Our Mission & Aims

Our aim at North Featherstone Junior and Infant School Foundation Stage is to give children a safe and happy environment where they can grow in confidence and independence in preparation not only for school, but for life.

 

We work towards the ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes, helping children to be healthy, stay safe, and make a positive contribution while enjoying and achieving.

We are committed to working with the four themes of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which are:

 

A Unique Child

Positive Relationships

Enabling Environments

Learning and Development

 

At North Featherstone, we treat each individual as a person in his/her own right, and we value each individual for what they bring to the Unit, be it their different levels of ability, their religion or different cultural backgrounds.

We recognize that parents are the child's first educators. We respect and value our parents and we aim to have an open, honest and supportive relationship with the families attached to the unit.

We believe that children and adults flourish best in a welcoming and inclusive environment with appropriate learning opportunities. At Featherstone, we follow the Montessori philosophy, where each child is free to develop at his/her own pace, guided by the teachers. The carefully prepared indoor and outdoor environments are geared towards providing the children with a variety of early experiences, enabling them to achieve while enjoying themselves.

The key person takes time to observe children, so that their individual interests and strengths may be recognized and developed appropriately. Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person. We develop warm and caring relationships with children, encouraging them to make safe choices whilst not overprotecting them, by letting them learn to assess risks.

We believe that children and adults flourish best in an environment where everyone knows what is expected of them, and where children are free to develop their play and learning without fear of being hurt or hindered by anyone else. We aim to work towards a situation in which children can develop their self-discipline and self-esteem in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement. For this, we set clear boundaries, and will, through simple ‘ground rules’ maintain consistency for our children.

We promote a healthy lifestyle and by meeting the physical and emotional needs of our children, we create a clean and safe environment for them to thrive in. At North Featherstone, we work together to promote children's welfare and protection. It is our duty and responsibility to protect children from harm.