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Our Teaching Philosophy

How Snapdragons approaches relationships, play, environments, learning, wellbeing, and daily life with children.

Our child-centred promise

Our approach is built around children: their relationships, their curiosity, and their individuality. These principles shape everything we do, from the environments we create to the conversations we have every day.

Principle 01

Key Person Approach

Starting nursery is an exciting time for children and their families, but it can be nerve-wracking too. Children's first years are completely centred around their parents and families and the relationships they build can impact them forever. That's why every child is assigned a key person when starting nursery and the child joins their practitioner's 'key family'. Your key person is the familiar face for you and your child at nursery.

Principle 01

Key Person Approach

Starting nursery is an exciting time for children and their families, but it can be nerve-wracking too. Children's first years are completely centred around their parents and families and the relationships they build can impact them forever. That's why every child is assigned a key person when starting nursery and the child joins their practitioner's 'key family'. Your key person is the familiar face for you and your child at nursery.

The key person approach allows practitioners to create a special bond with your child, enabling a positive relationship to be built. With strong attachments to support your child's wellbeing, they can then feel happy and confident and able to leave you, full of excitement and positive emotions and ready to engage in their learning.

It is important to us that every child has a buddy key family so that they can always feel safe and secure at nursery. And over time your child will develop new relationships and begin to form attachments with some of our other amazing practitioners too.

Principle 02

Parents as Partners

Children and families are at the heart of everything we do and we believe in forming strong partnerships with our families. Parents are their child's primary educators and are highly experienced in the care that their child requires. A parent's knowledge of their own child and the things that make them unique help us to do the best for each child.

Principle 02

Parents as Partners

Children and families are at the heart of everything we do and we believe in forming strong partnerships with our families. Parents are their child's primary educators and are highly experienced in the care that their child requires. A parent's knowledge of their own child and the things that make them unique help us to do the best for each child.

We plan in the moment with the children, because children's interests and motivations are always developing. We will send out parent contribution forms periodically so that we can stay up to date on what's most relevant and important in your child's life at any time. We have regular parents' evenings and encourage open conversation at handovers to make sure that the communication between you and your child's key person is strong.

The EYFS states: "Good parenting and high-quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up." That's why the partnership between nursery and home is so essential. We value the individuality and diversity of our families and welcome any contributions from parents so that we can share, embrace and celebrate our rich community.

Principle 03

Teaching in the Moment

Play is often free of adult intervention and a degree of learning happens quite naturally. Sensitive adults who have an understanding of the individual child can also play an important role, guiding and building upon the child's current skills and knowledge within the process of their play.

Principle 03

Teaching in the Moment

Play is often free of adult intervention and a degree of learning happens quite naturally. Sensitive adults who have an understanding of the individual child can also play an important role, guiding and building upon the child's current skills and knowledge within the process of their play.

Teaching at Snapdragons is not formal. It is centred around the child in response to their interests and developmental stage. Through careful observation and intervention, we can capture the 'teachable moment' and make a difference to the child's progression at that very point when they are most motivated and involved. This moment may be during play, but could also occur through conversational interactions, or an adult-led activity.

Teaching and planning in the moment is not new. It is exactly what responsive parents are doing with their children every day. Every time our practitioners are looking at and listening to our children they are assessing and planning how best to respond and teach, to meet the child's next steps in the moment. The teaching is uniquely suited to the child, seizing the opportunity to extend their learning when they are already engaged, involved and motivated.

Principle 04

Enabling and Authentic Environments

Our indoor and outdoor environments are designed to provide space for freedom through active play. They are equipped with accessible and open-ended resources that children can use freely to explore and develop their ideas independently.

Principle 04

Enabling and Authentic Environments

Our indoor and outdoor environments are designed to provide space for freedom through active play. They are equipped with accessible and open-ended resources that children can use freely to explore and develop their ideas independently.

