#1 Education
An authentic, mixed age and child centred Montessori nursery school.
Our OFSTED registered nursery school is delivered by passionate Montessorians who embody Dr Montessori’s ideas.
The method is both a philosophy of child development and a rationale for supporting growth. We believe a child’s early years (birth-6) offer the greatest capacity to learn. At this age children are universally curious, creative and self-motivated learners with endless potential for growth.
Happiest when doing, children will actively engage in the work of self construction when given appropriate freedoms (within boundaries), a carefully prepared environment and the right support to follow their interests. Our role as Educators is to observe and reflect, only by understanding a child’s actions and behaviours can we plan opportunities to extend their learning.
Studio’s indoor/outdoor free flow provides endless opportunities for creativity and allows our children the independence to express themselves. The high adult to child ratio and commitment to capping membership at 6 per day ensures our youngest members enjoy a bespoke and responsive early years experience.
N.B As a new setting, our Playhood nursery school does not yet have an OFSTED rating, but we will be assessed within the first 30 months.
#2 Community
A village built on connectedness, reciprocity and creativity.
Playhood is a system for parents and Educators to collaborate, combine strengths and share in special moments. By turning members from passive consumers into active users we widen the pool of talent our Educators can call upon to innovate the curriculum and diversify role models.
In return, we enthusiastically share our Montessori methods to support a consistent approach between school and home, equipping parents with the knowledge and tools to meet challenges.
A family of families, members are surrounded by entrepreneurial parent peers who understand the balancing act, helping unlock capacity to grow our businesses. By fuelling the exchange of ideas and shared resources our community provides a valuable team to the lone worker parent.
#3 Environment
A live/work townhouse, nestled in a residential neighbourhood and plugged into a vibrant community.
At Playhood we blur the boundaries between home, work and school. Connected by a garden, our Home work space and Studio nursery function as two distinct but interconnected spaces.
With a focus on beauty, order, ownership, accessibility and independence, Studio has a free flow connection to the garden, allowing our curriculum to centre on the natural world and sustainability. Our children take ownership of their environment, developing and constructing it as their interests grow.
Home provides a calm, peaceful work haven flooded with natural light and good coffee. The minimalist interior comprises work, meeting and lounge spaces directly connected to a large sun terrace.
Beyond Playhood, we plug into a creative community and diverse neighbourhood giving us an even wider platform to work and play.
#4 Mindset
A learning lab driven by curiosity, engagement, connectedness and growth.
In our community everyone is a learner and all contributions are equally valued. At Playhood, our approach is one of play ethic - creativity, energy, engagement and playfulness - over the traditional work ethic. We provide a platform to crowdsource new ideas, observing their impact and tweaking accordingly.
We pay special attention to our connectedness to others and the environment. Our partnership with Ikhaya Labantwana Preschool, South Africa is the first of many reciprocal relationships we plan to develop.
