Our Approach to Learning
The EYFS Statutory Framework sets out the standards that all early years providers must meet, while Development Matters offers detailed curriculum guidance, including “checkpoints” that highlight typical development for each age. At SPLAT, these documents shape our foundation, but it is how we bring them to life that makes the difference.
For us, learning begins with play, exploration, and the natural world. Through our Forest School ethos and innovative teaching, children experience real-life, hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and builds lasting skills. From understanding ecosystems, growing and preparing food, and exploring woodwork and fire safety, to embracing creativity, robotics, and self-directed projects, every opportunity is designed to nurture freedom, responsibility, and resilience.
We enrich both minds and bodies through nutrition and love, ensuring children are cared for holistically as they grow and learn. Mindfulness and wellbeing are also at the heart of our approach, helping children develop emotional awareness, balance, and a sense of calm alongside their learning. Enriched extra-curricular activities, including languages, yoga, and creative arts, further expand early learning opportunities, giving every child the chance to discover their passions and talents.
We are proudly inclusive of all children, with child-led support and direction guiding our practice, because at SPLAT, the children are our leaders. We build strong foundations for school readiness and work in close partnership with families and external professionals to ensure every child receives the support they need to thrive.
We believe in offering children experiences that are risky and challenging, helping them stretch to the very edge of their zone of proximal development. By doing so, they gain the confidence to problem-solve, lead, and innovate.
From our very youngest babies through to our school leavers, this is learning for the future, not the past. Our children are prepared to step into the world ahead as leaders, travellers, entrepreneurs, and resilient individuals, ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Holistic, Purposeful Play
From their very first days in our baby room, children are supported to build strong emotional foundations: secure attachments, communication, movement, sensory exploration, and early self-regulation. As they grow, we enrich every area of the EYFS and prepare them for the Early Learning Goals, not through pressure, but through holistic, purposeful play that is exciting, meaningful, and joyful. There is absolutely no competition to see who can write their name the fastest; instead, our focus is on the whole child, with wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.
Our child-centred approach is strengthened by low staff-to-child ratios, enabling bespoke care and personalised learning for every child. The outdoors is central to our practice, with daily opportunities for purposeful play in parks, lakes, woodland, and our own private forest, as well as trips into the wider community, from shops to local landmarks. These experiences build cultural capital, broaden horizons, and help children connect learning to the world around them. By combining wellbeing, nature, and real-life experiences, we nurture independence, resilience, and curiosity, ensuring children are not only school-ready but truly life-ready.Thoughtful Curriculum, Tailored Practice
At SPLAT, we use Development Matters 2017 as a supportive tool for staff learning and parental understanding. We are clear that milestones are guides, not deadlines, as every child develops at their own pace between 0–5 years. Our approach combines the EYFS Statutory Framework, Forest School principles, and the Playwork Principles, enriched by leading early years theories including Reggio Emilia’s child-led ethos, Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, Froebel’s play-based learning, McMillan’s focus on outdoor wellbeing, and Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Together, these influences shape an approach that values individuality, experience, and the power of play.
Our leadership are currently working on developing our own in-house curriculum that embeds how we grow from nature, real-life experiences, and innovative practice while embracing eco-learning for a sustainable future. It is designed to spark excitement, revive lost life skills such as cooking, sewing, and woodwork, and balance them with futuristic skills like digital literacy. Mindfulness, wellbeing, and emotional growth run throughout, ensuring children are nurtured holistically. Above all, our vision is to create ambitious, confident, kind, and resilient children, not only ready for the future but thriving in the present.
