ABOUT
ABOUT US
It isn't just our great facilities and location that make Orchard a wonderful place for your child to spend time. It is the team of professional, committed and caring people who ultimately make the difference.
From the beaming smiles of the children, to the award of an 'Outstanding' rating in our three most recent Ofsted inspections; every success at Orchard is down to the hard work and commitment of our happy team.
Our Philosophy
We strongly believe children are born with an amazing potential and a wide range of abilities, and believe that it is our role to inspire children and to engage them in a love of learning that becomes an integral part of their ongoing lives. Our role is to work hand-in-hand with parents and carers to provide the building blocks to help your child reach his or her full potential.
At Orchard We Aim to Create
- A warm, welcoming home-like environment that promotes secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships.
- A vibrant and flexible environment that is rich in choices and provides dynamic opportunities for learning as individuals and as part of a group.
- Opportunities to undertake collaborative group work and projects inspired by children’s interests and/or family interest, community or educator initiation.
- Opportunities for children to develop independence through everyday routines.
- An environment that is safe and promotes exploration, discovery, challenge and understanding of our natural and physical worlds.
- An environment that builds high self-esteem and self-worth.
- An environment and curriculum that promotes holistic development and high expectations for children across all developmental areas through intentional teaching and spontaneous learning.
- Opportunities for children to express their knowledge and understanding through each of their many interests e.g. art, music, story, drama, construction etc.
- Respect for diversity by acknowledging the cultural backgrounds, languages, values and contributions of all families in the nursery and the surrounding community.
- Opportunities for children, families and educators to develop cultural competence by promoting positive attitudes, learning and developing communication skills and interactions across diverse cultural groups.
- Opportunities for children, families and educators to share their ideas, knowledge, skills, culture, language and experiences with the nursery through regular communication, involvement in the setting and curriculum development.
- Partnerships with families in all aspects of their child’s development including working with families to develop and evaluate goals for their child.
- Ongoing records of children’s development and assessment through learning journals, project documentation, samples of children’s work and reflections on children’s goals.
- An environment that promotes positive behaviours and relationships between children and others.
Orchard's Pedagogical Approach Explained
Values children's contributions equally with those of Educators.
Our potential stretches as far as our imaginations – but only if we are given the confidence to take it there.
Our approach values children’s contributions equally with those of educators. Children and staff are both seen as researchers exploring the world and relationships together to create a fun-filled and dynamic learning experience for both them and us! Our approach pays close attention to the relationships that children share with their environment, family, peers and teachers. It is to co-construct the curriculum with the children and their families to stimulate a free and open-sourced style of learning.
Develops skills in problem solving, critical reflection & collaboration.
Our approach encourages both children and teachers to brainstorm and discuss topics of interest. Children are encouraged to develop skills in problem solving, hypothesising, critical reflection and collaboration. They will be asked to document their ideas, knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways.
The pedagogical approach at Orchard ensures your child will make excellent progress and each child will develop a deep love of learning through investigation, research and respectful relationships with both their peers and their educators.
