knowledge of quality early years research such as from the National Research for the Teaching of Mathematics to develop our mathematics curriculum or using the Educational Endowment Foundation to use research such as the SHREC approach to implement high quality interactions. Our curriculum is developed using the Birth to Five Matters 2021, but we also use the Development Matters 2023. 

We have developed an ambitious curriculum and progression model that links learning at different stages of development and from different starting points. We have identified what we want children to know and learn (Intent) to embed knowledge and secure skills to support children to have a strong foundation.  The images of the child are at the core. The curriculum is designed to build on prior knowledge and children have opportunities to revisit areas and develop their knowledge further. For example, we have selected core texts, which are read, repeated and re visited. The next time we look at the book we may focus on a different part or different vocabulary. We know that children will often refer back to something they have previously experienced.

We have created curriculum overviews, which show how over time we build on children’s knowledge and skills. These are based on what we know about our children and the community. Children at Ribblesdale Nursery School and Cascades Childcare have very different starting points and we recognise and celebrate this. The curriculum supports learning from the child’s starting points and values the children’s cultural capital.  However, we also introduce the children to new opportunities, build on their cultural capital, and offer many new learning experiences.

Please refer to our policy on Teaching and Learning for more information about our curriculum approach.  

The Principles behind the curriculum Intent and Implementation document gives further insight into the research that we used to develop our curriculum.

Please refer to the Curriculum Overview for examples of what we will cover over a school year.