We want our children to explore their world with curiosity and fascination, as inquisitive, active and independent learners who are exposed to opportunities for play and exploration that are rich in possibility.

Our children play with real resources; items that are authentic can inspire more imaginative play and encourage high levels of involvement from the children. The uniqueness and relative fragility of these resources demands more respect than plastic equivalents. Our environments reflect all areas of learning found in the EYFS, and we make sure that many of our resources are continuously available to children so that they can use their environments to facilitate their own learning and interests.

Principle 05

Wellbeing and Sunshine Circles

One of our main principles at Snapdragons is to help children to develop life skills - to be resilient, expressive, curious, demanding, compassionate, kind and to have fun. We want them to feel happy, confident and build the abilities to make relationships and form secure attachments.

Principle 05

Wellbeing and Sunshine Circles

One of our main principles at Snapdragons is to help children to develop life skills - to be resilient, expressive, curious, demanding, compassionate, kind and to have fun. We want them to feel happy, confident and build the abilities to make relationships and form secure attachments.

At Snapdragons we use Sunshine Circles to help achieve this; supporting children to develop personally, socially and emotionally underpins and impacts everything else we do.

Sunshine Circles sessions are embedded in our practice and our wonderful practitioners receive tailored training to enable them to support their key children's wellbeing. Through short games and the "check-in", we make sure that our children are building all the skills they need to be ready to learn and to enjoy the next steps in their learning. The Sunshine Circles sessions tune in to all the basic needs of each individual child and allow us to build their self-esteem and celebrate what makes them unique.

Principle 06

The Early Years Foundation Stage

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for promoting the learning, development and safety of children from birth to five years in Ofsted registered settings. It specifies requirements for learning and development, for assessment, and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare.

Principle 06

The Early Years Foundation Stage

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for promoting the learning, development and safety of children from birth to five years in Ofsted registered settings. It specifies requirements for learning and development, for assessment, and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare.

There are seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational programmes in early years settings. Three prime areas are particularly important for building a foundation: communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. Providers must also support children in four specific areas (literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design) through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.

The EYFS Framework also identifies three characteristics of effective teaching and learning: playing and exploring, where children investigate and experience things and have a go; active learning, where children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties; and creating and thinking critically, where children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

In planning and guiding what children learn, practitioners must reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately.

Principle 07

Culture of Excellence

Snapdragons is led by highly qualified and experienced practitioners. We have teachers with background and experience that ranges from both Primary and Early Years Education. Our teams also benefit from the expertise of graduates with Early Years Degrees and Masters Degrees and from the world-renowned Norland College.

Principle 07

Culture of Excellence

Snapdragons is led by highly qualified and experienced practitioners. We have teachers with background and experience that ranges from both Primary and Early Years Education. Our teams also benefit from the expertise of graduates with Early Years Degrees and Masters Degrees and from the world-renowned Norland College.

We believe that education and training is key to ensuring that all our practitioners gain the knowledge and skills that will provide high quality care and education for each child. We use our group of nurseries to support each other in best practice, sharing our ideas and what works well for our children in order to keep our culture of excellence consistent across all settings.

Our Senior Team visits each nursery regularly to ensure that standards are maintained. As part of the Senior Team we also have a Quality and Training Manager who monitors the quality of each nursery, ensures that our bespoke Snapdragons curriculum is followed, and delivers regular training and CPD sessions to our practitioners.

We are very proud to have achieved many accreditations, including UNICEF Rights Respecting, Millie's Mark, Curiosity Approach Accreditation, and membership of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and Pickwick Teaching and Learning Academy. We support graduate apprentices in Early Years Initial Teacher Training and PGCE, and host students from several local colleges to support the future early years workforce.

Principle 08

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

All our children are respected and their individuality and potential recognised, valued and nurtured. Our attitudes, activities and resources allow children to develop in an environment free of prejudice and discrimination. Appropriate opportunities will be given to children to explore, acknowledge and value similarities and differences between themselves and others.

