Welcome to Stepping Stones! Our kindergarten offers a unique Early Years learning experience for young children from the age 9 months to 6 years. We have an exceptionally happy, caring and creative learning environment.
Stepping Stones is a hidden gem. Our grounds are a beautiful garden oasis featuring winding pathways, tall trees and flowers. A natural haven for children where there are many enticing play opportunities including a mud kitchen, mini roads, climbing frames, playhouses, giant sand pits, a play boat, swings and slides. Our children take delight in helping to care for our kindergarten rabbits that hop around freely. The children help to grow vegetables and flowers in their own shamba.
Stepping Stones is truly international and we embrace the diversity and heritage of our international kindergarten community, this is a valued special quality. Currently our families represent over 17 nationalities.
We have ample green open space for sports and a shady tennis court. Our teaching swimming pool is a safe beautiful place where children have small group swimming sessions with a coach.
The Stepping Stones environment is perfect for providing learning spaces both indoors and outdoors. Our teachers are skilled at providing creative learning areas that are bright and stimulating and captivating for a young learner. Here children learn to share, cooperate, problem solve and use their imagination and creativity.
It is our aim that every child that leaves Stepping Stones does so with confidence and competence with a love of learning and a knowledge that school is a really fun place to be!
They are fully prepared for their next educational step and they are ready for a variety of educational options, The British National Curriculum, the Kenyan 8:4:4 or American and European education systems.
Come and experience the unique learning environment at Stepping Stones.
At Stepping Stones your child will become confident and competent with a love of learning. We are proud of our teaching team who have been carefully selected and are creative and committed to giving children unique learning experience.
I am a British educationalist having graduated with a BA ( Hons ) in Education from the University of Manchester. I worked as a consultant specialist teacher in the London Borough of Merton, one of London’s largest Boroughs. I have extensive experience as a primary school teacher specializing in language acquisition and visual learning in young children.
Through my work in London, I gained an understanding and insight into the best practice for Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS in a range of educational settings including Montessori, mainstream and private schools.
Having raised four children into teenage and university years, I have a wealth of both professional and personal understanding of the development of young children and what they essentially need to flourish as healthy, caring and capable young people.
Stepping Stones is a specialist early education provider, we deliver an exceptionally strong foundation that every child needs regardless of their nationality. As a truly international kindergarten it is vital that we equip every child for their next educational step. Children leave Stepping Stones fully prepared to join the spectrum of international education systems.
Contact me to come and experience the unique learning at Stepping Stones.
Sally McGreevy
BA ( Hons )
Head teacher
Our hallmark is being kind and respectful. The Stepping Stones community is a learning family with a basis of Christian values. This means that as a teaching team we model to the children in words and actions; mutual respect, inclusion of all and caring for one another. These are all essential aspects of their growth and development
We embrace the diversity and heritage of our international kindergarten community.
These are all essential aspects of their growth and development.
Every month we have a special birthday assembly. Parents are invited to join the celebration and every child at some point in the year will blow out candles, share a homemade cake and receive a small birthday gift. We place a high priority on the emotional health and well-being of every child and these birthday assemblies nurture their sense of value. During the birthday assemblies the children learn some simple British Sign Language BSL this is to develop an awareness of children with Special Needs and how to foster inclusion. These are all essential aspects to their growth, development and love of learning.
Every Friday mums and dads are invited to our Good Work assembly where every child proudly shows their activities and creations from the week. This is a highly valued part of our community and weekly schedule.
The assemblies give children confidence in their ability and they understand that everyone can achieve and be successful. Everyone is applauded. In assemblies we highlight kindness, generosity, patience, sharing, politeness, helpfulness and gratefulness. Our assembly is Christian with songs and a prayer to express thankfulness.
We are a unique kindergarten and are based in a beautiful garden environment. Stepping Stones provides a truly inspiring and nurturing place in which children learn to appreciate the nature and wildlife that surrounds them. We have kindergarten rabbits that hop around freely and all the children learn how to be kind and respectful to creatures in the garden.
As a kindergarten community we are learning together how we can protect the planet. Every Friday we celebrate Fridays for Future and the children learn about land and sea pollution and deforestation. We intentionally teach about recycling and reusing resources and emphasize creativity through junk modeling. As a kindergarten environment we aim to be single use plastic free to protect our oceans.
As a kindergarten, we actively encourage healthy eating. This means that morning snacks from home should be healthy whole foods without additives such as fruit, vegetables and low sugar. We are a nut free kindergarten too. In our cookery lessons we aim for creativity and recipes that are good for you!
We are also aiming towards a more plant based diet for all our children for health and care of the planet. Our menu does not include beef and we aim to be responsible in where our food is resourced.
Throughout the year we have annual events that are highlights in our kindergarten community calendar.
All the children participate in age appropriate races with an emphasis on fun and team work. Parents races are always a source of much fun and laughter!
Friends and families join us for these special event held in a marquee in our Dudus garedn. All the children perform beautifully with songs, dance and lines they have learnt. They love to be in costume and have their faces painted! Mulled wine, mince pies at Christmas allows our community of parents to bond.
