Whitegate Early Years Care

The Early Years Foundation Stage 2014 already implicitly incorporates the core British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, respect for one another, and tolerance for people of different faiths and beliefs. These values are also supported by our schools' Image of the Child and Supporting Positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy.
At Whitegate we have developed our Image of the Child in collaboration with staff, families, children and centre partners.
In Class 3, as the children mature they help to create three promises where they consider their Nursery as a learning community and discuss and negotiate ideals of a safe and caring learning environment.
As part of the focus on self-confidence and self-awareness and people and communities as cited in Personal Social and Emotional Development and Understanding the World: Children should develop a positive sense of themselves.
We provide opportunities for children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities through our ethos in valuing the Characteristics of Effective Learning Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Creating and Thinking Critically.
We support children to develop a positive sense of self through our Image of the Child I feel secure because I believe I can.
We encourage children to envisage themselves as a community of learners and as a citizen of their local environment.
We allow children to explore the language of feelings and responsibility, reflect on their differences and understand we are free to have different opinions through their Fascination groups.
As part of the focus on People and Communities, Managing Feelings and Behaviour and Making Relationships as cited in Personal Social and Emotional Development and Understanding the World: We work to create an ethos of inclusivity and tolerance where views, faiths, cultures and races are valued and children are engaged with the wider community.
Our planning and practice is geared to supporting children to acquire a tolerance and appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures; know about similarities and differences between themselves and others and among families, faiths, communities, cultures and traditions and to share and discuss practices, celebrations and experiences.
We promote diverse attitudes and challenge stereotypes, for example, sharing stories that reflect and value the diversity of childrens experiences and providing resources and activities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.
We support the children to understand their role in being a citizen of their local community through providing valuable and relevant opportunities for children to make links with the people in the local environment who influence their lives.
We aim to support the children to understand different faiths and beliefs through supporting community links and developing their knowledge of how they are part of a local community and the wider world.
We actively encourage parents/carers to participate and support us in creating local and world wide links to encourage the children to develop an understanding of the differing cultures, faiths and beliefs around them and support them in being not only tolerant but interested in others; exploring how the differ or are dissimilar to themselves.