Core Principles
Our Ethos
Finding inspiration through living
Our goal is to support those providing a holistic environment that nourishes each child intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically, by creating a setting which inspires creativity, intrigue and a life-long love of learning, helping them to discover and understand their relationship with nature and society.
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We value:
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Intrinsic motivation over external encouragement
Individuality and creativity over uniformity and measurability
Empathy over compliance with societal expectations
Learner exploration over teacher demonstration
Collaborative projects over individual goals
Following curiosity in a meaningful context over following a lesson plan or curriculum
Real interest and reflective questions over praise
Rhythm over strict routine
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That is, while there is value on the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
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For more information read on below.
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“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education.
The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning”.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Our Inspiration
The clubs we support draw inspiration from child-centred learning philosophies,
including Reggio Emilia, Montessori, AS Neill, Waldorf/Steiner, Forest School, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Paolo Freire, Jean Piaget and the writings of Alfie Kohn, with a focus on evidence-based approaches. Each club may operate with a slightly different approach.
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As we are not a school and nor are the clubs we support, they do not follow a set curriculum, nor do we have fixed expectations about when individual children will be ready to achieve specific milestones. They are non-competitive and do not 'test' the children.
The clubs we support operate off the basis that a happy and content child is the basis for all development which will come as a natural outcome of our nurturing environment and that language, mathematics and science are an intrinsic part of understanding the world around us as we engage in artistic, creative pursuits and craft. When we respond to the interests of the children, trusting them, they will pursue what they need when they are ready.
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We are naturally building a catalogue of organisations and venues that our members may seek to visit or leverage relationships with in future to meet their family's educational aspirations outside of their childrens' time with us.
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