We believe that a true sense of belonging is the foundation of all learning.

• Intergenerational Community Links: We take pride in our regular visits to the elderly within our community. These heart-warming interactions foster empathy, build social confidence, and allow children to connect with different generations, sharing stories and experiences that enrich their emotional intelligence.
• A Robust Key-Person System: Providing a consistent, supportive anchor for every child and a primary point of contact for families.
• Inclusive Environments: Our setting reflects and celebrates the diverse cultures and identities of our families, ensuring every child sees themselves represented and valued.

Children flourish when their wellbeing is nurtured through a deep connection to nature.

• Weekly Nature Learning: Every week, our children head out for dedicated nature sessions. These structured yet exploratory lessons allow them to track the changing seasons, identify local wildlife, and use natural materials for creative problem-solving. This consistency builds physical resilience and a lifelong respect for the environment.
• Our Gardening Hub: We take a “seed to plate” approach in our gardening area. By planting, nurturing, and harvesting their own produce, children develop fine motor skills, mathematical concepts of measure, and an understanding of sustainability.

Continuous Provision & Child-Initiated Play:

• The Environment as the “Third Teacher”: Our indoor and outdoor spaces offer high-quality resources that are always accessible, adapted to ensure children of all abilities can practice independence.
• Child-Led Discovery: We protect the time for children to lead their own learning. By following their sparks of interest, children develop the persistence and “active learning” traits essential for future success.

Achievement is defined by the progress every child makes from their individual starting point.

• Purposeful Adult-Led Learning: Our practitioners lead playful, focused sessions to introduce new concepts and skills. These are carefully differentiated to ensure every child is challenged at the right level.
• Responsive Planning and SEND Support: For children with SEND, we work closely with families and external professionals to adapt our teaching, ensuring equal access to our rich curriculum.
• Language-Rich Interactions: We prioritize communication for all, ensuring children—including those with English as an additional language—have the tools and support to express themselves and be heard.

Our curriculum seamlessly integrates the EYFS Prime and Specific areas. While Communication, Physical Development, and PSED form our foundation, they provide the essential tools for children to master Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts.

Our curriculum is not a static document, but a living practice delivered by expert practitioners who understand when to step in and when to step back.

• Scaffolded Teaching: In both child-initiated play and adult-led sessions, staff use “scaffolding”—providing just enough support to help a child reach the next level of a task without doing it for them.
• Narrating & Modelling: We use language-rich strategies, such as narrating a child’s actions and modelling high-level vocabulary, to turn every moment—from snack time to gardening—into a learning opportunity.
• Assessment with Purpose: We use regular, meaningful observations to track progress. This allows us to quickly identify any gaps in learning and implement interventions or “targeted cycles of support” immediately.

The success of our curriculum is measured by the flourishing of the “whole child.” By the time a child leaves Perins Pre-School:

• Confident Communicators: They can express their needs, feelings, and ideas clearly, possessing a rich vocabulary sparked by their community and nature experiences.
• Resilient Learners: Through “safe risk-taking” outdoors and trial-and-error in play, our children develop the “Characteristics of Effective Learning”—they don’t give up when things get move difficult.
• Socially Responsible Citizens: Having visited the elderly and cared for their own garden, our children show high levels of empathy, respect, and an understanding of their role in the wider community.
• Academic Readiness: They possess the foundational counting, and fine-motor skills required to transition seamlessly into Reception, arriving with a “can-do” attitude toward formal schooling.
• Equity of Progress: Most importantly, the “gap” is closed. Every child, including those with SEND or from disadvantaged starting points, makes significant, progress from their first day with us.

What we want our children to know and be able to do.

Communication and Language

• By Age 3: To have the confidence to express needs and “point and name” objects found in nature. To follow simple instructions during local walks and join in with repetitive community songs or nursery rhymes.
• By School Age: To become “storytellers” who can explain the lifecycle of a plant they grew. To hold a back-and-forth conversation with a visitor or an elderly friend, using a rich vocabulary of “nature words” (e.g., observe, habitat, harvest).

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

• By Age 3: To feel safe enough to explore the outdoor environment away from their Key Person. To begin to notice others’ feelings, such as being gentle when touching a worm or meeting a new person.
• By School Age: To show high levels of empathy and respect for different generations. To manage their own risks (e.g., “Is this log safe to balance on?”) and show resilience when a task, like building a den or planting a seed, doesn’t work the first time.

Physical Development

• By Age 3: To develop “toddler strength”—climbing small mounds in nature and using a “palmar grasp” to hold large gardening tools. To begin to manage their own clothing for outdoor play (e.g., pulling on wellies).
• By School Age: To have the core strength and balance to navigate uneven forest terrain. To demonstrate fine-motor precision, such as using “pincer grip” tools to plant tiny seeds or using scissors to create art inspired by the community.

Literacy

• By Age 3: To enjoy “environmental print” (noticing signs and symbols on community walks). To handle books with care and enjoy stories about animals and the natural world.
• By School Age: To see themselves as writers by “marking making” in the mud or writing labels for their garden vegetables. To recognize that print carries meaning, from the names of flowers to the names of people in their community.

Mathematics

• By Age 3: To begin to use number words during play (e.g., “I found two leaves”). To understand “big and small” through sorting natural treasures like stones and acorns.
• By School Age: To count reliably to 10 and beyond using natural loose parts. To understand shapes and patterns in nature (spirals, symmetry) and use mathematical language like “heavier/lighter” when weighing garden produce.

 Understanding the World

• By Age 3: To show curiosity about the “living world” around them. To notice the immediate community, such as the post box or the local shop, and recognize familiar people.
• By School Age: To understand the effect of the seasons on their local environment. To know that they are part of a wider community and have a basic understanding of different occupations and the importance of caring for the planet.

Expressive Arts and Design

• By Age 3: To explore textures (mud, sand, bark) and make sounds with natural instruments. To engage in “pretend play” based on their own experiences, like “cooking” in the mud kitchen.
• By School Age: To use natural materials creatively to represent their ideas (e.g., transient art with petals). To take part in collaborative role-play, such as “visiting the doctors” or “working in the garden centre,” reflecting their community experiences.