Sightlines Initiative is a unique organisation to the UK, acting as a reference point for early year’s excellence. Established in 1995, it has a track record for providing advice, support, advocacy and practical exemplar projects as demonstrators of the creative approach to learning for young children. It is the UK reference point for the international Reggio Children network, based in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The city-run early childhood programme of Reggio Emilia, Italy, has become recognized and acclaimed as one of the best systems of education in the world.

Mission statement

Sightlines Initiative advocates, demonstrates and supports a creative and reflective approach to early years pedagogy in the UK.

Sightlines Initiative is the UK reference point for Reggio Children, Reggio Emilia, Italy, and seeks to promote and disseminate the development of their approach to early years pedagogy.

Sightlines Objectives:

• Encourage reflective, creative early years work in all parts of the UK, through promotion, policy contributions, training, advocacy and consultancy
• Establish a UK membership network for professionals and others to access information and materials aimed at developing environments which support children in learning
• Demonstrate creative, reflective approaches to early learning through action research projects, mentoring and consultancy.
• Develop a sustainable national resource centre

SI is a registered charity, with a large network of members from the UK and beyond and a small staff team of 5. Sightlines is governed by a board of Trustees drawn from the field of childhood education, and an informal Advisory team who oversee the strategic direction of the organisation.

The strategic aim is enable SI to become a national centre for innovation and expertise in early year’s education through a research and development programme of projects, training and evaluation, offering exemplars of good practice and sharing them nationally and internationally.

Locally: Sightlines develops and supports long term creative thinking in action research projects with artists, educators and children in early years settings.

Nationally: Sightlines hosts the ReFocus Network. It is a nationwide learning community of over 1000 members connecting creative reflective practice and projects and influencing policy development in the UK. Sightlines organises continuous professional development opportunities for members and hosts an on-line documentation and project archive. 

Internationally: Sightlines is the UK reference point for Reggio Children facilitating the opportunity to learn from the Reggio experience. In 2006 Reggio Children established the Reggio Children International Network and Sightlines is a founding member of this network (20 countries). Since 1997 Sightlines has organised annual study visits to Reggio Emilia and has organised the hosting of exhibitions from Reggio in the UK. Sightlines now also organises annual study trips to Denmark and Sweden.  

What Is Sightlines Initiative?
We are a self-funded independent organisation made up of practitioners and facilitators developing initiatives and projects aimed at 'breaking the mould' of traditional practice in a variety of early years settings.

What is the ReFocus Network?
ReFocus is the UK network of early childhood educators, artists and others influenced in their practice and pedagogy by the preschools of Reggio Emilia. The ReFocus Network currently has over 1000 members in the UK.  membership is paid on an annual basis and starts from £45. for more information about ReFocus please go to http://www.refocus-network.net/index.php?id=31

What is the Reggio Emilia approach
Reggio Emilia, a small town in politically stable, prosperous northern Italy, has become an international focus of interest for educationalists working with young children.

Can i make my own arrangements to visit the pre schools and infant toddler centres in Reggio Emilia?

The developing pedagogy as experienced in the preschools and infant toddler centres of Reggio Emilia has become world renowned. Reggio Children the organisation which manages the schools (together with the municipality) has to manage the requests for visits very carefully in order not to disrupt the life of the schools. for obvious reasons this must remain a priority. therefore Reggio Children has selected 'reference organisations' in many countries , and in collaboration with these organisations enables opportunities for visits to learn from the Reggio experience. In the UK Sightlines Initiative is the reference organisation. So, it is not possible to visit independantly.  for further enquiries please contact Sightlines Initiative.   

Can i visit Reggio Inspired pre-schools in the UK ?  

The pedagogy as developed and experienced in the pre schools of Reggio Emilia is very particular to the historical, cultural and social context in which it exists. it is not a 'method'. It is not helpful to think of the Reggio preschools as a new educational recipe. Educators there insist that visitors should not try to reproduce their methods, but rather that every preschool, through their own observations, develop their own unique culture and research approach. What we can and should do is to examine Reggio's powerful ideas, and consider their potential in the UK for redeveloping early childhood services with fresh insight. This is especially relevant at the present time when our society is looking for sustainable quality, and looking critically at its own ‘vision of children’.

There are many preschools in the uk which have been inspired by, and have learnt from the Reggio Experience and adapted aspects of the approach in their own contexts. 

Sightlines Initiative has developed the ReFocus Network which is a network of early years educators, artists and others who use the Reggio approach as a frame of reference.

Therefore whilst it is not possible to visit 'Reggio' schools in the uk it is possible to visit schools who are inspired by Reggio. Sightlines can arrange these visits between network members and also organises study tours within the UK for UK educators for further information please contact emma(at)sightlines-initiative.com

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