Intent

At Little Chestnuts Preschool, we have clear and ambitious intentions for what we want children to achieve. By building strong partnerships with parents and carers, we gain a deep understanding of each child’s starting points and any gaps in their learning. This enables us to shape our curriculum around their individual needs. Our highly qualified staff have a strong understanding of how children learn and develop, which is why we place a firm emphasis on the Prime Areas of Learning. We know that secure communication skills, personal, social and emotional development, and physical development form the foundation for future success.

Staff also have secure knowledge of the Characteristics of Effective Learning and prioritise teaching children to be resilient, to generate their own ideas and to feel a sense of pride in their achievements. At Little Chestnuts, we place great importance on helping children understand their emotions and supporting them to develop self‑regulation skills.

Implementation

We recognise the importance of knowledgeable, experienced practitioners in delivering our curriculum intentions. Staff speak clearly, model rich language and introduce new vocabulary at a high level. We maintain high expectations for behaviour, using clear explanations, modelling and visual prompts to support children in understanding what is expected. Higher‑achieving children are challenged through carefully planned activities that extend their thinking, while children who require additional support are closely observed and provided with timely, targeted intervention. All planning is flexible and responsive, ensuring it meets the needs of every child. Our curriculum is shaped by what children love and are interested in, and we value the insight parents bring. By listening to families and working collaboratively, we ensure that learning is meaningful, relevant and engaging.

Impact

Our observations show that children make very strong progress from their individual starting points through embedded, purposeful learning experiences. They demonstrate high levels of well‑being and involvement as they play, explore and interact with others.

Children show an increasing awareness of how to keep themselves safe and are confident in making choices about their play. Where age‑appropriate, children demonstrate good levels of comprehension and some begin to use letter sounds in early reading and writing. They also develop a secure understanding of early mathematical concepts appropriate to their stage of development.

Children with additional needs make excellent progress because we understand their individual requirements and provide meaningful, targeted learning experiences that enable them to thrive.