Key values

We have 7 key values that underpin all that we do within the Biggleswade Academy Early Years department and The Lawns Nursery, they inform our vision, strategic development, policy, provision, practice and research.

Empathy

This is central to all our work, we believe that children and families need to feel secure in their relationships with us, we want the children to develop an ability to understand and share the feelings of another and identify with the feelings, thoughts and attitudes of others.

Creativity

We celebrate the process of learning, making connections, imagining and problem-solving, recognising everyone as a unique thinker and artist. We take the lead from individual fascinations and allow them to inspire us. We want the children to develop their concentration, surprise others with their wanderings and use their imaginative original ideas to create something.

Curiosity

Children naturally are curious creatures, they explore, question and wonder and by doing so, learn. We want our children to be eager to know or do something new and have a desire to investigate and therefore learn. Within the Early Years team, the staff work hard to not constrain or crush the enthusiastic exploration of the curious child. By truly allowing a child to share their discoveries with us, we experience the joys of rediscovery – and in doing so, learn ourselves.

Self-regulating

An important part of a child’s development is learning the ability to focus their attention, control their emotions and manage their thinking, behaviour and feelings. Through providing the children with a structured and predictable daily routine where staff teach and talk about feelings and review setting rules regularly the children are able to develop these skills in a safe secure environment.

Imaginative

The very word seems to sparkle with possibility and brings to mind a childlike energy and spontaneity. Within our Early Years settings, we want to encourage the children to have creative ability, the ability to form mental images for something and the resourcefulness to deal with new or unusual experiences. As practitioners we hope to inspire this by telling stories, making art, use natural or generic materials and foster a sense of inner space.

Critical thinking

Being able to be a critical thinker to be open-minded and consider alternative ways of looking for solutions is an important skill for later life. The early year’s practitioners encourage the children by letting them know it is alright to be confused and ask questions and to check if something is correct by researching and seeing how things fit together and consider others viewpoints.

Independent

We want the children to have belief that they are competent and are capable of taking care of themselves. By giving them the freedom to experience life fully and learn its many important lessons by being intrinsically motivated.