Clapton Park Children's Centre

Ethos & Vision

Vision Statement

Clapton Park Children’s Centre and Forest School is a safe, exciting, challenging, welcoming and friendly centre where everyone is respected and valued. We hold high aspirations for all our families, children, and staff, and we take pride in our work. Our goal is to engage children in natural learning experiences rooted in the Forest School ethos and the Reggio Emilia Approach fostering confidence, success, and independence in all our learners.

Four Key Priorities

In 2024/25 we are driven by four key priorities to improve and build on the service we provide. These are:

1. Using the Reggio Emilia approach to bring more creativity into the curriculum.

- For staff to have a good understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach.
- To have a workshop on Reggio Emilia approach for staff to improve their understanding of the approach.
- To visit nurseries that incorporate the Reggio Emilia approach to gain an understanding of how the approach can be used day-to-day within the nursery setting.
- To discuss and explore the Reggio Emilia approach during the Centre Curriculum meetings.
- To ensure that there is a focus on creativity within the curriculum.
- To implement the Reggio Emilia approach into our practice.

2. Develop staff practice by having high expectations with a particular focus on conscious inclusion reflective practice

- To ensure that all staff have had unconscious bias/conscious inclusion training.
- To have a rolling agenda point of conscious inclusion during the room reflective meetings every week, giving an opportunity for staff to discuss and reflect on any experiences of inclusive practice.
- For staff to reflect on their conscious inclusion practice within their daily routines, including planning, setting up activities and group sessions with the children.
- To continue to ensure that the admissions process takes into consideration conscious inclusion, when allocating places for children we are reflecting the make of the community, having a balance of gender, ethnicities and different bandings.
- For staff and families to attend anti-racist reflective forums/workshops throughout the year.

3. Develop staff practice by having high expectations with a particular focus on outdoor learning.

- Staff are expected to be appropriately dressed for outdoor activities to ensure they are able to engage in the activities with the children and get down on their level.
- Staff to familiarise themselves with the Forest School handbook to ensure that they understand the expectations of delivering outdoor learning.
- To create a consistent approach to Forest School/outdoor learning to ensure that all staff understand what is expected of them in order to support and develop the children’s learning.
- Management to regularly monitor and review the outdoor space to ensure that all staff are showing consistency in their practice.
- We are now introducing the Community Mile session to promote physical wellbeing for parents and the community.

4. To promote language and literacy across the centre through books and storytelling.

- Staff are to look at helicopter story techniques.
- Staff are to create quiet, exciting and inviting reading areas including the main hall central library.
- Staff are to introduce storytelling with props, and a range of diverse books.
- Staff to teach well resourced sessions through the use of ‘Now Press Play’, story maps and phonics etc.
- Staff to create opportunities for writing and mark making through planning engaging, rich and quality activities for children to explore.
- Staff are to encourage parents and carers to attend Peep sessions with their children to develop skills in supporting their child’s early language development.

Vision and Intentions 2024.docx.pdf