Les Trois Oursons
Les Trois Oursons is a private nursery, which offers excellent teacher ratios and care. We admit children to Les Trois Oursons from the age of 8 months until they are 4 (until they are old enough to go to Reception Class in a Primary School). We have three age appropriate classes – the exact division of which is responsive to the age profile of the children, and so varies slightly year to year (read more below about Our classrooms).
We have native French teachers who deliver the French-bilingual environment for the children and Chinese teachers for our Introduction to Mandarin. We employ fully trained Montessori teachers as well as members of staff having an alternative qualifications in childcare. This helps provide variety within the nursery and ensures that the needs of our little children (8 months -2 ½ ) are carefully monitored, nurtured and supported throughout their day at school. Many of our teachers are themselves parents, and we understand that often babies and toddlers require different care and activities, as well as sleep, cuddles & nappy changes.
Our Nursery Manager, Marina Blanco takes care of all the day-to-day running of the nursery. Either the manager or the deputy manager will show you around when you book a visit.
We are open 47 weeks a year, from 8 am to 6 pm (you can arrive between 8 am and 09:30 and collect your child between 4:30 pm and 6 pm).
Our Classrooms
Children are assigned to one of three classrooms when they start, according to their start age. The exact division of the classrooms is determined simply by putting the oldest group of the children in the Lions room, the middle group in the Penguins room, and the youngest group in the Bunnies. Usually our rooms are full all year round, so a child will stay in the room all year.
Some years we have little movement (for example, if the previous year was very young overall, then few if any of them will leave for Primary school at the end of the year). In these cases, children will probably stay in the same group for more than 1 year.
Each classroom has several staff members, which allows several activities to occur at the same time in each of the rooms. We carefully consider the children to provide the appropriate range of stimulating activities for them.
The same or similar activities can be pitched at quite different levels by the key people. They key for us is to ensure we know the children well so we can pitch the right activities in the right way for each of the children according to their abilities.
We encourage and give space to the children to develop at their own pace. Children learn to walk, or potty train at their own pace and not necessarily in sync with their other learning and development. This is perfectly normal, and we will change the room, the routine and the way we encourage each child to ensure s/he feel motivated during this process.
A child’s interest is also of vital importance. Our philosophy is that by engaging a child’s interests, we will support (or “scaffold”) their learning. This combination of knowing the children, taking their level of development and their interests into consideration, allows us to support children to thrive. This approach is used in all the classrooms, and is the most influential factor of how we care for them children and teach them.
Lower ground floor (go through the black metal gate, our entrance is down the stairs).
170 Gloucester Terrace, W2 6HS
