Early Years

Our Vision

At Castleview, we believe every child deserves the very best start to their educational journey. Our aim is to provide an exceptional environment where each unique child is nurtured, inspired and supported to achieve their full potential.

Teaching and learning sit at the heart of everything we do. Our skilled staff engage children through high-quality interactions every day, within both adult-led and child-initiated learning experiences.

Through our rich indoor and outdoor learning environments, we aim to foster inquiry, imagination and self-belief in every child. We strive for all children to flourish, academically, socially and emotionally, through a broad, ambitious and inclusive curriculum that enables each child to make strong progress from their individual starting points.

We value the vital role of parents and carers in a child’s learning journey. From the very beginning, we work in close partnership with families, offering guidance and support so that learning can continue seamlessly at home. Together, we build firm foundations to ensure every child is well-prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.

Approach

At Castleview, we place great value on the importance of early childhood education. We implement the Early Years Foundation Stage framework through a careful balance of adult-led teaching and child-initiated learning. We recognise that every child is unique and requires a range of teaching approaches to ensure learning is inclusive and responsive to individual needs.

Our curriculum is intentionally designed to reflect the interests, experiences and needs of our children. It is thoughtfully sequenced with key knowledge and skills that we want our children to develop and apply. Through meaningful experiences, engaging activities and rich learning environments, we support every child’s development and next steps. Our curriculum promotes the essential knowledge and skills that enable all children to become confident, curious and successful learners.

We are passionate about fostering a love of reading. This is achieved through our use of high-quality texts, daily teaching of synthetic phonics using Read Write Inc., and the Essential Writing approach, which enriches learning across all areas of the curriculum.

The role of the adult is central in nurturing curiosity and ensuring all children make progress. Through high-quality teaching, modelling, scaffolding and skillful questioning, adults support each child to achieve their potential. Ongoing, in-the-moment formative assessment enables staff to respond swiftly to children’s needs, celebrate their achievements, and adapt provision accordingly.

Impact

Children leave Castleview's EYFS with high levels of engagement and enthusiasm for learning. They develop strong speaking and listening skills, enabling them to communicate confidently with both adults and peers and to access all areas of the curriculum effectively.

Through a wide range of rich and meaningful experiences, children can apply key skills in  a variety of contexts. They gain a broader understanding of the world around them and use their experiences to make connections with new learning.

This strong foundation enables children to transition smoothly from the Early Years into Year 1 as confident, capable, and curious learners who are well-prepared for the next stage of their educational journey. They are prepared for future challenges and ready to become lifelong learners. 

Online Learning Journals

Every child has an online learning journal where parents and staff can document their child's 'wow' moments over the year.

 Homework

In both Nursery and Reception children are given optional homework every Friday and this can be found on the Nursery and Reception homework page on the school website under, 'Children.'