Our approach to early years education
Learning shaped around every child
At GrandirUK, care and education go hand in hand. Our nurseries follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), creating opportunities for children to learn through play, exploration and experiences shaped around their individual interests and development.
Our own educational programmes build on the EYFS, giving nursery teams additional ways to nurture curiosity, confidence, independence and a love of learning.
Care and education, centred around your child
EYFS
The statutory framework underpinning children's learning and development.
Child-led learning
Experiences shaped around children's interests, needs and stage of development.
Educational programmes
Additional opportunities to explore areas including wellbeing, STEM, food, movement and the natural world.
Curious minds
Supporting children to build skills, knowledge and positive attitudes towards learning.
For babies and children
under 2
From their earliest days at nursery, babies learn through relationships, movement, sensory experiences and exploration. PATHWAY to the Foundations supports our nursery teams in creating meaningful experiences for children under two, linked to the prime areas of the EYFS and responsive to each child's individual development.
Relationships and communication | Movement and exploration | Emotional development
Preparing children for more than school
As children grow, our Foundations for the Future approach builds on the EYFS through experiences designed to encourage children to explore, communicate, make choices, solve problems and develop increasing independence.
Our five educational programmes give children opportunities to explore different areas of learning through practical, engaging experiences.
Bringing learning to life with our educational programmes
Health & Self supports children’s personal, social and emotional development, helping them begin to understand themselves, their feelings and the needs of others.
Through everyday experiences and supportive relationships, children are introduced to skills that can help them recognise and express emotions, develop empathy, build resilience and begin to regulate their responses. Co-regulation plays an important part, with practitioners providing the reassurance and support children need as these skills develop.
The programme explores:
- Mental health and wellbeing – helping children recognise emotions and develop a positive sense of self.
- Empathy and tolerance – encouraging children to understand different feelings and perspectives, and develop caring relationships with others.
- Self-regulation and resilience – supporting children as they experience different emotions, respond to challenges and develop strategies for managing their feelings.
How Health & Self supports development
Health & Self gives children opportunities to develop their emotional awareness, confidence and relationships with others. Experiences can support children to:
- Recognise and communicate their feelings
- Begin to understand the feelings of others
- Develop strategies for managing emotions
- Build confidence when encountering challenges
- Develop positive relationships and social skills
- Become increasingly independent in regulating their responses
Innovate & Investigate introduces children aged 2 to 5 to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through hands-on experiences that encourage them to explore how things work.
Children are naturally curious. From watching a puddle disappear and measuring a growing flower to building a den or experimenting with mixing colours, everyday experiences provide opportunities to ask questions, test ideas and discover what happens next.
Through exploration, experimentation and trial and error, children can begin to make connections and develop their own ideas about the world around them.
The programme explores:
- Science – observing, investigating and experimenting with the world around them.
- Technology – exploring how different tools, resources and technology can be used.
- Engineering – building, creating and finding different ways to solve practical problems.
- Mathematics – exploring patterns, sequences, quantities, measurement and other mathematical ideas through everyday experiences.
How Innovate & Investigate supports development
STEM learning happens naturally throughout nursery life. Building, baking, completing a jigsaw or experimenting with different materials can all create opportunities for children to investigate ideas and solve problems.
Innovate & Investigate gives children opportunities to:
- Ask questions and investigate their ideas
- Experiment and discover through trial and error
- Explore cause and effect
- Recognise patterns and sequences
- Develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
- Build confidence in trying different approaches
- Make connections between their experiences and the world around them
Importantly, Innovate & Investigate isn't designed to sit separately from the rest of children's learning. While practitioners can plan specific STEM experiences, its principles can also be woven into everyday play, conversations and exploration.
Make & Bake gives children aged 2 to 5 hands-on opportunities to cook, make, mix, prepare and bake. Created in partnership with our early years nutritionist, the programme brings together healthy eating, practical skills and plenty of opportunities for children to get involved.
With practitioners alongside them to interact, demonstrate and support, children are encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves. They can discover new ingredients, explore different tastes and textures, and experience the satisfaction of helping to create something from start to finish.
The programme explores:
- Healthy eating – discovering different ingredients, foods and flavours through positive, practical experiences.
- Science and technology – observing how ingredients change as they are mixed, combined, heated and cooked.
- Independence – giving children opportunities to prepare ingredients, use appropriate utensils and take an active role in making food.
