Solihull Living Nov - Dec 2023

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The Value of Independent Early Years Education By Sarah Hollingsworth, Head of Gresham’s Pre-Prep School and IAPS’ recently-appointed Pre-Prep and Early Years Subject Adviser Albert Einstein famously said: “Logic will get you from A-B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” More recently, worldrenowned education expert and adviser Dr Ger Graus noted: “Children can only aspire to what they know exists.” These two much-quoted comments have a common theme and highlight the power of what children are exposed to during their early years and the impact this has on their future. Early years educators like myself have been entrusted with the important task of empowering those in our care with opportunities to develop essential life skills such as resilience, independence, kindness and imagination. But early years education has to start with what parents expose their children to at home, not least lots of love, exposure to reading, role modelling, but also choosing the best setting to entrust one of the most important people in their lives to. This is where it all begins. The period from birth to age eight is critical for cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Optimal brain development requires a stimulating environment, nourishing food, top-quality care-givers and social interaction. Unsurprisingly, this is a hot topic for every government, not to mention the Princess of Wales, who has spoken recently about the importance of early years education. A massive part of that is having the best practitioners delivering this education and having the right opportunities and environments for them to learn in. I have been fortunate to work across the state-maintained and independent sectors and benefited from some of the very best training and guidance during my professional career, including incredible continuous professional development and leadership training. I am also the daughter of an early years teacher and, growing up, I witnessed how hard my mother worked and how much energy she gave to the children in her care. For the last seven years, I have been in a unique position as Headmistress of Gresham’s Nursery and Pre-Prep, a co-educational day and boarding school on the North Norfolk coast. The school has three parts: Nursery and Pre-Prep, The Prep School and The Senior School, each based on a different campus, allowing the children to have the security of friendships growing with them as they move through the school at crucial transition stages. Gresham’s believes that each child is different and has a gift. Our very youngest children, aged just two, are exposed to many opportunities, with access to all the school’s facilities as well as acres of woodland, swimming pool, astro turfs, tennis courts and sports hall. They experience opportunities which open their eyes to future jobs, interests and passions and also enjoy lessons in ballet and music, languages, computing, cooking, and outdoor learning half days. Research demonstrates high-quality opportunities help children to succeed. The independent sector is fortunate to have small class sizes and all the facilities and resources to offer this. There is no one more precious than our children. They are the future – and the future for a hopeful world. So, our task is simple. We work to create an environment where happy, relaxed, calm, courteous and curious children can flourish and be their best. 24 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
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Solihull Living Nov - Dec 2023

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