Learning approach

The environment Hillside has been carefully developed and is seen as the third teacher after the Children and Practitioners and is set out with thought and consideration, it naturally invites children to actively engage and supports children’s holistic learning and development which in turn gives children the confidence to explore and learn in secure, safe, yet challenging indoor and outdoor spaces.  

• We have removed toys which have a set purpose and limit play and instead have a rich and varied environment full of open-ended resources, authentic materials and loose parts which provoke creativity, imagination, awe and wonder whilst enabling children the freedom and creativity to problem solve and extend their play in any way they choose. 

• We believe children are born with a natural curiosity, they want to discover and explore the world for themselves, therefore, at Hillside children are encouraged to be active participants and lead their own play based learning, at their own pace, in a unrushed, happy and confident way. 

• Our skilful practitioners facilitate and enhance children’s play and learning experiences by responding to children’s unique learning styles and interests; Provocations for learning are set up with intention, care, thought and consideration which in turn provide opportunities for children to engage in hands on experiences that challenge and enhance their learning and development. 

The Curiosity Approach

At Hillside Day Nursery, we are incredibly proud to share that our Potterswood site successfully achieved The Curiosity Approach Accreditation on 3rd September 2026. This is a fantastic milestone for our team and a reflection of the dedication and passion we bring to creating inspiring learning environments for our children.

Our journey doesn’t stop here—we will shortly be submitting our 43 Britannia Road site for accreditation, continuing our commitment to embedding this approach across all of our settings.

The Curiosity Approach has been at the heart of our ethos for some time. It focuses on creating rich, calming, and homely environments where children feel safe, inspired, and empowered to explore. Through carefully curated spaces and the use of open-ended, authentic resources, we encourage children’s natural curiosity, creativity, awe, and wonder.

Our passionate and reflective staff team continue to develop their professional knowledge, drawing inspiration from educational philosophies such as Reggio Emilia, Steiner, Te Whāriki, and Montessori. This ongoing development ensures we provide the highest quality learning experiences for every child.

As mindful practitioners, we place children at the centre of everything we do—supporting them to lead their own learning, develop their ideas, and build confidence in their thinking. We have already seen wonderful outcomes, with increased engagement, deeper levels of involvement, and calmer, more nurturing environments across our nursery rooms.

We are excited to continue this journey and to further enrich the experiences we offer to all children in our care.

Curriculum

Our skilled Early Years practitioners extend and scaffold each child’s learning using the In The Moment Planning approach.

This approach ensures a child is learning in the here and now and not two or three weeks down the line. This makes each child’s learning a very individual process and as everything is play-based often the children are learning without even realising it!

We track each child’s development and progress using Development Matters from the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Learning Diaries

Vibrant and interactive and secure, Tapestry is a simple and effective way for us to track your child’s learning and development and share their special moments and progress with you online.

Text, images and videos can be easily uploaded via PC, tablet or mobile app – anywhere there’s an online connection. Every entry helps to create a complete story of your child’s time at nursery.

You are also able to contribute to your child’s diary by adding your own pictures, video’s etc from home.

Children achieve their full potential when parents and professionals work together closely; therefore parents and carers are actively encouraged to regularly contribute to the planning and assessing process for their child.

When children leave our setting we can provide you with a permanent version of your child’s journal as a keepsake, either as a hard copy or on CD.