Nursery World - Outdoors

As Chelsea Open Air Nursery School prepares to celebrate its 90th anniversary, Nicole Weinstein finds out what makes the setting so special today

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Nestled in the corner of a prestigious London street, in a picturesque historic cottage that looks like a gingerbread house in contrast to the grand houses that line the road, sits the world-famous Chelsea Open Air Nursery School (COANS).

For the past 90 years, it has provided high-quality early education and outdoor learning experiences to children from a diverse range of social, cultural and economic backgrounds, who live in and around the neighbouring streets in the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. ‘“A healthy opening to education – open hearts and open minds” is the slogan that defines the school’s ethos,’ says head teacher Talia Robinson.

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