Early Years
At Priory, our Early Years is the beginning of a lifelong love of learning. We believe that every child deserves a childhood filled with curiosity, joy and possibility. Our curriculum is rooted in a deep understanding of child development and is shaped by the belief that every child is capable, unique and full of potential.
We offer a flexible and responsive curriculum that adapts to children’s interests, needs and starting points, ensuring that learning feels meaningful, personal and exciting. Through high-quality direct teaching in phonics, reading, writing and maths, we build strong foundations of knowledge and skill. Alongside this, we prioritise child-initiated learning through continuous provision—both indoors and outdoors—because we know children learn best when they are given time, space and trust to explore, wonder and lead their own learning.
Our environment is designed with purpose: to inspire curiosity, ignite imagination and give children ownership of their learning. Skilled practitioners use high-quality interactions to extend thinking, nurture language and recognise every moment as a teachable moment. Relationships sit at the heart of everything we do. From their very first day, children feel seen, valued and loved for who they are. Families are welcomed as partners, and we work together to celebrate every step of each child’s journey.
We want our children to believe in themselves, to embrace challenge, and to develop the characteristics of effective learning: to have curiosity to explore, resilience to keep trying and confidence to take risks. We equip our children not just for school, but for life—supporting them to become enthusiastic learners, kind friends, creative thinkers and positive contributors to their community.
At Priory, our children don’t just start school, they start their adventure!
Nursery and Reception Unit (3-5 years)
Our Early Years provision operates as a single mixed-age unit for children aged 3–5. Learning together in this way reflects real life: older children model language, problem-solving and social behaviours, while younger children gain confidence, inspiration and a sense of belonging. This mixed-unit structure enables:
- Strong, secure relationships with consistent adults over two years
- Smooth transitions and continuity of curriculum, without the “start again” feeling in Reception
- Deep knowledge of each child, allowing us to plan for individual progress rather than age-based expectations
- A rich community of learners, where collaboration, empathy and independence are nurtured daily
This approach aligns with current Ofsted expectations: practitioners know children exceptionally well, build on what they already know and can do, and ensure that the curriculum is coherent, sequenced and progressive. Our youngest children learn by watching experienced peers; our oldest children develop leadership, empathy and language through modelling.
More information regarding our Early Years can be found through the links below: