Montessori

We say: Set up by Dr Maria Montessori in the late 1800s, Montessori nurseries encourage individual play, have mixed aged groups and offer specially designed apparatus. Most Montessori schools in the UK are for children aged three to six years.

They say:What makes the Montessori approach different, and what makes it work so well, is that it is based on a deep understanding of the way children learn – through choosing, trying and doing themselves. When allied to the availability of specially developed materials in a prepared environment, and the close observation and guidance of a Montessori-trained teacher, this leads to an enormously powerful, confidence-building approach to learning.

“Because Montessori focuses on the individual child, allowing them to develop at their own pace, and because it presents a broader curriculum to that which is offered by state schools, both parents and administrators often need reassurance that Montessori educated children are making satisfactory progress and will be able to cope when they later join a mainstream school. Montessori meets the early learning goals. Indeed, Montessori’s play-based approach to learning has been hailed as underpinning the philosophy of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

“Many teachers comment on the emotional resilience, determination and problem-solving characteristics of Montessori children when they start primary school, as the learning materials are all carefully designed so they can understand where they may have gone wrong and work out ways of correcting themselves without being told how to do so.” (Amanda Gilchrist, Montessori communications director)

montessori.org.uk

 

Hatching Dragons (multi-lingual)

We say: Established at the start of 2014, Hatching Dragons is the UK’s first bilingual and bicultural Mandarin-English daycare setting. They offer places from the age of six months to five years, depending on the nursery.

They say: “I’m a long-suffering student of Chinese and after the birth of my son, Nai, I realised that the early years were probably the best time to offer children a second language. I’d read about the cognitive advantages of a bilingual upbringing and suddenly thought that a nursery that could offer Nai an immersion into a language like Mandarin would only place him well for the future. So I set one up.

“Just like every other nursery in the UK, we have to deliver the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) – a developmental framework that aims to get children “school ready” by 5. But we also gear the children towards intercultural understanding – they study UK and Chinese mythology, Chinese calligraphy as both a pictographic (i.e. artistic) and literal medium and how to make fresh noodles and other healthy food.

“As a bilingual provider, we actually have an extra (Mandarin-speaking) staffer for every other (English-speaking) staffer that you would find in another nursery. It means that children get double the care but it also means our overheads are higher than elsewhere. That said, full time daycare (50 hours a week) works out at roughly £6.70 per hour, which is actually far cheaper than everyone else out there.” (Cenn John, CEO and general manager)

hatching-dragons.com

 

Steiner

We say: Steiner education started in Germany in 1919. Dr Steiner’s belief was that childhood developed in seven-year phases, so formal education starts at the age of seven. Until then, they offer a play-based education.

They say: “Steiner is more than just a method; it’s a whole ethos. We encourage the parents to get involved by joining their children for storytelling, crafts, play – indoors and outdoors – forest groups, and to celebrate festivals. Very often, we find that the family will then want to eat what we eat at home (organic food), to tell stories like we do and to avoid media and television. We encourage parents to instead spend time face to face with their children, for as long as possible.

“Our kindergartens (for two to six-year-olds) are exempt from Early Years Foundation Stage so there’s no media, IT or formal teaching of literacy and numeracy. We embed other skills first: working with your hands, being outdoors in nature, social and emotional skills.

“It works very well if children go on to a mainstream school, as they have all the numeracy and literacy skills – they simply learn by doing. They can count because they bake bread and weigh all the ingredients at the table. They are keen learners, interested in life and highly articulate.” (Janni Nicol, early years executive officer for Steiner Wardorf Schools Fellowship)

steinerwardorf.org

 

State nursery

We say: From the age of three, all UK children can attend state nursery and the government subsidise 15 hours. Some now offer free places for two-year-olds.

They say:  “Play and freedom should be at the heart of every nursery but some are more creative than others. At my nursery, we believe in outdoor learning so the children have time in our school’s forest area every day, which I think is especially important for inner city children.

I’m open to other styles of teaching and use elements of the Steiner and Montessori methods in my own teaching. But while I’m a huge advocate of play and independent learning, I also know how much children can achieve if given the correct amount of direction and teaching. If you research into mainstream nurseries you’ll see they can differ in attitude and style so it’s really worth investigating.

One of the benefits of sending your child to a mainstream nursery in a school setting is that the school environment becomes familiar, so often those children find the transition a lot easier. Teachers also tend to understand what the children will need to equip them for starting Reception and work closely with the teachers in the school to prepare children for the next step.” (Danni Bikhazi, early years coordinator)

 

Forest schools

We say: Focusing on developing children’s personal, social and emotional development through regular outdoor woodland experience, Forest Schools have been set up around the world, catering for three month to five-year-olds.

They say: A range of outdoor activities are planned by an experienced Forest School Leader who aims to scaffold the children’s learning through play. This enables children to build on their own experiences and realise their potential while exploring the natural world.

“We cater for children aged between three months and five years at the nursery. For children under two years, the cost is £50 for the full day and £30 for a half day. For children aged between two and five years, the cost is £45 for the full day and £25 for a half day.

“Some conventional nurseries do have a good balance of outdoor and indoor activities, although most settings that I have visited do not appear to have the structured, planned outdoor activities that I believe children really benefit from. We offer children the freedom to develop at their own pace, giving them the opportunity to take safe, manageable risks in the great outdoors.

“Forest Schools produce confident, sociable children who are aware of the importance of listening to instructions, as well as having the confidence to discover things for themselves. We follow the EYFS like any conventional nursery, track our children’s progress and plan for each individual child’s needs.” (Claire McClelland, kindergarten manager of Middlewood Nature Nursery, Sheffield)

forestschools.com

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