At Jolly Tots we are committed to giving children the best start in life. We provide a safe, nurturing ‘home from home’ environment in which all children are encouraged to explore and learn through play, progressing at a pace which suits them individually. We follow the EYFS statutory framework (DfE, 2025) and use Development Matters (DfE, 2023) to compliment and plan next steps for the children in our care. We provide children with a wide range of stimulating activities which ignite their interests and imagination, helping children become engaged, motivated and critical thinkers. Our highly experienced staff team skilfully distinguish which learning opportunities are best suited to be child-led (with adult interaction to scaffold learning) and where a more adult-directed approach is needed whilst focusing on the seven areas of learning:
The three prime areas of learning equip children with key skills which they will use throughout their lives to learn and thrive as individuals.
Communication and Language underpins all other areas of learning. We focus heavily on providing a language rich environment in which children are learning new vocabulary every day.
The emphasis is on building warm, nurturing and trusting relationships with the children. They are encouraged to explore and understand their own feelings and those of others as they begin to form friendships with their peers and become more independent in preparation for starting school.
Physical activity enables children to thrive and lead healthy, happy and active lifestyles. We provide children with plenty of opportunities to learn outside where they can explore gross-motor movements developing their confidence, strength and coordination. We also offer a wide variety of different activities and tools in which children practice their fine motor skills alongside hand-eye coordination, in preparation for learning to write.
As children progress within the prime areas of learning, they begin to explore the four specific areas of learning further.
Children at Jolly Tots are encouraged to develop a life-long love of reading. Stories are shared regularly throughout the day across all age groups and in the outdoor learning areas, whether this be on a 1:1 basis or as a small group activity. Our older children are encouraged to explore phonological awareness through letter sounds, rhymes and songs.
Much like literacy, it is important to foster a love for mathematics at an early age. Children explore mathematical concepts such as number, pattern, shape, space and measure in a way in which is exciting and enticing. We focus on building a deep understanding of the primary concepts to help equip children for all future mathematical learning they will encounter.
At Jolly Tots we build on children’s existing knowledge of the world around them. We are often spotted in the village exploring the local community such as the library, shops, duck pond and river. We plan activities around and discuss different cultural celebrations, which are also incorporated into our menus. We encourage parental involvement and welcome them into the setting to talk to the children about their profession or any special skills they are happy to share.
Beginning with sensory exploration in the baby room, the children at Jolly Tots are not afraid of getting messy. Throughout the nursery, children have access to a wide range of media and materials in which they can use their imagination to express themselves, often creating their own artwork.
Parents are the first and most important educators of their children. We believe that children benefit most from early years education and care when parents and nursery work in partnership together. Each child is assigned a key person who will build a strong relationship with each of their key children and families ensuring their individual needs are met and that every child feels safe, secure and confident in the nursery environment. The key person observes, assesses and plans activities to suit their individual interests and stage of development enabling them to extend their skills, knowledge and ability. A ‘Learning Journal’ is compiled which includes observations, pictures and artwork, it is a working document and we welcome parents to contribute. We offer termly ‘journal weeks’ and parents are welcome to look at their child’s journal at any time they wish. We pride ourselves on our strong communication with parents, and the staff look forward to hand over at the end of the day to chat about how the day has gone. If parents would like to speak to a member of staff about their child’s development or any concerns they may have in a child-free environment, we are more than happy to arrange an appointment at any time.
info@jollytotspreschool nursery.co.uk