7 Areas of Learning

Our nursery practitioners carefully plan learning and activities through 7 areas of learning, ensuring that planning is unique and individual to each child to meet their individual needs.

The 7 areas of learning are split in to three ‘Prime’ areas of learning and four ‘Specific’ areas of learning. The prime areas are important because they lay the foundations for children’s success in all areas of learning and of life:

Communication and Language
Personal, Social and Emotional
Physical

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. The specific areas provide the range of experiences and opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills:

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Art and Design

Personal, social and emotional development is one of the three prime areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This area supports children in developing a strong, positive sense of themselves, and of others. PSED supports children in learning how to get on with others and make friends, understand and talk about feelings as well as how to effectively manage them.

Communication and language is one of the three prime areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment, to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves, and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Physical development is one of the three prime areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

This area of learning encourages children to be interactive and active in their learning and develop control, coordination and movement. They are supported in understanding the importance of physical activity and how to make informed healthy choices at mealtimes.

Writing, along with reading, makes up literacy, and is one of the four specific areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This area encourages children to link sounds and letters and begin to read and write. Children have access to a wide range of reading materials such as books, poems and other written materials which is very important in order to ignite their interest in reading and writing.

Mathematics is one of the four specific areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Children are provided with opportunities to develop and improve counting skills, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems and to describe shapes, space and measures.

Understanding the world is one of the four specific areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This area Involves supporting children in making sense of the world around them and their community by providing opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

Expressive arts and design is one of the four specific areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Expressive Arts and Design involves supporting children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas, and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.