Learning Beyond Walls
At SPLAT, outdoor learning isn’t reserved for sunny days, it’s part of who we are, all year round. With the right clothing, there is very little reason children cannot be outside, exploring, learning, and thriving in every season. Alongside our dedicated Forest School classroom, vast nursery garden, and beautiful grounds, children also benefit from the Forest School ethos being embedded indoors. The values of exploration, curiosity, resilience, and discovery flow through every activity, ensuring that Forest School is not just something we do, it is part of everything we are. We are proud to be the only Forest School nursery in Central Bedfordshire, with children enjoying regular access to 0.6 acres of private woodland. Here, they climb, build, cook on fires, take measured risks, and create memories that shape their lifelong connection to nature. Our honeybees add another dimension to learning, teaching children about ecosystems, pollination, and sustainability while fostering gentleness and bravery. Beyond our woodland, the wider community offers six parks, four lakes, local shops, an agricultural hub, and even the chance to observe the development of a new commercial estate, all of which provide real-world learning, cultural capital, and a strong sense of belonging.
Inclusive Support & Ambitious Expectations
We are proudly inclusive and hold ambitious expectations for every child. Each child is unique, developing at their own pace, some may need more support, while others are ready to stretch further. Children with gifted talents are encouraged to thrive at their own level, not limited by the pace of others. With low ratios and an experienced team, we provide bespoke care, including 1:1 support when needed. Our SENDCo works closely with families and practitioners to identify needs early and, where appropriate, ensure EHCPs are in place for school. We also work with external professionals such as health visitors, speech and language therapists, and the local authority inclusion officer so children receive the right support at the right time. Our practice has been recognised as exemplary by the local authority, and we are regularly used as a model of best practice. Our ethos keeps us inclusive of all children’s needs and abilities. With a child-centred approach, because at SPLAT, the children are our leaders, we partner closely with parents and maintain strong links with both local state and independent schools. We focus on school readiness in the broadest sense: building confidence, independence, resilience, and social and emotional skills, while ensuring additional needs are met. Our ambition is for every child to feel seen, valued, and supported, and for every family to feel confident their child has been given the very best start.
Building Brains & Futures
We offer opportunities beyond most, helping children activate and strengthen areas of the brain that might otherwise remain untapped at this age. These experiences lay the foundations for advanced thinking, empathy, and communication skills that last a lifetime. Mindfulness and wellbeing are not extras, they are woven into the very fabric of our nursery for children, families, and staff. Through practical, hands-on learning, children gain essential life skills that build independence and responsibility. Forest School plays a key role, engaging both sides of the brain to strengthen focus, problem-solving, and creativity. In today’s busy world, working with their hands in a calm, purposeful way supports a relaxed state of mind, allowing the hippocampus to process, store, and embed learning. Alongside this, we embrace innovation through digital exploration, ensuring children develop both technological literacy and natural resilience. In an AI-driven world, they need, and here they receive, a balanced, forward-thinking education that nurtures both heart and mind.
Partnerships with Parents
At SPLAT, we know that secure attachments with parents and carers are the foundation for every child’s wellbeing and learning. Together with parents, we build confident, happy children by creating a nurturing environment where they feel safe, valued, and supported. You can be assured that we do everything possible to provide the very best outcomes for your child, while giving you peace of mind and confidence in us. We see parents as co-educators and believe your knowledge of your child’s interests, routines, and family life is invaluable. This shared insight allows us to personalise learning and lay strong, individualised foundations for each child. Through our Famly Hub, you’ll receive daily updates, photos, learning stories, and tailored activity ideas linked to what matters most to your child , whether that’s a new sibling, a fascination with tractors, or a special family trip. By working in close partnership, we keep you informed, connected, and supported, ensuring that home and nursery work hand in hand to help your child thrive.
School-Ready & World-Ready
At SPLAT, we see school readiness as more than just learning letters and numbers, it’s about nurturing confident, resilient, and independent children who are ready to take their next step. Through child-led learning, real-life experiences, and opportunities to build social and emotional skills, we prepare children not only to be ready for school, but to thrive once they get there.
Parents, teachers, and external professionals regularly commend our approach, often describing us as a model of excellence in early years education. With strong links to both local and independent schools, we ensure your child is not only ready for the transition but also recognised and known, giving them the very best start to their educational journey.
The Magic In Action
Witness it for yourselves – curiosity, creativity, and children learning, playing, and thriving.
