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Reflective Practice and Reciprocal Learning – My Journey into ‘The Wingate Way’

For the past two years it has been my privilege to work at Wingate Nursery School in County Durham.  I came to this nursery because I felt that I understood this way of working, I knew (or so I thought) the meaning of ‘following children’s interests’ and I believed in trusting children to take reasonable risks.  However, it was only through working in Wingate’s quite extraordinary (and yet very simple) way that I truly began to understand the meaning and power of these things.

Let me cast my mind back to my earliest days at Wingate and tell you about just a few of the many things that impressed, surprised and downright shocked me! –

• We have only the loosest medium-term plans and no structured ‘teaching’ in phonics, numbers or anything else.
• The children use real tools and equipment (from hammers to step ladders). They are taught how to use them safely and then trusted with them.  It’s that simple.
• A
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