Our aim is to provide a happy, secure environment for your child to develop socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Learning is an active and enjoyable process and the experience of a place in our setting will provide a solid base for the next steps in your child's education.

We aim to give children lots of first-hand opportunities to learn about themselves, each other and the world around them. The Early Years curriculum has an emphasis on developing children's skills through motivational and engaging topics. We value how each child learns and build upon their knowledge and interests.

At St. John’s Infant and Nursery School, we aim to provide a balance between:
* Adult-led activities which may have specific learning objectives
* Child initiated learning provides opportunities for children to take control and extend their own learning. 

Children will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

These prime areas are those most essential for a child’s healthy development and future learning. 

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding of the world
• Expressive Arts and Design

At St John's, children in the Early Years learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside. Children have free access to an indoor and outdoor area where they initiate their own play. They also take part in adult led activities. Outdoor play takes place all year round and in all weathers.