Reggio Emilia
Children as competent, curious individuals. The environment as the third teacher.
Our Approach
Nursery Care - Learning and Development
Our pedagogy is based on a variety of early years approaches which allow us to provide a child-centred, holistic environment for our children.
We are inspired and guided by many theorists and inspirational thinkers such as: Froebel, Montessori, Vygotsky and Piaget whose work underpins our current understanding of the early years.
The key ethos which encompasses all of these approaches and has historically and continues to be our main inspiration is the Reggio Emilia Approach.
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Foundational Approaches
The Reggio Emilia Approach is at the heart of our practice, complemented by other proven early years methodologies.
The Reggio Emilia Approach
We see children as competent, resourceful, curious, imaginative and inventive individuals who possess a desire to interact and communicate with others. A main focus of the ethos is to acknowledge the environment as the 3rd teacher – something that we hold very strong in our practice. We view our role as to organise and make accessible environments that are open-ended and rich in possibility and opportunity and that invite the children to embark upon extended exploration.
Parents As Partners
Here, parents are seen and valued as the first educators of their children and we acknowledge the importance of including them in nursery life and having consistency between nursery and home as much as possible. We operate a general 'open door' policy to promote positive relationships and communication.
We also have an open offer for stay & play sessions, regular parent evenings, parent workshops and social & family events to support our strong parent partnerships.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage is the core document given by the Department for Education (DfE) to those who care for and educate children from birth to 5 years old. The following statement from the EYFS explains the motivations of the framework.
Children are born ready, able and eager to learn. They actively reach out to interact with other people, and in the world around them. However, healthy learning and development is not an automatic process. It depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments
"We use the seven areas of learning laid out in the EYFS to plan exciting and stimulating invitations to learning for your children while in our care. Children learn best through play, and are most motivated when able to follow their own interests and achieve their goals. The staff have high expectations for all children and facilitate this by scaffolding children's learning to challenge them and help them meet their developmental milestones." - EYFS, 2021
Planning Activities and Learning
We use the seven areas of learning to plan exciting and stimulating invitations to learning. Children learn best through play and following their own interests.
Activities include: Sand, water, mud, nature discovery, Planting and outdoor exploration, Role play and imaginative play, Singing, instruments, music, Cooking and sensory activities, Storytelling and listening, Heuristic play and treasure baskets, Arts & crafts, painting, drawing, Play-dough and clay work, Sleep & rest time, Climbing and physical play, Small world play and puzzles, Counting and mathematical exploration, Mark making and early literacy, ... and so much more!
At the start of every child's journey at Halesowen Day Nursery, we create a profile for them on our online learning journal system Famly. This enables us to record individual developments and achievements, observe progress through different lenses, and plan next steps for each child's unique learning journey.
Famly Online Learning Journal
Recordings can come at any given time and from a variety of sources: observations, spontaneous 'wow' moments, parental voice, and the voice of the child.
This monitoring and assessment tool enables our early years educators to provide next steps for your child and informs our planning of activities, environments, and experiences.
Parents receive regular updates and can share observations from home, creating a continuous dialogue between nursery and family that supports each child's holistic development.
Visit Famly
Learn more about our partnership with Famly
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Here at Halesowen Day Nursery, we have a designated SENCO who, alongside colleagues and key carers, holds responsibility for identifying, managing and supporting a child's additional needs.
Relevant information is shared and discussed at your welcome meeting to ensure that we are able to cater for your child's all-round development. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and care plans are put in place and we will work with outside agencies when necessary to enable the best activities and environment for your child's progression.
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every child feels valued and supported to reach their full potential, regardless of their individual needs or circumstances.