Ethos

In the unique location of Letham Woods the staff and volunteers of The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery assist in the unfolding and development of the intrinsic worth of each child.

We aim to:

• create opportunities for children to learn and discover through play

• develop an awareness of nature, the changing seasons and rhythms of the year

• develop each child’s sense of worth in relation to the world around them

This is achieved by encouraging:

• each child to spend active and reflective time outdoors with the opportunity to look, listen, touch, smell and taste all that nature offers

• free and independent play

• investigative play to foster an attitude of open enquiry

• positive and co-operative play

Through the Nature as Teacher Curriculum we are actively engaged in supporting the growth and development of each child through the Four Capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence  

• Confident Individual

• Successful Learner

• Effective Contributor

• Responsible Citizen

The Secret Garden is fully committed to promoting children’s rights, notably their right to be protected from harm, abuse and exploitation and to be involved in any decisions that directly affect them. The Secret Garden has a duty of care to implement effective policies and procedures for safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. In order to achieve this we will ensure all our staff and volunteers:

• are carefully selected, screened, trained and supervised and will be kept up to date with Child Protection national developments.

• will receive first aid training appropriate to the outdoor environment

• are aware of health and safety issues relating to child care and activities in the outdoor environment

• develop positive behaviour management skills in all staff and volunteers in order that the children feel safe, secure and know that they can rely on being cared for in a fair, non-judgemental way where feelings expressed are acknowledged and taken seriously.

• encourage children to express their ideas and views on a wide range of issues.

Whilst a child is attending The Secret Garden, we have a duty to ensure that s/he is safe at all times and also have a duty to ensure the safety of our staff. Our service operates with the belief that we provide safety for the children that balances the benefit of risk taking, thereby enabling and supporting learning and discovery in the world and self.

The outdoor environment is regularly checked to ensure that your child is playing in a safe but interesting environment. Knowing the local woodland environment well we ensure that the children are safe from hazards.