How Make & Bake supports development
Cooking and baking offer opportunities to explore much more than food. Through Make & Bake, children can:
- Develop coordination and fine motor skills through mixing, kneading, pouring and preparing
- Explore food using their senses and descriptive language
- Encounter different ingredients, tastes and textures without pressure to eat them
- Practise sharing, taking turns and working alongside others
- Discover foods associated with different cultures and celebrations
- Build confidence and independence by taking an active role in preparing food
Make & Bake also connects with our Sow & Grow programme, giving children opportunities to use some of the produce they have helped to grow in their cooking and baking. This creates a lovely connection between growing, preparing and experiencing food — and I think that link is one of the strongest aspects to bring forward on the website.
Move & Groove gives children aged 2 to 5 opportunities to move their bodies in different ways, supporting physical development, coordination and wellbeing through active play.
Movement is naturally part of the nursery day. From dancing and music sessions to climbing, balancing and spending time outdoors, children have plenty of opportunities to be active. Move & Groove builds on these everyday experiences with activities designed to encourage children to discover what their bodies can do.
The programme explores:
- Physical activity and wellbeing – encouraging movement and active play as part of everyday nursery life.
- Agility and spatial awareness – exploring how our bodies move through and around different spaces.
- Balance and coordination – developing control through experiences such as climbing, jumping, rolling and dancing.
- Strength and stability – using different movements to develop physical strength, stamina and core stability.
How Move & Groove supports development
Physical development is about much more than being active. Move & Groove gives children opportunities to:
- Develop balance, coordination and body awareness
- Build strength and practise different movements
- Develop gross and fine motor skills
- Move confidently through different spaces
- Enjoy being active individually and alongside others
- Develop the physical skills that support everyday tasks and experiences
Fine motor development is also part of the programme. Experiences such as squeezing, rolling and shaping playdough or clay help children strengthen and coordinate their hands and fingers, supporting skills they will use for tasks such as using utensils, making marks and, as they develop, writing.
Move & Groove doesn't sit in isolation. Practitioners can plan dedicated activities, but movement is also encouraged throughout the nursery day through outdoor play, music, dancing and everyday opportunities to get up and get moving.
Sow & Grow gives children aged 2 to 5 hands-on opportunities to plant, grow and care for fruit, vegetables and plants, while discovering more about where food comes from and the natural world around them.
From sowing a seed and watching the first shoots appear to watering, measuring and eventually harvesting what they have grown, children can experience the growing process for themselves. Along the way, there are plenty of opportunities to investigate, ask questions and notice how things change over time.
The programme explores:
- Growing and planting – experiencing the journey from planting a seed to caring for and harvesting what grows.
- Environmental awareness – introducing simple ideas around caring for plants, resources and the world around us.
- Connecting with nature – using hands-on experiences to investigate soil, plants, food, wildlife and seasonal change.
How Sow & Grow supports development
Gardening brings together lots of different areas of early years learning. Sow & Grow gives children opportunities to:
- Discover how plants, fruit and vegetables grow
- Develop patience and responsibility by caring for what they have planted
- Explore different textures, smells, colours and tastes
- Develop physical skills through digging, planting, pouring and picking
- Explore early scientific and mathematical ideas through observing, counting and measuring
- Begin to understand where some of our food comes from
- Develop an appreciation for nature and caring for the environment
Sow & Grow also connects naturally with our Make & Bake programme. Where possible, children can use some of the produce they have helped to grow in cooking and food preparation, helping them experience more of the journey from planting and nurturing to preparing and tasting.
The EYFS prepares our children for school and our own Foundations for the Future model prepares children for life! We recognise the important role our practitioners have in developing the next generation of Influencers, Motivators, Explorers and Communicators.
We are committed to empowering, encouraging, inspiring and nurturing all children. preparing them for the future and embedding positive life skills, behaviours and attitudes.
.jpg?width=684&height=515&name=Foundations-For-the-Future-Pillars-(Temp-new-brand).jpg)
The people behind children's learning
Great early years education is not only about what children do. The relationships children build with the people caring for and supporting them shape how secure, confident and ready to learn they feel.
Our ME Model guides the behaviours and practices we expect across our nursery teams.
Understanding progress and planning next steps
Our nursery teams observe children as they play, communicate, explore and take part in daily routines. Those observations help us understand what children enjoy, what they are practising and where they may need a little more support or be ready for their next challenge.
By tracking development in a thoughtful, ongoing way, like through our GrandirUK app, we can plan next steps that feel achievable, relevant and shaped around each child’s pace.
