Our bilingual nursery
Our bilingual Nursery welcomes children from 3 to 4 years.
We are open Monday to Friday in term time. The nursery day begins at 8:20 AM and finishes at 3.15 PM.
Wraparound care is available from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
How we learn
We consider the Early Years as the fundamental starting point of the child’s education and we love to spend our days together busily learning through play in a safe and nurturing environment, within the same building as our primary school.
Children are taught individually, in small and whole class groups. The class works on themes throughout the term.
Following the Reggio Emilia approach to education, our curriculum builds upon a balance between activities led by our teachers and by the interests of our children who are encouraged to actively influence the course and format of their learning.
Italian and English
Italian and English native-speaking Class Teachers and Teaching Assistants work in parallel, with groups of children, on a common curriculum designed to cover the educational objectives of both the English and the Italian curriculum.
Each teacher has a classroom, and the children move between them alternating mornings and afternoons in the different classrooms, so that in some rooms they know only English is spoken, and in others, only Italian.
This physical separation of the languages has been shown to assist and enhance the development of the children’s bilingual vocabulary. Children who join the school with just one language follow the same system, but are given one-to-one or small group support by the class assistants and our EAL or IAL specialists at the beginning.
Specialist teachers in Music, Art, Drama and P.E. also contribute to the teaching.
What OFSTED said about us
“Typically, children join the early years with skills typical for their age. There are, however, some fluent Italian speakers who are at the early stages of speaking English as a second language, and vice versa. Children make strong progress in all areas of learning.”
Our daily routine
The teachers plan a daily routine which is constant but somewhat flexible.
Our daily routine includes the process of plan-do-think, in which the children are encouraged to plan their activities, carry them out and talk about their achievements in both languages.
15 and 30 free hours
All 3 and 4 year olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free early education per week (a total of 570 hours per year).
Some 3 to 4 year olds are eligible for 30 hours free early education a week.
Check your options on Childcare Choices, then contact the school for further information.
Our doors are always open
You’re welcome to come and visit our Nursery and talk to the staff: book a call or schedule an appointment at your convenience.
In the meantime find out more about our fees and admissions process.