‘The Environment as the Third Teacher’ - Reggio Emilia

At Hailes Barn, we take inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach, an educational philosophy that originated in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It views children as capable, curious and full of potential, with their own ideas, interests and ways of understanding the world.

Rather than learning being led entirely by adults, children are encouraged to explore, investigate, ask questions, make choices and learn through meaningful experiences. Practitioners observe carefully, listen to children's ideas and support their learning as it naturally develops.

The Environment as the Third Teacher
A key part of the Reggio approach is the belief that the environment acts as the “third teacher”, alongside parents and practitioners.
At Hailes Barn, we create calm, inviting spaces with natural and authentic materials, open-ended resources and real-life objects. Resources are accessible so children can make independent choices and use materials creatively rather than always being shown what to do.
We also believe less is often more. Carefully chosen resources can encourage deeper, more imaginative play than an overwhelming amount of toys.

Following the Child
Our environment is never finished. We observe children's interests and adapt our spaces and resources in response to what they are exploring. This works closely alongside our In-the-Moment Planning approach, allowing practitioners to recognise and extend learning as it happens.

Learning Indoors and Outdoors
Our outdoor environment is just as valuable as our indoor rooms. Nature, mud, weather, plants, animals and space to move provide endless opportunities for exploration, problem solving, creativity and discovery.
Ultimately, we want our environment to tell every child:
“Explore. Be curious. Make choices. Have a go. Your ideas matter here.”
Happy, confident and capable children, inspired by their environment.