Every term parents are invited to join Sally, the head teacher, in the Dudus garden for tea coffee fruit, pastries and cakes. This is a time for new and established parents to get to know one another.
Families come together for our end of term feasts when families bring healthy food to share including an Easter Egg hunt at the end of the second term.
I love the multiple free choice activities that stimulate and encourage independent learning. I love the kind and caring staff who take care of my son. Su Davies – British
I think this is a very idyllic, beautiful and stimulating kindergarten. Qingxia Miao – Chinese
I have visited many schools and I am extremely impressed by what has been accomplished at Stepping Stones. A truly international class. Alisa Roskach – Russian
I like activities that involve children. The staff are welcoming and I love the idea of daily WhatsApp updates. Nancy Radido – Sudanese
A very conducive learning environment for children, with professional friendly teachers and assistants. Stepping Stones will certainly appeal to children and parents. Noor Taib – German
We love the warm welcoming environment for all children and parents, the amazing colouful bandas and carefully selected creative learning activities which daily change. It’s perfectly organized and hygienic. Leiselot Wuts –Verhaegen – Dutch
Beautiful, warm and friendly school, packed with lots of love for the children. Kizzie Shako – Kenyan
Stepping Stones is play based learning at its best. My daughter can’t wait to go to school everyday. Anne Marie Gordon – South African
The teachers and staff are enthusiastic and make school fun. Erin Oliver – British
I chose to put my daughter in Stepping Stones as I was very impressed with the setting of the school. My daughter loves it here and the staff are great and welcoming. Harmeet Osahan – Indian British
Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS
We follow the British National Curriculum for Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS which ensures that each child is carefully monitored across the seven key areas of their development. These vital foundations in the early years help children to experience a sound education so that they can reach their full potential.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Children become increasingly independent and enjoy exploring the captivating environment, choosing favourite activities and exploring new ones. We encourage our children to take pride and have confidence in being able to tackle new tasks and share and communicate with their peers and the teaching team. We provide clear boundaries, this encourages appropriate behaviour which develops sharing and caring, respect and love for one another. The children learn to be part of a group and work cooperatively.
Communication and Language Development
We encourage the children to listen to stories and join in with simple rhymes and songs which become the building blocks for much of their early language acquisition. They enjoy sharing their news with the larger group at carpet time, enabling them to build their vocabulary and gain confidence. They learn to follow simple instructions through a variety of activities and are able to share their experiences.
Physical Development
Stepping Stones is a haven for developing gross motor skills in young children. There is ample opportunity for children to run, climb, jump and to confidently learn to negotiate space. Qualified teachers in gymnastics, dance, swimming, tennis, mini tag rugby and ball sports ensure correct technique and confident handling of sports equipment from an early age.
We help our youngest children to toilet train and to use the toilet independently. All children learn about the need for healthy eating and eat healthy snacks at morning break times. A daily range of creative activities are provided to enhance fine motor skills, these include, cutting, pouring, drawing, writing and threading.
Literacy Development
We follow a reputable and effective UK approved phonics scheme called Letters and Sounds which takes children through the alphabet in a stimulating and fun way. First younger children engage in teacher led pre phonics listening activities. We use a combination of rhymes, songs, games and focused literacy activities. As children progress they learn to recognize the shape and sound of individual letters and learn the correct letter formation using a range of mediums such as playdough, sand, paint, water, salt and flour. We foster a love of books and stories, every child is taken at their own pace and when ready, they will begin to bring home reading books from a variety of reading schemes.
Numeracy Development
Numbers and counting are part of our Stepping Stones environment. All classes from Nursery one to Year one use Numicon. This is an excellent visual and tactile numeracy resource helping children to identify number values, number bonds, number patterns and odd and even numbers. Children are encouraged to complete puzzles, construct with a variety of blocks, sort, match and problem solve. Our children always engage in experiential learning, measuring, recording and taking an interest in the shapes within their environment.
Understanding the World
Stepping Stones provides a truly inspiring and nurturing place in which children learn to appreciate the nature and wildlife that surrounds them. They all have opportunity to grow from seed a range of flowers and vegetables in our special shamba. We have kindergarten rabbits that hop around freely and all the children learn how to be kind and respectful to the many creatures in the garden. We visit local farmyards, crocodile village and have visits from camels and pet dogs.
As a kindergarten community we are learning together how we can protect the planet. Every Friday we celebrate Fridays for Future when the children learn about land and sea pollution and deforestation. We intentionally teach about recycling and reusing resources and emphasize creativity through junk modeling. As a kindergarten environment we aim to be single use plastic free and we intentionally teach children about how to protect our oceans.
Expressive Arts and Design
Our children are always encouraged to explore their creativity. We aim for individualized art and craft when children explore and use their imaginations to create unique works of art which we proudly display. We have specialist teachers for ballet, Hip Hop and music who foster children’s innate love of rhythm and movement. The children share their experiences in our annual school plays and Christmas shows with a singing and dancing. Imaginative role play is encouraged and developed, with daily access to props and costumes.
