The Cambridge Early Years Curriculum, and why it’s different
We chose the Cambridge Early Years Curriculum because it matched something we already believed. Over years of watching how children actually learn at their own pace, through play, through hands-on discovery, we wanted a framework that could hold that philosophy structurally. Cambridge Early Years, developed by Cambridge International Education, part of the University of Cambridge, gave us that: a way to structure our existing approach with the depth of an internationally recognised early years framework, used by schools in more than 160 countries, while keeping everything we’ve always believed about how a child should be taught intact.
6 areas, and how they actually show up in a Classroom
Communication, Language and Literacy
Stories, songs, conversation, and the Jolly Phonics program for reading and writing readiness. In practice: your child is building vocabulary through daily read-alouds and phonics-based sound games, not worksheets.
Mathematics
Number sense, patterns, and measurement, taught through Montessori materials designed specifically for mathematical concepts. In practice: your child is sorting, counting, and building with physical materials before they ever see a number on a page.
Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, healthy routines, independence. In practice: Brain Gym, yoga, and structured sports sessions, plus everyday independence-building.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Confidence, friendships, emotional understanding. In practice: daily circle time and teacher-guided group play, where conflicts and feelings are talked through rather than managed away.
Understanding the World
Curiosity about nature, community, environment. In practice: field trips (Rangoli Gardens, local community spaces) and STEAM & inquiry-based activities that start from a child’s own question.
Creative Expression
Art, music, dance, role play. In practice: our Tālā Academy music partnership, alongside open-ended art and dramatic play, with no “correct” output expected.
How our Teachers are trained
Our teachers are trained by early years experts on a fortnightly basis, with a regular internal audit process . We believe that a strong preschool learning curriculum framework only matters if it is delivered consistently, classroom to classroom.
Why this preschool learning curriculum builds a stronger foundation
It would be easy to assume that “unhurried” and “internationally recognised curriculum” pull in different directions. Clearly, one sounds relaxed, the other sounds rigorous. At Little Red Hen, they’re the same thing. The Cambridge Early Years Curriculum doesn’t ask a three-year-old to perform on a schedule. It asks teachers to observe, over time, whether a child is genuinely grasping a concept before moving them forward. That’s what continuous observational assessment actually means in practice: no child is rushed past something they haven’t yet settled into, and no child is held back once they’re ready to move on.
How does Play Way and Montessori fit in the framework
Play Way and Montessori sit naturally inside our Cambridge preschool curriculum. Play Way gives children the room to arrive at understanding through their own exploration rather than instruction. Montessori’s hands-on materials let a mathematical concept be felt, counted, sorted, built – before it’s abstracted into a symbol on a page.
Jolly Phonics does the same for reading: sounds and stories before pressure to perform. None of these methods are about slowing a child down for its own sake. They’re about making sure what a child learns actually settles — genuinely understood, not just memorised for a test that was never coming anyway.
The result, over three to four years, isn’t a child who’s fallen behind an “accelerated” peer. It’s a child who has built each of the six areas on ground that’s actually solid, at a pace that was genuinely theirs. That’s the foundation an unhurried classroom is built to produce: not slower, just sturdier.
FAQs
Our preschool learning curriculum is developed and standardised by Cambridge International Education, part of the University of Cambridge, and used in schools across more than 160 countries. it is a defined, internationally consistent framework rather than an individual school’s own interpretation of “play-based learning.”
No formal tests. Assessment in this preschool learning curriculum is continuous and observational. Our teachers build a picture of each child’s development through daily observation of how they play, communicate, and solve problems.
Cambridge Early Years is the first stage of the wider Cambridge Pathway, used internationally – though specific school-to-school transitions should always be confirmed directly with the receiving school.
No. Little Red Hen’s core teaching methods – Play Way, Montessori materials, and Jolly Phonics – remain unchanged. Cambridge Early Years provides the structuring framework, not a different classroom experience.
Yes. The framework allows adjustments for a child’s individual pace and learning style, which is why Little Red Hen pairs it with hands-on Montessori and Play Way practice.
Curiosity about nature, people, community, and environment – delivered through field trips and STEAM & inquiry-based activities.
Yes, specifically for mathematical concepts – number, pattern, and measurement taught through hands-on materials, not worksheets.
Cambridge Early Years sits at the start of the broader Cambridge Pathway. Families considering a Cambridge-curriculum primary school should confirm continuity directly with that school.