The Unicorns – These are the preschool children aged 3 years to 5 years. Here the curriculum is more structured and requires a higher level of concentration and more mature social skills. In the preschool room, children´s learning is guided by the Montessori Teacher and they receive less one to one attention than in the Sunshine (toddler) room, as they benefit from playing and interacting for longer periods of time without adult intervention.
As we are committed to the long term educational needs of the children who attend 9 months We place an emphasis on increasing social and intellectual development and expect high pre-school standards, where learning is fun, in order to encourage children to grow and develop into well-rounded, open-minded people. We encourage children to question and will do our best to satisfy all their curiosities.
Individuality is vital, we will encourage every child to achieve their own potential goals to the best of their ability. It is our objective to maintain high pre school standards, without overlooking the social, physical, creative and emotional growth of each child. It is essential for children to have time to play, socialise and investigate in their environment, enabling them to learn and encounter new experiences for themselves.
Our syllabus for the 3–5 year olds will incorporate the Early Learning Goals as stipulated in the National Curriculum and Foundation stage for learning. However we do not wish to limit the children´s experiences to a particular teaching method, therefore they will benefit from an extensive range of learning techniques and materials, including the highly successful Montessori approach, giving each child the opportunity to extend their learning experiences, benefiting from a variety of theories in order to enhance holistic development.
They learn the alphabet through a variety of methods with a strong emphasis placed on phonics and once they are ready, they begin individual reading sessions using the Oxford Reading Tree scheme.
Every child has an opportunity to use child oriented software on the computer at least once a week. With the increasing importance of IT in almost every industry now, we see this as a vital skill.
We recognise the importance of keeping abreast of the latest developments in education, to this end 9 months belongs to the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, which provides relevant ongoing training for the whole team.
We have also made it a priority to form close bonds with schools in the surrounding areas. Parents are offered an insight into the schools facilities and head teachers are invited to Schools Nights, regularly held at the 9 Months. School selection is an important and sometimes confusing issue, and at 9 months we endeavour to provide parents with the information required to choosing the right school for you and your child.
All parents receive detailed developmental records for their child twice a year, which can be discussed, at length at preschool parents evenings held at the nursery.
At 9 Months Nursery we are very lucky to have such a small grouping as it means we can take advantage of outdoor trips on a regular basis. Once a week, the children visit Osterley library to choose new books for themselves and listen to storytime. They will also get the opportunity to visit local destinations in keeping with their monthly themes e.g. when learning about animals we visited the ‘Pets At Home’ centre in Brentford to learn about caring for domestic animals and during the transport theme, we went for a picnic along the Thames to spot boats and canals.
A professional musician attends once a week to accompany the children in their singing and musical activities,
An example of a typical day at 9 months is provided below:
Sample Timetable
08.00–09.00 Arrival & Breakfast09.00–10.00 Circle Time & planned activities
10.00-11.15 Outdoor Play
11.15–12.15 Lunch – encouraging social skills & language
12.15–14.00 Brushing teeth, washing hands & relaxation & free play
14.00–14.30 Circle Time – discussing the days activities
14.30–15.30 Montessori led Activities
15.30–16.00 Tea
16.00–16.30 Washing hands & looking at books of our choice
16.30–17.30 Soft play, Music & movement & free play
17.00–18.00 Winding down & story/DVD timeAddress:
30A The Grove
Isleworth
Middlesex
TW7 4JU
Tel: 0208 847 0303
