Our Curriculum

Climbing the Ladder to School

At Puffin Pre-School, we are Climbing the Ladder to School.

We see every child's time at Puffins as a journey. Children do not all begin on the same rung, climb at the same speed or take exactly the same route. Our role is to understand each individual child, recognise what they already know and can do, and provide the experiences, relationships, environment and support that help them take their next steps.

Our ultimate aim is not simply to make children "school ready". We want our Puffins to leave us as happy, confident, curious, resilient and increasingly independent little people who love learning and believe in themselves.

Grow • Explore • Discover

Grow
We help children grow in confidence, independence, resilience, communication and self-belief.

Explore
We give children time and freedom to explore their feelings, ideas, imagination, creativity, movement, problems and the world around them.

Discover
Children discover friendships, new skills, their senses, their community, their own capabilities and, most importantly, the enjoyment of learning.

What does our curriculum look like in practice?

At Puffins, learning does not only happen during an "activity".

It happens all day.

It happens when a child hangs up their coat, chooses where to play, pours a drink, negotiates with a friend, climbs through an obstacle course, listens to a story, makes playdough, counts the plates at snack time, notices a spider outside, mixes two paint colours, sings a familiar song or tells us about something that happened at home.

Our practitioners know the children well. We use children's interests, conversations, observations and experiences to recognise what they already know and decide what we can help them learn next.

We provide a balance of child-led play, carefully planned experiences, adult interaction, familiar routines, group times and spontaneous learning opportunities.

We believe children thrive when they feel safe and know what to expect. Our familiar daily routines give children security and belonging while providing countless opportunities to practise communication, independence, turn-taking, self-care, problem-solving and responsibility.

We repeat, revisit and extend learning so that children have opportunities to practise new skills until they become secure.

And because no two children are the same, the ladder looks different for every Puffin.

The Seven Areas of Learning

Our curriculum encompasses all seven areas of learning and development within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). They are interconnected, so one meaningful experience will often support several areas at once.

Communication and Language

Finding our voice and understanding others

Communication sits at the heart of life at Puffins.

We create a language-rich environment where children hear new words, conversations, stories, songs, rhymes and questions throughout their day.

Practitioners model language, give children time to respond and extend their vocabulary through their play and interests. We encourage children to listen, understand, make choices, ask questions, share ideas and communicate their wants, needs and feelings.

This might look like:

Talking together during play and everyday routines; sharing stories and joining in with repeated phrases; singing songs and nursery rhymes; learning new vocabulary through real experiences; answering and asking what, where, who, why and how questions; following increasingly complex instructions; talking about past experiences and what might happen next; and using visual support, objects of reference, gestures, signs or home-language words where these help a child to communicate.

For some children, climbing this part of the ladder begins with a look, gesture, sound or single word. For another, it might mean holding a detailed conversation.

Every form of communication is valued and built upon.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Understanding ourselves, our feelings and each other

Children learn best when they feel safe, secure and valued.

Our key-person approach and familiar routines help children develop strong relationships and a sense of belonging at Puffins.

We support children to recognise emotions, express their needs, develop friendships, manage conflicts and gradually learn strategies for regulating their feelings and behaviour.

Our children learn that all feelings are okay, but not all behaviours are okay, and that trusted adults are there to help.

This might look like:

Using our feelings registration and talking about how we feel; sharing stories such as The Colour Monster; developing friendships; taking turns and waiting; using timers and visual cues; learning to share space and resources; beginning to resolve disagreements; celebrating achievements; making choices; helping to tidy and care for our environment; learning about kindness and differences; and developing the confidence to try again when something is difficult.

We want children to leave Puffins knowing:

I belong. I am important. I can ask for help. I can try.

Physical Development

Learning what our bodies can do

Movement is a huge part of childhood and a huge part of Puffins.

Children have regular opportunities to run, climb, crawl, balance, jump, dance, throw, catch, push, pull and explore how their bodies move.

Our physical and soft-play spaces allow children to challenge themselves, take appropriate risks and develop strength, coordination, balance and spatial awareness.

Fine-motor development is woven throughout the day through activities such as playdough, threading, construction, tweezers, mark making, painting and using scissors and tools.

Physical development also includes learning to care for ourselves.

We encourage children to become increasingly independent with dressing, toileting, handwashing, eating, drinking and other everyday self-care routines.

The goal is not simply physical competence. It is for children to develop confidence in their bodies and the independence they will need for their next stage.

