Our Learning Spaces

We are proud of our EYFS and the way in which it supports children’s development in all seven areas of learning. It truly performs as the ‘third teacher’.

The concept of the environment as the "third teacher" is rooted in the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. 

This philosophy emphasizes that the environment is not just a backdrop for learning but an active participant that influences children's  development and learning.

Reggio educator Lella Gandini put it best:

“In order to act as an educator for the child, the environment has to be flexible: it must undergo frequent modification by the children and teachers in order to remain up-to-date and responsive to their needs to be protagonists in constructing their knowledge.”

Our children have daily access to the continuous provision and are able to free flow between our indoor and outdoor learning environments. We have opportunities for children to develop gross motor, role play, fine motor, mark making, maths, performing arts, creativity, early reading, technology, small world, construction, investigation and challenge.

We ensure that all our play areas are kept safe and clean. The resources provided are all in line with what we teach in the EYFS curriculum and latest research in child development.

Through high quality interactions between children and practitioners in the environment we are able to plan and guide what the children will learn, supporting their development through the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning:

• Playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.

 • Active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements.

• Creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.