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The Cornish Curriculum: A holistic approach to early years education
Creating a curriculum from scratch can be a daunting task. The fear of getting it wrong and failing the children we care so much about can hold us back. However, a talk by Jan Dubiel at a conference two years ago, gave me the confidence to take the plunge. After much reflection and deliberation, The Cornish Curriculum was born.
A curriculum rooted in childhood magic
The Cornish Curriculum is designed with the magic of childhood at its core. It fosters meaningful experiences, a deep connection with nature, and equips children with essential life skills. Our approach is grounded in research on brain development, child development theories, and years of hands-on experience with young children and their families.
Understanding early brain development
A child’s brain begins its development in the womb, and by birth, it is only a quarter of its adult size. Astonishingly, it doubles in size within the first year, reaching 80% of adult size by age three and 90% by age five. These early years are crucial for brain growth, making it imperative to create an environment that nurtures holistic development.
Project-based and seasonal learning
We embrace project-based learning and a seasonal curriculum, allowing children to explore their interests through inquiry-based learning. Our projects evolve over time, delving deeper into areas of curiosity while recognising that all aspects of child development are interconnected (hear more about this in the podcast episode).
Nurturing the whole child
At the heart of our curriculum is the commitment to nurturing each child’s body, mind, and soul. A child’s wellbeing forms the foundation of their early experiences, influencing their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. Our curriculum is ambitious, ensuring all children—including those with additional needs—receive the support and encouragement they need to thrive.
Inspirational educators and a supportive team
A strong, knowledgeable, and well-supported team is crucial in delivering high-quality early education. Investment in professional development fosters emotionally responsive caregivers who ensure that the curriculum and ethos are embedded in daily practice.
The power of outdoor learning
The Naturally Learning ethos flourishes in outdoor environments. Children thrive when given the opportunity to explore the natural world. Our curriculum incorporates outdoor classrooms, forest school principals, and wild spaces to encourage independent, resilient learners. Time spent in nature—whether in forests, parks, rivers, or beaches—offers abundant learning opportunities and fosters a lifelong appreciation for the environment.
Indoor environments that inspire
Indoor spaces should be calm, inviting, and rich with sensory opportunities. Thoughtfully designed environments spark awe and wonder, providing children with treasures to investigate and explore. We also prioritise peaceful spaces for rest and reflection, understanding the vital role of sleep and quiet time in a child’s development.
Building meaningful partnerships with families
Strong relationships between educators and families are key to a child’s development. Our partnerships begin before a child even starts nursery, ensuring a shared understanding of their unique needs. By involving parents in the learning process and openly sharing educational intentions, we create a collaborative approach that benefits each child.
Sustainability: A core ethos
Sustainability is woven throughout our curriculum. We believe that teaching children to respect and care for the planet from an early age fosters a deep-rooted connection to the natural world. By engaging in ecological activities like planting, growing, and harvesting, children develop sustainable habits that will last a lifetime.
The threads of learning
We have developed key threads of learning that align naturally with our ethos, ensuring a well-rounded, holistic approach to education. These threads are:
- Wellbeing:We believe that wellbeing is essential for young children to lead healthy and happy lives. Secure caregiver-child relationships lay the foundation for emotional and cognitive development. Responsive, consistent care helps children regulate emotions and thrive. This has a positive impact on the child’s neurological, physiological and psychosocial development
- Communication:Language comprehension begins at birth, and fostering strong communication skills supports all areas of learning and development. Educators build children’s language effectively, by reading frequently to them, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes, and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words. Through conversation, educators support and model language, using sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate and extend vocabulary.
- Developmental movement:Young children move continuously, not because they can’t keep still but because they need to. We need to understand what children’s bodies need and why. Movement is essential for children’s neurological and physical development. Understanding sensory integration helps us support individual movement needs.
- The arts:Engaging with the arts nurtures creativity, self-expression, and cultural awareness, enriching children’s vocabulary and communication skills. The quality and variety of what children see, hear and participate in is crucial for developing their understanding, self-expression, vocabulary and ability to communicate through the arts.
- STEM:Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are naturally integrated into children’s play, fostering curiosity and problem-solving skills. Children have an instinctive need to ask questions, explore their surroundings, and figure out how things work. In an ever-evolving world, STEM shapes vital lasting skills, such as critical thinking, language, communication, collaboration and problem-solving
- Sustainability:Teaching environmental responsibility from an early age instils lifelong respect for the planet and an understanding of climate change. Climate change is an important part of the Naturally Learning Ethos as well as an international issue that requires a global and cross-generational approach to resolve. Teaching and practicing sustainability should start in the early years. Educating children on sustainability from the earliest age promotes awareness and creates lifelong habits. We must allow children to play and wallow in nature and inspire their love for it. If they learn to love it they will choose to protect it. Through teaching children about the flora and fauna of their world and by engaging them in the authentic ecological opportunity of planting, growing and harvesting, sustainability will become a natural part of children’s thinking.
- Cornish connection:Children develop a sense of belonging by exploring their community, starting with their immediate surroundings and expanding to a broader understanding of the world. As children grow and develop, they begin to make sense of their physical world and their community. Their personal experiences from home form the foundations of their knowledge and sense of belonging to their family and immediate community. As they embark upon their nursery journey, their sense of belonging broadens as they form key relationships with educators and peers, and become a part of the nursery community.
Conclusion
The Cornish Curriculum is more than an educational framework—it is a way of nurturing young minds to become confident, independent, and environmentally conscious individuals. By embracing nature, fostering strong relationships, and embedding meaningful learning experiences, we are preparing children for a lifetime of curiosity, resilience, and success.
Key takeaways
- The Cornish Curriculum is rooted in local identity and holistic development:
Developed by the Naturally Learning team, this curriculum integrates Cornwall’s natural and cultural heritage with a child-centred, developmental approach that prioritises wellbeing, connection, and curiosity. - Wellbeing and brain development underpin every element:
With a strong grounding in neuroscience and child development theory, the curriculum ensures that the emotional and physiological needs of children are met through responsive, nurturing care. - Outdoor learning and sustainability are central threads:
The curriculum incorporates forest school principles, wild spaces, and ecological responsibility as everyday learning experiences—instilling a deep connection with nature and sustainable values from an early age. - The ‘threads of learning’ offer a rich, integrated framework:
Seven interconnected strands—wellbeing, communication, developmental movement, the arts, STEM, sustainability, and the Cornish connection—guide educators in creating meaningful, child-led learning opportunities. - Educator expertise and family partnerships are key to implementation:
The curriculum’s success relies on a knowledgeable team, continuous professional development, and collaborative relationships with families that begin before children start nursery.
Critical considerations
- How can educators in different regions meaningfully incorporate local identity into their curriculum without tokenism or exclusion?
- In what ways might dominant definitions of ‘school readiness’ limit children’s individual developmental journeys—and how might alternative interpretations shift practice?
- What practical barriers exist to embedding outdoor and sustainability-focused education in diverse settings (e.g., urban or under-resourced environments)?
- How can we meaningfully introduce diversity and inclusion in areas that are perceived as ‘non-diverse’, and avoid reinforcing stereotypes or cultural generalisations?
- To what extent are educators supported to critically reflect on their role within curriculum design, and how can leadership foster autonomy and confidence in doing so?
Further reading
Curriculum Progression in the EYFS – Stronger Practice Hub – Jan Dubiel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYN5R7heg3A
Designing and developing a curriculum in the EYFS:
Watch the full podcast episode
About the author
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