Literacy

Building a lifelong love of stories, words and marks

Before children can read and write, they need to enjoy communicating, listening, stories, songs, rhymes and making marks.

Books are part of everyday life at Puffins. We read together, revisit favourites, talk about characters and events and encourage children to predict what might happen next.

Children encounter print naturally throughout the environment and begin to understand that marks and symbols carry meaning.

We develop the foundations for later reading and writing through stories, rhymes, listening games, conversations, environmental sounds, songs, mark making and fine-motor experiences.

Children might draw a picture, make a shopping list in the role-play area, recognise their own name, notice a letter, retell a familiar story or give meaning to the marks they have made.

These are all important rungs on the literacy ladder.

Mathematics

Discovering that maths is everywhere

At Puffins, mathematics is much more than learning to recite numbers.

Children develop mathematical thinking through meaningful play and everyday experiences.

We count children, steps, objects and snack items. We compare towers, quantities and sizes. We notice patterns, investigate shapes, fill and empty containers, sort objects and use positional and mathematical language naturally throughout the day.

Our children have opportunities to explore number, quantity, shape, space, measure and pattern through practical experiences.

Practitioners encourage children to think and problem-solve rather than simply provide the answer.

We might ask:

How many do we need? Which has more? What comes next? How could we make it taller? Will it fit? What happens if...?

In this way, children begin to see themselves as capable mathematical thinkers.

Understanding the World

Discovering our community and the world beyond Puffins

Children are naturally curious about the world around them, and we want to keep that curiosity alive.

Our curriculum extends beyond the walls of the pre-school.

We make use of our local community and real-life experiences so children can build meaningful knowledge about people, places, nature and the world they live in.

We explore our surroundings, notice seasonal changes, investigate plants and animals, talk about families and occupations and learn that people may live, celebrate, communicate and experience life in different ways.

Our community experiences and outings help children understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves.

Technology is explored appropriately as one small part of children's wider understanding of the world, alongside the far richer experiences of touching, seeing, hearing, moving, questioning and investigating for themselves.

We encourage children to wonder:

What is it? Why does that happen? Where does it come from? What might happen next?

Expressive Arts and Design

Imagining, creating and expressing ourselves

Creativity at Puffins is about the process, not producing identical finished products.

Children have opportunities to paint, draw, build, model, mix colours, explore textures, make playdough, sing, dance, move to music, role play, tell stories and create imaginary worlds.

We provide materials and experiences, demonstrate techniques where appropriate and then allow children the freedom to explore their own ideas.

A cardboard box can become a boat.
A line of chairs can become a bus.
Playdough can become a birthday cake.
A pile of blocks can become a castle.

There does not have to be a "right" finished result.

Through creativity, children experiment, solve problems, communicate ideas, develop confidence and discover that their imagination has value.

The Environment as Part of Our Curriculum

Our environment is carefully organised so that children can make choices and increasingly manage their own play.

Resources and areas have a purpose, but children are not restricted to using them in only one way.

Our indoor, outdoor, physical, sensory, creative, construction, role-play and quieter spaces provide different opportunities for learning and regulation.

Practitioners continually consider:

What do we want children to learn here?

What can they already do?

What could we introduce, model or change to help them take the next step?

Inclusion – Every Child Has Their Own Ladder

Our curriculum is ambitious for every child.

Children develop at different rates and in different ways. Some children may need additional time, repetition, visual support, sensory experiences, adapted resources, objects of reference, signs, smaller steps or greater adult support.

We adapt the way children access our curriculum without lowering our aspirations for them.

We work closely with parents, carers and other professionals to understand each child's individual strengths and needs and to remove barriers to participation and learning.

The destination is progress – not comparison.

Preparing for School – and for Life

School readiness at Puffins is about far more than recognising letters and numbers.

As children climb their ladder, we want them to develop the foundations that allow them to flourish when they reach school.

We want a Puffin leaving us to be increasingly able to:

communicate their needs and ideas; listen and respond; build relationships; cope with familiar routines and changes; recognise and begin to manage emotions; make choices; attempt tasks independently; care for their belongings and themselves; use the toilet and manage personal care with increasing independence; sit, listen and participate when appropriate; take turns and cooperate; solve problems; move confidently; enjoy books, stories, songs and rhymes; recognise that numbers and print have meaning; ask questions; be curious; use their imagination; persevere when something is difficult; and know that adults can help them when they need it.

Most importantly, we want them to arrive at their next adventure thinking:

“I can have a go.”