Foundation Stage – A Foundation For Life

In November 2003, the Mayor of London published a major report, researched and written by the journalist Polly Toynbee, on the state of nursery care in London. It found that children who get sub-standard nursery care, or no nursery care at all, tend to start school poorly prepared. It quotes David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools: 'The gap between the children arriving at school who do well and those who do badly is increasing and that is very worrying.' Some are getting better faster…that is the inevitable consequence of some children these days getting very good pre-school experience. Reception teachers are often struck by the huge differences in the five-year olds who arrive, their social background and parental aspirations already stamped on them almost indelibly – but now the difference is also in the quality of pre-school help they have had. He concludes that 'At 6 years old, education comes too late for many children, who are already on a trajectory towards under-achievement.'

This correlates with the findings of EPPE – the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education Project. They have shown that among children of the same background, the intellectual, cognitive, social and behavioural results were remarkably better for those with the best early years start. They found that where staff had the highest qualifications and where the children started youngest the results were best. They also cautioned against nurseries that were pleasing to the eye but where nothing happened all day.

Ofsted's Guidelines for Foundation Stage education (3 to 5 years) provide a benchmark for desirable standards in pre-school education, but it is up to individual nurseries whether they follow these guidelines or not. Happy Times is committed not just to following the guidelines, but to exceeding the desirable standards, and equipping children with the intellectual, cognitive, social and behavioural skills they need to fulfil their potential at school.
Although our curriculum is informed by Ofsted's Guidelines, it is unique to Happy Times. We approach the six main areas of development identified by Ofsted with our own blend of educational focus, creativity, individual attention, collective fun and partnership with parents: We call this Happy Mind™, a blend of education and development unique to Happy Times.