THE manager of Egloskerry Pre-school, Rachel Fasham, had the opportunity of a lifetime recently, visiting early years kindergartens in Beijing and Hangzhou and Dalian, China.

The trip was organised as a way of sharing expertise between the two countries. Rachel was visiting as part of a delegation of Early Years Alliance experts tasked with providing their hosts with a better understanding of how early education is delivered in England.

Rachel ran sessions for Chinese children, communicated through a translator. The sessions were based on the English approach to the early years, which is characterised by a play-based and child-centred approach to learning, and based on how they do things in Egloskerry pre-school, a forest school setting.

Rachel also found time to experience some of the culture on offer. She enjoyed guided tours of Beijing, the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, plus a welcoming introduction to China’s vibrant lifestyle and cuisine.

Rachel said: “Visiting the Chinese Early Years settings and their hosts has been an inspiring experience. All four kindergartens were truly amazing in very different ways. I admire the Chinese early years philosophy and the way they are embracing influences from other cultures, to continually develop their practice and set high standards with a determined work ethic.

“Each kindergarten taught me something different and gave me some fantastic ideas to implement in Egloskerry. What I’ll always remember is how incredibly welcoming the children and teachers were — they were all so friendly and eager to learn. They loved our approach to learning though the Forest School approach.”