OUR APPROACH
How we are with children.
Everything at Maple begins with how we listen, how we speak, and how we care.
Montessori, within the EYFS.
Maple is a Montessori nursery. That means children learn by doing — choosing real, purposeful activities from open shelves, repeating them as long as their concentration holds, and building independence one small task at a time.
We deliver this within the Early Years Foundation Stage, the framework every English nursery follows. The EYFS sets out what children should be learning; Montessori shapes how they learn it.
OUR PRINCIPLES
We speak to children, not over them.
Children are addressed with the same respect as adults — crouched to their level, listened to fully, never talked past.
We prepare the room, then step back.
When a child is absorbed in something, we protect that moment. Deep focus is where learning happens, and it is never interrupted for the sake of a schedule.
We prepare the room, then step back.
The environment does much of the teaching. Everything is child-height, real, and orderly — so children can act for themselves, and feel the quiet pride of "I did it."
Routines are consistent and calm. Children thrive when they know what comes next, and steadiness is what makes a nursery feel safe.
We keep the day steady.
The shape of the day.
OUR APPROACH
8.00AM
Arrival
A calm start. Children are greeted by name, settle at their own pace, and choose their first activity.
MORNING
An unbroken stretch of Montessori activity — practical life, sensorial materials, early language and number work. Snack is available when children are ready for it.
The work cycle
MIDDAY
Lunch together
Freshly prepared food, eaten together, with children helping to set and clear.
AFTERNOON
Rest and garden
Younger children sleep; older children rest, then head outdoors. The garden is part of the classroom, not a break from it.
FROM 4.00PM
A gentle close
Quieter activities, stories, and time to be collected without hurry.