EYFS - Nursery and Reception

At Hillcroft, we believe the Early Years is where the magic of learning begins and children can join us at Hillcroft from age 2. These initial few years shape children’s curiosity, confidence and love of school, so we have created an environment where every child feels safe, valued and excited to learn. For many children, Nursery or Reception is their first time away from home, and our priority is to help them feel happy, secure and ready to explore. Strong relationships from the start ensure a smooth, positive transition into school life.

Our Nursery and Reception curriculum follows the GLF wider curriculum, which prepares children beautifully for Key Stage 1. Through play, imagination and meaningful experiences, children grow socially, emotionally, physically and academically. Play is at the heart of everything we do. Whether building, creating, investigating or storytelling, children are encouraged to explore, take risks and make connections both inside and outside. Our free‑flow environment allows them to move between indoors and outdoors, choosing activities that inspire them.

In Reception we use Read Write Inc. (RWI) to give children a confident start to reading. Through short, daily sessions, they learn to recognise sounds, blend them into words and enjoy books that match their growing skills.

Our GLF writing curriculum builds the foundations young writers need. Each week, children take part in activities that strengthen speaking and listening and build the motor skills needed for writing. As the year progresses, they explore mark‑making, vocabulary, and purposeful writing opportunities matched to their stage of development.

In Early Years, we help children develop a confident understanding of number through playful, hands‑on experiences. In Reception, we use Mastering Number to build strong early number sense, while our GLF‑designed maths curriculum in Nursery follows the NCETM progression for counting, comparing, composing numbers, pattern, shape, space and measures.

Our Nursery team are:

Class Teacher

Class Name

Mrs Heaton

Fir

Fir Bus stop_2