Felicity Thomas
Felicity trained as a Nursery Infant and Junior teacher at the Froebel Institute in 1972 to 1975. She has worked in various Early years settings over the last 38 years, these include nursery classes & schools in London and the Shire counties. In 1982 she became Senior Teacher in an Urban Aid grant initiative in Exeter. This initiative was a multi-agency project to transform a Social Services run Day Nursery into a participative Family Centre working equally with Health, Education, Social services and the local community. Felicity became the Principle of this very successful project which was documented by the Tavistock Institute, and written about in the World Health Organization Journal 1984.
Felicity moved to Norwich and in 1994 became part of the Conservative Governments Pilot scheme known as 'the Family Literacy Programme'. She was based on the Larkman Estate in West Norwich but took this project to Thetford and Great Yarmouth. She also worked with Norwich Bangladeshi families in their homes supporting playing and communicating. From 1996-2013 Felicity was the head of Earlham Early Years Centre – a combined Nursery School, private Day Nursery and Children's Centre. She currently does assessment work for the Eastern Leadership Centre on the new Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme.
Felicity has travelled and worked with young children in both Australia and New Zealand. She was lucky to be chosen as one of the 25 pilot students for the NPQICL in 2005 and went on to do her MA in multi agency early years leadership. She has written articles in Early Years journals and has written a chapter on outdoor learning in the book of the same title edited by Jan White.
Felicity is passionate about children’s playing and learning. Her particular interests are physical development, emotional development and language development which link well into the Prime areas of the EYFS. Her other passions are in the outdoors and also the importance of forging positive equal working relationships with parents.
Felicity has two step sons and one daughter – all grown up – she is waiting hopefully to one day become a grand mother!
Felicity moved to Norwich and in 1994 became part of the Conservative Governments Pilot scheme known as 'the Family Literacy Programme'. She was based on the Larkman Estate in West Norwich but took this project to Thetford and Great Yarmouth. She also worked with Norwich Bangladeshi families in their homes supporting playing and communicating. From 1996-2013 Felicity was the head of Earlham Early Years Centre – a combined Nursery School, private Day Nursery and Children's Centre. She currently does assessment work for the Eastern Leadership Centre on the new Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme.
Felicity has travelled and worked with young children in both Australia and New Zealand. She was lucky to be chosen as one of the 25 pilot students for the NPQICL in 2005 and went on to do her MA in multi agency early years leadership. She has written articles in Early Years journals and has written a chapter on outdoor learning in the book of the same title edited by Jan White.
Felicity is passionate about children’s playing and learning. Her particular interests are physical development, emotional development and language development which link well into the Prime areas of the EYFS. Her other passions are in the outdoors and also the importance of forging positive equal working relationships with parents.
Felicity has two step sons and one daughter – all grown up – she is waiting hopefully to one day become a grand mother!