Early Learning
The New Forest Small School Kindergarten is a unique, child centred space carefully created to nurture the early years of children’s lives.
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Much educational research and experience has resulted in Montessori, Steiner, Reggio Emilia and Scandinavian Kindergarten philosophies becoming incorporated into our very special learning environment.
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The child’s time is divided between gently guided Free Choice, individual and group lessons.
We work across 7 areas of learning and towards the Early Learning Goals. Those areas are primarily:
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development
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Communication and Language
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Physical Development
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And then, when the child is ready, specifically:
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Literacy
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Mathematics
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Understanding the World
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Expressive Arts and Design
Our Kindergarten rooms and resources are carefully engineered to challenge, inspire and promote questions from the children. We constantly observe, review, change and plan so that play can be adapted and extended whilst remaining child lead.
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Our staff calmly and subtly use methods such a role-play and open ended questioning to direct children and to encourage not only investigation, but also perseverance and loving tolerance.
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We have a loving family approach to our day in Kindergarten. We not only work and play together but we also share lunch together on a large family table. Here staff and children can chat socially, encouraging communication and language alongside social etiquette and understanding.
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​We were delighted with our most recent parental survey with comments such as these:
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“Kindergarten excelled our expectations, our son is thriving!”
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“The equipment is not hi-tech in Kindergarten and this is a huge highlight for us, children today are bombarded with technology…. Small School is the perfect place for us.”
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“Thank you for making us all feel SO welcome SO quickly!”
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And from another Early Years Setting who visited this year:
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“Thank you so much for showing us your wonderful Kindergarten, we certainly learned a lot and are inspired to improve our setting.”
