Froebel Trust invests £1million in UK nursery schools

A major new Froebel Trust funding programme designed to increase understanding of a Froebelian approach to early education is launching this summer. 

The programme aims to foster collaboration in the early years sector and provide Froebelian training for more early years educators.

The initiative will see a £1 million investment in Froebelian education in the UK.

The Froebel Trust funds practice development and research into education and learning in the early years of childhood from birth to eight years.

Dr Sacha Powell, Chief Executive, Froebel Trust says, “This funding will give more young children and their families the opportunity to access a Froebelian approach to early education – with plenty of outdoor play, creativity, learning through nature - and the myriad of benefits to learning a Froebelian education can bring.”

Following several years of planning and a competitive application and selection process, two project teams have been chosen by the Froebel Trust to each receive funding. The teams will undertake intensive research, Froebelian practice development and community engagement projects over the next three years.

In Scotland, the Froebelian Futures team will be led by Dr Lynn McNair (University of Edinburgh) and Lian Higgins (Cowgate Under 5's Centre). The team will work in collaboration with local authorities across Scotland and colleagues in the Czech Republic and Greece with a particular emphasis on the development of Froebelian leadership.

Dr McNair says, “It feels more necessary now than ever to drive forward child-centred practices. We are particularly interested in the entanglement and complexity of children’s lives, believing that diversity matters.”

In England and New Zealand, the Froebel Partnership team will be led by Sally Cave (Guildford Nursery School and Family Centre), Professor Chris Pascal (Centre for Research in Early Childhood) and Anne Denham (AMA Associates, Auckland). The team will work in collaboration with schools and settings across England, the European Early Childhood Education Research Association and early learning organisations - including Kindergarten Associations across New Zealand and the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Mark Neale, Froebel Trust Chair of Trustees says, “The early years sector has been under intense pressure during the pandemic and this investment should give a real boost to those who have been working so hard to support and care for young children in nursery schools and kindergartens.”

The Froebel Trust will share the outcomes of the two projects in a series of reports, evaluations and events designed to share learning, robust evidence and results from this innovative and collaborative programme.

About the Froebel Trust:

The Froebel Trust funds practice development and research into education and learning in the early years of childhood from birth to eight years.

Our charity’s work is based on the principles of Friedrich Froebel, the inventor of kindergartens and a pioneer of early childhood education and care. 

We believe that Froebel’s focus on the importance of play, learning through nature, hands-on learning and nurturing a child’s connection to their community is more relevant than ever. 

Find out more at www.froebel.org.uk

The Froebel Trust is a registered Charity No.1145128. Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 07862112. Registered office at Clarence Lodge, Clarence Lane, Roehampton, London, SW15 5JW

(ENDS)

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