The Early Years Foundation stage covers a child’s education from the age of 24 months to 5 years.
The classes may be divided into:

Group name

Age

Key objectives

Nursery

24 months – 36 months

Socialisation, separating from care-giver, fine & gross motor development, English through songs and flashcards, Italian through
instructions and stories, music & movement, art, indoor and outdoor play.

Preschool

3 – 4 years

Socialisation and sharing, gaining independence, fine motor skill development and manipulation, English immersion through stories,
instructions, flashcards and games, pre-writing & reading skills, pre-numeracy skills.

Reception

4 – 5 years

Learning classroom rules, introduction to phonics, reading and writing readiness, number quantity and recognition, supervised play,
explore, develop, imagine & investigate the world around me.

For more information about EYFS class formation criteria, click here

The teaching in all these areas primarily takes place through play and games. The children learn within an area designed to develop their skills, build confidence and ideas, think creatively and interact and communicate effectively with others. The Early Years curriculum will not feel like learning to the child, they will find themselves in an area of fun and play. Throughout this stage however they will be encouraged to develop speaking, listening, singing, movement, counting and story-telling. The play-based learning done in the Early Years setting will enable the child to progress smoothly into Year 1 and the start of Key Stage 1.


The Early Years learning focuses on 7 areas, divided between prime and specific areas of learning.

The prime areas are (click on each item to expand):

The specific areas of learning are: