Learn to play, play to learn
Our unique curriculum
We thoughtfully balance adult led activities with child initiated free play.
Activities are tailored to children’s needs and interests in line with the seven areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and its associated Characteristics of Effective Learning.
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‘Play acts as a forward-feed mechanism into courageous, creative, rigorous thinking in adulthood.’
Professor Tina Bruce
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Play-based learning
Play is at the heart of the RSG education.
Play as experimentation. Play in the sense that scientific research is play. Whether self-chosen or teacher-led, play allows your child to explore, experiment and think for themselves. Accordingly, we enable children to have easy access to materials and equipment.
Research clearly shows that young children benefit greatly from this freedom to choose. Their play — and therefore their intellectual, social and psychological development — becomes more complex, elaborate and sophisticated.
Group times
Usually with a group of around six children of similar age, group times are pre-planned adult-led activities with specific learning objectives in mind.
These sessions often include discussions, projects, and outings that are tailored to the interests of the children and follow the curriculum focus of that period.
Phonics and reading programme
Phonics (Letters and Sounds phase 1) begins when your child starts with us. Through songs, stories and rhymes, the children develop their ability to distinguish between sounds. This lays essential foundations for more formal literacy learning.
Reception age children learn the sounds of individual letters and some combinations of two-letter sounds, (Letter and Sounds phase 2&3). They also learn a series of key and tricky words. Our reading program uses a range of reading schemes. Each scheme has a structured set of books specifically designed for beginner readers.
Dance and movement
Dance is an integral part of our curriculum, offering children a chance to express themselves through movement. Children at Ready Steady Go dance every week.
These sessions support the development of many skills, including coordination, and spatial awareness.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Our curriculum is aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, which covers seven areas of learning.
These areas ensure a well-rounded development, fostering personal, social, and emotional growth, communication skills, physical development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
We incorporate the Characteristics of Effective Learning into our daily activities.
These characteristics—playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically—are the foundation for building strong learning habits in children.
Songs and singing
Singing is integrated throughout our daily routine. Songs and rhymes not only make learning enjoyable but also help develop language, rhythm, and mathematical understanding through repetitive patterns and sounds.
Songs and singing are a central element of our curriculum and the children’s day fostering children’s development in many ways. Rhyme helps children learn how to identify and match sounds, rhythm develops children’s speech, actions foster children’s physical skills and capabilities, and words develop language and maths.
Cooking
Cooking is a hands-on, educational activity that touches on multiple areas of learning, including math, science, and motor skills.
Children engage in planning, preparing, and cooking, which helps them understand processes and develop a sense of responsibility.
Outdoor learning and Forest School
Children spend a good deal of the day outdoors, in the local area and at their Forest School sessions.
We believe in the importance of connecting with nature, and our Forest School sessions provide children with opportunities to explore the natural world, take safe risks, and learn through hands-on experiences.
