Early Years Foundation Stage


The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) helps us to prepare our children for school, giving them the broad knowledge and skills required to provide the right foundations for progressing well through school and life in general.

Learning through play is an important part of the care and education provided by Hardingstone Day Nursery. The EYFS provides us with a framework designed to help staff facilitate learning through play by planning an environment and activities that ensure a child’s learning and development is as natural and as fun as possible.

At Hardingstone Day Nursery, we understand that it may sometimes seem like a child is ‘just playing’. In fact, every activity is an opportunity for children to learn valuable skills that will shape their growth and future development.

Our staff are trained to direct and extend play activities designed to help each child achieve their full potential.

Incorporating learning into every day play

We ensure that our babies, toddlers and pre-school children receive the right level of learning and stimulation for their development stage and we actively encourage positive interaction and learning through play, across all our age groups.

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul” – Froebel

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Learning Journey

Each child has an online learning journal on tapestry where staff collate observations of the child’s experiences at nursery and link their learning to the developmental stages as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage. These help us to identify individual developmental needs and to plan activities designed to provide interest and challenge. At the end of each term, children’s progress is assessed and shared with parents.

All parents are given a login for their child, so that you have instant access to your child’s online learning journal. Access is via web browser or via apps that are available to download on android and IOS devices. Through the login, parents are able to capture their child’s experiences and achievements at home by creating their own observations, staff will incorporate these observations into children’s individual learning plans.
Log into Tapesty: Online learning journal
We hold formal parents’ evenings three times per year, so that you have an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and achievements in more detail.

Our aim is to help all the children in our care to approach a major change in their lives – ‘starting school’ – with the confidence, skills and enthusiasm for learning that will give them a valuable and enduring head start.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Visit the Department for Education to learn more about the Early Years Foundation Curriculum and how it’s implemented into nurseries across the UK.

Helping your child at home – download the EYFS guide to the development stages for 0-5 year olds.