The first Freedom we like to put in place for our Highland Flingers is the Freedom to Develop at their own natural pace. In society we often group people together for very practical purposes when dealing with large numbers. In the case of schooling this is predominantly done by date of birth. In one way this is extremely logical but it can be counter-productive when trying to encourage and support the different needs and stages of development for each child. As adults, our social groups consist of a wide variety of ages both at work and during leisure time. By streaming children by their birth dates we can create a very unrealistic model of the wider world.
Any lists of expectations or generic targets for very young people may restrict natural development and even cause anxiety in some. Although our children are grouped by age for their key worker times, Highland Fling creates daily opportunities for children of all ages to mix, share activities and enjoy each others’ company. Many friendships are formed beyond the barriers of age. All of our planning considers each individual child rather than the group as a whole.
This means we have a planning strategy for every child based on their interests, their nature, their development stages, and importantly the information provided by parents and carers. These plans flow in line with the child’s own development and enable your child to get the most out of Highland Fling – at their own pace.