Education and development
At the University of Bradford Nursery, we have developed our own bespoke curriculum, tailored specifically to our setting and the needs of our children.
Our approach is guided by our Nursery Values of Respect, Inclusion, Trust and Excellence, the Overarching Principles, the Characteristics of Effective Teaching & Learning, and the Fundamental British Values, ensuring a rich, nurturing, and inclusive environment.
How we deliver our curriculum
Our curriculum is centred around our five Enrichments, which reflect the broad skills and knowledge children need to build strong foundations for the future, and is fully aligned with the seven educational programmes of the EYFS.
Every child is recognised as unique, arriving with different experiences and cultural capital, and we build on their existing knowledge and abilities through high-quality play, responsive interactions, and engaging learning opportunities.
Our bespoke curriculum is supported by a detailed handbook and an individual progress tracker, enabling key persons to carefully monitor each child’s development, identify next steps, and plan personalised experiences.
Through a combination of child-led exploration, in-the-moment planning, and adult-guided activities, we ensure that every child thrives, develops confidence, curiosity, and independence, and is fully supported to reach their potential.
Additional support
We understand that at times, children may need some extra support in a particular developmental area. We offer 5 minutes daily time sessions to children who require support for their communication and language skills. This involves a staff member offering one-to-one support during the daily routine. Staff will use early interaction techniques to support, which include sitting at the child’s level and encourage eye contact.
We have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) within the setting who works directly with outside agencies liaising with other professionals such as GP’s, Health Visitors, Paediatricians, Speech and Language Therapists, Oral Health Teams and Access and Inclusion Officers as part of multiagency working.
Through working together, we are able to provide more individualised and tailored support for children, if required, to ensure that all children have the support they need to progress well.
Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is exemplary.
Ofsted Report, August 2025
Assessment
Our staff use photographic collages and monthly written summaries to document children’s progress and emerging interests through the secure online journaling system, Blossom Educational.
Over time, this creates a detailed record of each child’s experiences during their time with us. At the end of each term, we gather developmental data using our bespoke tracking tool, alongside staff’s professional knowledge, to assess children’s current developmental levels, identify any gaps or areas of concern, and inform cohort tracking.
Our team works closely with parents and carers to build strong relationships and understand home learning, ensuring this information helps us plan personalised support and experiences for every child.
Gaps in development
We are committed to reflecting on our provision, and considering what areas are working well and if there are any areas for improvement.
As part of this process, we engage in termly cohort tracking for each unit to assess whether there are any gaps in learning and consider ways to develop this. Each Nursery Room Leader will assess provision and look for specific ways to promote development within those areas.
Parents and carers are the primary caregivers, and we pride ourselves on developing positive partnerships, working together to promote development holistically and provide a consistent approach between the home and nursery environment.
As part of this, we offer home learning challenges which address specific areas for development that term, derived from the cohort tracking data. We also offer home visits, parent committee meetings, parental workshops and stay and play sessions to try to encourage parental involvement across all aspects of nursery life.
Transitions
Transitions play an important role throughout the early years and beyond as children encounter new experiences and learn to adapt to changes within their lives.
Transitions can be viewed as a process or journey and it can take time to adapt to new faces, environments and routines. As such, we feel it is important not to rush transitional periods and allow children to have time to get used to their new environments at their own pace.
There are various transitions that a child may encounter during their early education such as:
- Settling in – When a child first attends the setting
- Room to room transition – When a child moves from one room to the next
- Other settings – When a child attends two settings or moves from one setting to another
- Nursery to school transition – When a child moves on to Reception
We believe that transitions play a key role in providing children with the best start in life for their early education. We engage with parents/carers, other education providers and other professionals to support these transitional processes.
Outings
We aim to provide children with experiences throughout their journey with us at Nursery, enhancing their cultural capital. We believe it is important to ensure all children who attend our nursery are equally exposed to the wider community opportunities. Our outings locations include:
- National Science and Media Museum
- Local parks and nature walks
- Library
- Animal farm
- Airport
- Bus and train station
- Local places of worship
- Local supermarkets
All outings are risk assessed and ratios are maintained, ensuring that there are always experienced staff within the group.
As we are a University Nursery, we believe it is important for our children to have experiences that support their development within the University campus, including visits to our:
- Hedgehog reserve
- Beehives
- STEM building (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
- Herb gardens
- Areas to hold events such as Easter egg hunt, teddy bears picnic, Graduation and Christmas concert
