Our Approach to Early Years Education in Hove

At Young Friends, everything begins with the child. Our approach to early years education is built around who your child is, what interests them and what they need to thrive.

We offer a sustainable, child-led approach to early years education, where children learn through real experiences, meaningful relationships and thoughtful guidance.

Rooted in sustainability, respect and real childhood

A different model of early years

Young Friends was intentionally created as a different model of early years education — one rooted in sustainability, respect and real childhood.

Sustainability shapes everything we do. It is not an add-on, but a framework that guides our decisions, environment and daily practice.

Children grow up understanding that how we live matters.

How children learn at Young Friends

Real Experiences

Children learn through gardening, cooking, building and working with real tools. Nothing here is tokenistic or staged.

Child-Led Learning

Children follow their own interests and ideas, with adults observing closely and building on what they see.

Loose Parts Play

Instead of conventional toys, children explore with open-ended materials: wood, fabric, metal and natural objects.

Thinking & Language

Adults support learning through open two-way conversations and careful questioning questioning that builds real thinking skills.

The Role of the Adult

At Young Friends, adults do not control learning – they guide and extend it.

Observing children closely
Responding to interests and schemas
Modelling language, care and respect
Supporting problem-solving and thinking

Understanding Each Child

We do not have a one-size-fits-all approach to behaviour, learning or care. We take the time to understand what each child needs, what motivates them, and what they find difficult, and we let that knowledge shape how we work with them.

Our highly trained team takes time to understand and observe each child’s:

interests
schemas
emotional needs
stage of development

Emotional Wellbeing

Emotional wellbeing is central to learning.

We use The Just Right System :

Green: calm, alert and ready to learn
Amber: anxious, overexcited – needs calming reassurance
Blue: low energy, tired or bored – needs comfort, movement or change of environment
Red: overwhelmed and needs support

The Just Right Programme is a colour-based emotional regulation system developed in Brighton and Hove for use in early years settings. It gives children a simple, visual way to understand and communicate how they are feeling, without needing to find complex words for big emotions.

Children are supported through co-regulation and calm, consistent suppport.

Respect & Community

Respect underpins everything we do.

We build strong relationships between children, families and staff, with respectful, open and honest communication.

Anti-bias runs through everything we do. Children learn to respect themselves, each other and the diversity they encounter around them, in the setting, in the community and in the wider world.

A community, not just a setting

Young Friends is a community in which everyone works together for the good of the child. Many of the families who come to Young Friends tell us it feels different from the moment they walk in. That comes from a culture built on respect for each other and the environment, a team that communicates honestly, and a commitment to knowing every child and family well.

Safeguarding & Standards

Safeguarding is central to our kindergarten.

The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is our first responsibility, and it shapes everything from how we recruit staff to how we manage the building and communicate with families.

We maintain clear procedures, strong leadership and high expectations across the whole team.

What makes us different?

Real Food, Every Day

Freshly prepared, fully plant-based meals made from scratch daily, many using vegetables grown in our own kitchen garden.

Consistently Outstanding

Rated Outstanding by Ofsted at every inspection since we opened in 2009

Everything Starts with Your Child

Child-initiated, deeply personal and thoughtfully guided. Your child’s interests shape their day, every day.

A Woodland Garden in the Heart of Hove

A private woodland garden, kitchen garden and covered workshop, all in the heart of Hove.

Parent Testimonials

“Our 23-month-old daughter is thriving at Young Friends. I genuinely feel like she is going to her second family three days a week.”

"The care the team have for the children is just outstanding and my daughter has developed so well — from wonderful meals to brilliant friendships and countless new skills.”

" The free-flow, child-led design allows our nature-loving kids to spend hours exploring their magical garden. The endless nature-inspired activities never cease to capture their imagination.”

" They get to know and appreciate each child for who they are, and the warmth in their relationship with the children really shows.”

"As parents, the fact that we never had to worry about dropping her off made an incalculable difference in our lives.”

"Words cannot describe how lucky we feel to have found Young Friends for our children. The love, care and attention they have received has been extraordinary. The environment they have grown and developed in is second to none."

“We travel across town to take our daughter and are actually going to move house to be closer to the nursery rather than find somewhere closer to us .”