Principle 08

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

All our children are respected and their individuality and potential recognised, valued and nurtured. Our attitudes, activities and resources allow children to develop in an environment free of prejudice and discrimination. Appropriate opportunities will be given to children to explore, acknowledge and value similarities and differences between themselves and others.

This is achieved by making children feel valued and good about themselves and ensuring all children have equality of access to learning. We recognise different learning styles and ensure each child receives the widest possible opportunity to develop their skills and abilities. We select resources that positively reflect the widest range of communities and avoid stereotypes or derogatory images, as well as celebrating a wide range of festivals.

As a Rights Respecting nursery with a central code of kindness, it is important that the rights of all children and individuals connected with the nursery are respected - including the right to make decisions, to try things out, to make mistakes and to learn how to get on with one another. Central to this is creating a culture of mutual respect and helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are hurtful and do not have a place in our nurseries.

Our planning is individual and inclusive to children with learning difficulties and disabilities and we ensure that children with English as a second language have full access to the curriculum. Where possible, Makaton signing and visual timetables will be used to support children. Read our SEND Local Offer for more information about how we support children with additional needs.

Principle 09

Global Responsibility

Snapdragons is dedicated to limiting its impact on the environment so that the children they care for can inherit a clean, safe and viable world. We encourage the children to be aware of the environment and their place within it, and we want children to develop a sense of curiosity, awe and wonder in relation to the natural world.

Principle 09

Global Responsibility

Snapdragons is dedicated to limiting its impact on the environment so that the children they care for can inherit a clean, safe and viable world. We encourage the children to be aware of the environment and their place within it, and we want children to develop a sense of curiosity, awe and wonder in relation to the natural world.

Environmental stations with displays, recycling bins and sharing libraries are used to promote environmental themes, news and issues and give positive and practical ideas to encourage participation from our children. We have an embedded recycling approach and children will be made aware of the need to recycle materials and to not waste our precious resources, especially food and water.

We teach children to respect, care for and enjoy the natural world and appreciate living things. Children experience growing and planting and we teach them the importance of not only growing for ourselves but also for the habitat and wildlife. Adults are positive role models in appreciating the food we have and in reducing food waste.

Children are exposed to their local and wider community by taking regular walks around the locality, where we can positively reflect on the diverse society that we live in. We encourage an appreciation of our locality and children will be encouraged not to drop litter and to use litter bins.

Principle 10

A Day at Snapdragons

We know that mornings with young children can sometimes be a challenge and we do our best to make the transition from home to nursery each day smooth, positive and happy. You'll be met at the door by a member of your child's key team - a chance to share important information and to discuss anything your child is enjoying or is interested in at home, so that we can build this into their nursery day. We offer breakfast of toast, cereal, fruit or healthy homemade muffins as children arrive.

Principle 10

A Day at Snapdragons

We know that mornings with young children can sometimes be a challenge and we do our best to make the transition from home to nursery each day smooth, positive and happy. You'll be met at the door by a member of your child's key team - a chance to share important information and to discuss anything your child is enjoying or is interested in at home, so that we can build this into their nursery day. We offer breakfast of toast, cereal, fruit or healthy homemade muffins as children arrive.

During their day, children are encouraged to follow their interests and explore our environments freely. Play is incredibly powerful for development and the characteristics of effective learning can be observed when children are fully immersed in their play, motivated by their interests. Every day children have access to an extensive range of painting, art and craft equipment, sensory play, water, sand and playdough, alongside countless opportunities for imaginative play - from authentic home corner environments through to construction and design areas.

We provoke learning and curiosity through invitations to play, where we arrange areas of the environment that stimulate our children to explore, investigate, question, examine, participate, touch, feel and manipulate. We make sure children are ready for school by providing opportunities for learning key skills appropriate for their stage of development. We create language-rich environments steeped in talk, story, rhyme and song in which our interactions provide the best possible start in life for every child.

