Grove School
Early Years at Grove
Welcome to Early Years at Grove - where your child’s journey begins.
At Grove, we know that the early years of a child’s life provide the foundations for everything that follows. Our children learn in a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment where they are known as individuals, encouraged to be curious and supported to become confident, resilient and independent learners.
Through purposeful play, carefully planned teaching and high-quality interactions with adults, children develop the knowledge, language and skills they need to flourish in Reception, throughout school and beyond.
Our vision is to develop happy, confident and curious children, growing together without limits.
Our learning environment
Our Early Years environment is a happy, nurturing and stimulating place where children feel safe, valued and excited to learn. We provide carefully planned indoor and outdoor spaces that encourage curiosity, independence, creativity and exploration.
Through a balance of child-initiated play and adult-led experiences, children are supported to develop confidence, build relationships and discover the world around them.
Our outdoor environment provides opportunities to explore, investigate, take risks and develop physical skills.
A day in the life.
8:30am – A warm welcome
Children arrive, settle into the classroom, greet their friends and take part in a relaxed Toast and Talk activity. This helps children feel secure, develop communication skills and prepare for the day ahead.
9:00am – Phonics
Children take part in an engaging whole-class phonics session following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. They learn to read, write and apply new sounds with confidence.
9:30am – Explore and Learn
Children enjoy a carefully planned range of indoor and outdoor learning experiences. Through play, exploration and adult interactions, they follow their interests, develop new skills and deepen their understanding of the world around them.
10:45am – Reading
Children participate in small-group reading sessions, developing their decoding, fluency, comprehension and enjoyment of books.
11:30am – Lunchtime
Children enjoy lunch with their friends while developing independence, confidence and important social skills.
12:30pm – Maths
Children take part in an adult-led maths session, building strong foundations in number, pattern, shape and problem-solving through practical and engaging activities.
1:00pm – Toothbrushing
Children brush their teeth, learning how to care for their smiles and develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
1:15pm – Afternoon adventures
The afternoon is filled with exciting learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors. Children continue to explore, create, investigate and collaborate while taking part in adult-led and child-initiated activities across the curriculum.
2:45pm – Story Time and Reflection
We come together to share a story, celebrate achievements and reflect on the day's learning. This special time helps children develop a love of reading and strengthens our classroom community.
3:15pm – Home Time
We say goodbye to the children and look forward to another exciting day of learning and discovery at Grove.
Every day in Reception is carefully designed to balance structured teaching with purposeful play, ensuring children are happy, confident and curious learners.
Ambition for every child
Every child is welcomed, valued and included at Grove. We take time to get to know each child, recognising their individual strengths, experiences and needs.
If a child needs additional help, we work closely with families, our SENDCO and other professionals to provide the right support as early as possible. This might include adapting the environment, using pictures and visual prompts, introducing new vocabulary, breaking learning into manageable steps or giving children extra time to practise.
We have high expectations for every child. Our aim is to help all children take part, communicate confidently, become increasingly independent and experience success. Click the link below to read more about what we teach in Development Matters.
Partnering with parents
Stay and Play.
We offer a stay and play session each week from birth to 4.
Our Stay and Play sessions provide a valuable opportunity for children aged 0-4 to explore, play
and build confidence in a nurturing environment, while parents develop relationships with school staff and other families, helping everyone feel connected and prepared for a positive start to school.
Parental workshops
Our parental workshops provide families with the knowledge, skills and confidence to support their child's learning at home. Covering Reading & Phonics, Talk & Play, Screen Time and Maths, these sessions help create strong home-school partnerships that promote children's communication, wellbeing and academic success.
Book bags
Some of the most important learning happens at home. By sharing books together through our book bag scheme, parents help nurture their child's language, imagination, confidence and enjoyment of reading.
Arrange a visit or apply for a place
We would love to show you what makes Grove such a special place to learn and grow. If you would like to arrange a visit or apply for a place, please contact the school office and our team will be happy to assist you.