Children develop their own theories so they can make sense of the world and they explore these theories with their friends. At Reflections we listen to their ideas and take them seriously and we help facilitate their research. Their work tends to turn into long-term projects which we support over many months, deepening their learning and provoking new ideas. We give the children lots of time to think about and reflect on their learning and plan the next steps.

We draw our inspiration from the pre-schools of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. These schools are world famous for providing children with the very best in childcare and education. We also draw much inspiration from the forest nurseries of Denmark, world-renowned for their wonderful outdoor work with young children. We work too with the Early Years Foundation Stage - the national guidance for working with children from birth to five. So we give children the opportunity to develop across as many areas of learning as possible.

Our Reggio-inspired approach has led to many projects that have developed from the children’s ideas and observations and supported by thoughtful and caring staff. Here you can see an online portfolio of just a selection of these child-led projects.

Events

Since 2010 Reflections has offered Professional Development Days for visiting educators twice a year, in May/ June and October/ November. The day begins with a tour of the nursery and includes presentations from Lead Educators & Atelieristas, lunch, and time for discussion and encounters. We offer Professional Development Events for whole nursery settings and visits from groups, large and small – over the last 7 years we have received more than 3000 visitors from 15 countries. For further details please contact hannah@reflectionsnurseries.co.uk

Finding Our Way in the Woods - Saturday 16th May 2015

Reflections’ Approach to Forest School - A Professional Development Day focussing on how Reflections works with pre-school children in a woodland environment, and the dialogue between forest and nursery.