Ethos

To be an exemplar place of learning through play, the ‘go to place’ for childcare. Where every baby, child and young person from 0 – 12 years old, within our Jesters care, is happy, safe and well looked after whilst away from home and family.

We know from research that children learn from a rich and stimulating environment supported by highly qualified teachers and practitioners. At Jesters nurseries, pre-schools and out of school clubs, we recognise the early and formative years as a key time in a child’s life. Through our key person approach, we build strong bonds with each and every child so they develop the tools they need to become ambitious, creative, socially confident and independent learners.

Our Early Years and Playwork days are focused on the unique needs of the individual and group of children. From 0 – 12 all children will confidently learn and enjoy play through both the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Playwork Principles as a minimum. The curriculum in both these areas is enriched with a wide range of additional activities including music, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) yoga, outings and forest-led learning.

At Jesters we know that parents are the first and most enduring educators of their children; to complement and support this alongside the high-quality curricula for our babies, pre-school and out of school children, we have added a longer set of ‘ambitions’ to refine the offer.

These are a comprehensive set of exciting encounters and learning opportunities incorporating the latest research, local parents and our setting childrens ideas to extend all childrens ‘cultural capital’. It includes the top books (as recommended by BookTrust, the Independent and Guardian Newspapers) traditional stories and rhymes that help children to make sense of the world and all people in society around them, encouraging a love of language, rich communication skills and a knowledge of traditions and culture. Our Ambitions Calendar also includes creating opportunities that includes key places to visit in the local community and important people to meet.

Additionally for our early years children we have adopted the ’50 things to do before you are five’ which was devised by the TLC (Talk, Listen and Cuddle) and Early Years teams at Essex County Council to help inspire a greater sense of awe and wonder and knowledge of the nature waiting to be discovered.