All our meals are homemade at the nursery by our wonderful nursery chefs. Mealtimes are full of opportunity for learning; we encourage independence but also support children in their needs. A well-rested child will have more capacity to enjoy their nursery day, so sleep and rest are essential - our rooms are designed to convert easily into relaxing sleeping spaces and we always follow the sleep routines of home.

At the end of your child's session, you are encouraged to chat with the key person and hear all about their day. This is a great time to catch up on how your child is progressing or to ask any questions you might have. Our managers are around and available for a quick chat or to go through anything you would like to discuss.

Principle 11

Outdoor Learning

Whatever the weather, we spend time in the morning and the afternoon in our outdoor environments. Being outside is important for children's learning; they can run faster, jump higher and play as loudly as they like. They learn about the seasons and the weather by experiencing them physically, noticing how the weather changes and how their bodies feel outside in different temperatures, rather than looking from the window of a classroom.

Principle 11

Outdoor Learning

Whatever the weather, we spend time in the morning and the afternoon in our outdoor environments. Being outside is important for children's learning; they can run faster, jump higher and play as loudly as they like. They learn about the seasons and the weather by experiencing them physically, noticing how the weather changes and how their bodies feel outside in different temperatures, rather than looking from the window of a classroom.

Our outdoor environments have been designed with as much care as the indoor environments. They are equally important, but very different, working together to support our children's wellbeing, health and development.

Principle 12

Transitions

During your child's time with us and as they grow and develop, they will move through our nursery. We aim to make sure children are as secure as possible when transitioning to a new room and key family. Your child will have settling-in sessions just like the ones when they first started, organised by their key person who will support them in building a new relationship with their new key person. The amount and length of these are tailored to each child's individual needs.

Principle 12

Transitions

During your child's time with us and as they grow and develop, they will move through our nursery. We aim to make sure children are as secure as possible when transitioning to a new room and key family. Your child will have settling-in sessions just like the ones when they first started, organised by their key person who will support them in building a new relationship with their new key person. The amount and length of these are tailored to each child's individual needs.

We want you to feel happy as parents about your child's transition too. You'll be invited to look around the new room and speak to the new key person. We also support children in the same way when they move on to school - we make strong relationships with local schools, inviting teachers in to meet the children and observe them in the nursery setting, and completing the transition paperwork schools require to support your child on their next big adventure.

Principle 13

The Snapdragons Approach

These five strands form the foundation of what we call our Snappy Approach.

Principle 13

The Snapdragons Approach

These five strands form the foundation of what we call our Snappy Approach.

Play is Paramount: play is core to learning and the most powerful learning happens through play. We deliver our curriculum through play-based experiences where the environment and practitioners are skilled in ensuring the children have everything they need to be motivated and engaged.

Proficient Practitioners: our robust induction and training programme covers everything that our practitioners need to be the best teachers for our children. We believe there is a direct link between the quality of education and training our team receives and the quality of education they provide.

Prestigious Pedagogy: we have developed our pedagogical programme using knowledge and experience gained during almost 25 years of providing care and education for children. The individual child is at the centre of our planning process and, through our philosophical foundations, we have developed a holistic curriculum.

Families First: the families of our children are core to the care we provide. You, the parents and carers, are the child's primary educators and with your input we can make sure that your child's care is consistent. Our practitioners will walk with you on your child's learning and development journey.

Environment as the Third Teacher: 'What would it be like to be a child here?' is the question that leads every decision we make and every environment we create. We want our children to be exposed to the resources and equipment they need to learn, develop, be motivated and inspired.

Our approach is also shaped by leading philosophical influences from around the world:

Related links

Our vision and values The mission, vision, and values behind everything we do at Snapdragons. Open link Our Local Offer How we support children with special educational needs and disabilities. Open link Our teams Meet the practitioners and leaders who bring our philosophy to life. Open link