Supporting chidlren's development with a unique Scandinavian high quality schooling system

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SMART is a superior curriculum that blends traditional British values with outdoor Scandinavian and Montessori philosophies. A child’s happiness, growth and development are at the centre of everything we do.

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Our homely environments give children enormous comfort and a strong sense of security when in our care.  With us every child matters, meaning we take great care to create a learning plan that is built around each individual child’s needs and aptitudes, enthusiasms and skills; and changes as your child develops. Learning is made by discovery through games and play, both inside and outside, not just in the gardens and parks but in the local environment too, helping to improve physical health and boosts a child’s confidence as they learn about and interact with the world around them.

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Through this unique approach, we meet and exceed targets set by the Early Years National Curriculum for personal, social and academic development of children under 6 years old.

 

Mental and physical stimuli

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Children are naturally curious and we nurture this by keeping them stimulated and active in everything they do, with a balanced mix of both physical and mental activities.

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Acknowledging that each child is different, we encourage a sense of independence and a motivation to learn by letting the children choose what activities they would like to do. The teacher is there to guide the child’s play and encourage activities specific to that child’s learning goals. With this approach their sense of fun is never diminished.  For example, if a child has a particular interest in cars we might construct a garage for their role play opportunities, exploring car themes in maths, literacy, communication and understanding.

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A key part of our children’s learning takes play outdoors – in the garden and in the community.  In the garden we could focus on plants and gardening: growing, harvesting and then eating the food we grow.  We also observe nature, with insect’s to be spotted and seasons to be experienced. The gardens are our extended classroom and are the perfect space to develop a child’s physical skills: balance, mobility, strength and coordination.

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In the community we visit locations such as a supermarket or a bank, outings that will be used to enrich a child’s understanding of the world around them.

 

Academic Objectives

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Parents are kept informed of their child’s progress via a secure, online learning journal.  The learning journal is used by teachers to track your child’s development.  On a weekly basis, teachers will add detailed observations of your child’s actions through notes and images, giving parents a chance to view their child’s enjoyment and development at school. It also allows parents to add their own updates and comments for the teachers to view.

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Although we are always sad to see our charges grow up and move on we know that a child’s journey may start with us but their education must progress to other schools as they grow older. Our teachers have excellent links with target schools in the area and understand the expectations that must be met for the admission process to run smoothly. Children who have already left our nursery have gone to Wimbledon Common Prep School (Squirrels), The Rowans School and Wimbledon High School amongst others. 

 

Realistic Goals

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At SMART, preparation for each child’s future education is meticulous and comprehensive.  On a weekly basis, our teachers set new targets for each individual, planning and designing activities that ensure the child reaches their learning objectives through play activities. The teachers also focus on important one to one time by setting up every day targets and objectives alongside well prepared activities to support learning and topics.