EYFS Storybook Curriculum

At St Luke's, our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Storybook Curriculum places high-quality, age-appropriate texts at the heart of our youngest children's learning. Guided by our vision, "With the love of God, Shine, Lead and Inspire!", we use carefully selected stories to support the teaching of the Development Matters across all areas of the EYFS curriculum, while systematically developing the children's vocabulary, language and story-telling skills.

We believe that stories have the power to inspire curiosity, spark imagination and create awe and wonder. Through our book-led approach, reading becomes a central focus of learning, helping children to develop confidence, creativity and a life-long love of books from an early age. This approach immerses children in rich language and meaningful discussion. Through shared stories and high-quality conversations, children are supported to make connections across their learning, deepen their understanding of the world around them, and grow in confidence as communicators, helping them to shine as learners, lead their own learning and be inspired through the love of books.

Please click on the links below to explore our Storybook Curriculum Overviews for each term.

Nursery Autumn Term 1 Nursery Autumn Term 2

Nursery Spring Term 1 Nursery Spring Term 2

Nursery Summer Term 1 Nursery Summer Term 2

Reception Autumn Term 1 Reception Autumn Term 2

Reception Spring Term 1 Reception Spring Term 2

Reception Summer Term 1 Reception Summer Term 2

*Termly overviews of the stories we cover are correct at the time of publication; however themes may change due to children's interests, ongoing assessments and the developmental needs of the current cohort.

EYFS Curriculum Progression

At St Luke’s, we want every child to feel confident and excited about learning as they move from Nursery into Reception. Our EYFS curriculum is carefully planned to ensure learning builds smoothly and progressively during these important early years.

We use Development Matters to guide our teaching and to understand how children learn and develop. Our progression documents show how skills and knowledge are introduced in Nursery and then developed and strengthened in Reception, helping children to be well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

The progression documents are used by staff to plan our Storybook curriculum. High-quality stories are carefully chosen to match children’s developmental stages and interests, ensuring that learning opportunities across all areas of the EYFS are meaningful, engaging and progressive. Skills and vocabulary are revisited through familiar stories and built upon over time.

Staff also use children’s common play behaviours to identify gaps in skills and understanding. This helps us to adapt teaching and ensure that our continuous provision offers the right level of rigour and challenge, encouraging children to think deeply, explore ideas and develop independence through play.

This approach ensures that:

Learning builds step by step from Nursery to Reception
Children are supported from their individual starting points
Stories and play are used purposefully to deepen learning
Continuous provision provides challenge as well as support
There is a smooth and supportive transition into Reception and beyond

By working in this way, we provide a nurturing and engaging curriculum that supports children to develop confidence, curiosity and a love of reading and learning.