SWIMMING: Small class group swimming sessions with a specialist coach allows children plenty of teacher attention with an emphasis on building confidence in water, water safety and correct swimming technique. INCLUDED
SPORTS: We have a specialist sports coach who engages the older classes in bat and ball sports activities and team games including rounders, hockey and cricket. INCLUDED
TENNIS: Early tennis skills are delivered by a qualified tennis coach team in a stimulating way according to the age of each class. Children learn good hand eye coordination and handling of equipment confidently and appropriately. INCLUDED
MINI TAG RUGBY: We are very proud to employ our own female rugby coach who plays for the National Women’s team. She also provides an excellent role model of gender equality to our boys and girls. INCLUDED
THE SCIENCE LAB: Every week children have fun with hands on experiments helping them to understand their world. These include making underwater volcanoes, soaring rockets, making elephant toothpaste and balloon propelled cars. INCLUDED
SHAMBA TIME: Each class has the opportunity to help in the kindergarten vegetable and flower garden. This helps to develop an appreciation of their natural surroundings and an early science understanding of what plants, fruit and vegetables need to grow. INCLUDED
EARLY ICT SKILLS: From Nursery 2 we have specific teacher led and supervised activities. In the early years this significantly enhances their multisensory approach towards a rewarding level of achievement in early reading, early writing and early numeracy skills. INCLUDED
SWAHILI LESSONS: These are given to the older children through fun singing and playing games. Children are proud of their growing understanding of Swahili. INCLUDED
COOKERY: This weekly activity inspires curiosity and creativity and the emphasis is always on healthy eating. It supports science, mathematics, social development and language The lessons enable children to problem solve, organize, follow instructions, count and measure. They learn to chop, squeeze, spread and so develop fine motor control. INCLUDED
YOUNG ENGINEERS: Children love these design sessions using special construction materials. They learn about cogs, wheels and hinges. OPTIONAL PAID ACTIVITY
MUSIC: Our music is provided by Kindermusik and they provide unique and creative music classes where children quickly learn to enjoy their musicality and learn simple musical terminology. Children use a range of percussion instruments. OPTIONAL PAID ACTIVITY
GYMNASTICS: Gymnastic classes are taught by a team of skilled coaches and these sessions promote gross motor skills and physical coordination. Children use gymnastic tumbling mats and small climbing apparatus. OPTIONAL PAID ACTIVITY
DANCE: Every week children can join ballet classes and Hip Hop classes. We promote gender equality and not gender stereotypes. Our teachers are both male offering an excellent role model to our children. These dance techniques encourage good posture, balance, confidence and expressive creativity. OPTIONAL PAID ACTIVITY
This is an essential part of the way that young children learn through kinesthetic sensory experience. We have established excellent sensory play within the kindergarten across all ages and it is incorporated across the curriculum.
EVERY THURSDAY BETWEEN 10.00 AM AND MIDDAY little visitors under the age of three, can come along to a special Sensory Play session in the Dudus gardens. All visiting children must be accompanied by their mum, dad or aya. Tea, coffee and homemade biscuits are provided.
This is for our youngest children. The group is in a separate comfortable home environment and is fun, caring and nurturing. Ayas are welcome to stay with the little ones.
Children engage in theme based creative learning activities which are thoughtfully prepared inside and outside the classroom. All activities are intentional and planned to offer early years skills including pre mathematical skills including counting to 5, shapes, capacity, pre writing, pre reading and pre phonics listening skills.
This is a gentle progression from Nursery 1 with stimulating themed learning environments. Children will be ready to learn letter sound recognition and letter formation using the phonics scheme Letters and Sounds. They will learn number values, number formation and number recognition to 10. They are introduced to numicon number learning resource. Each child is offered a differentiated learning experience and helped to learn at their own pace.
At this level the children remain working within the Early Years Foundation Stage and thematic daily learning environments reflect their increased abilities. They begin to form simple three letter words and learn simple sentence building skills. They develop a strong understanding of number values up to 20 and begin to add and subtract.
Children build upon the firm foundation of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children follow Key stage 1 goals of the British National Curriculum. Learning remains creative, engaging and enjoyable for young enquiring minds. They leave Stepping Stones being confident, active learners.
We are an inclusive kindergarten environment and pro integration of children with special needs. All children will be assessed and if we feel we can meet the needs of a child then a child will join one of our classes at Stepping Stones. If additional support is needed this will be recommended to parents and will be a pre requisite for a child joining. All children at Stepping Stones learn simple British Sign Language and are encouraged to be welcoming and inclusive of any child. Teachers work alongside specialist teachers and therapists to help children with Special Needs to enable integration whenever possible.
Due to coronavirus these dates may change
ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 / 2021
SEPTEMBER 2020 FIRST TERM
Term Begins Tuesday 8th September 2020
First Half Break Monday 19th – Friday 23rd October 2020
Term Resumes Monday 26th October 2020
Term Ends Friday 11th December 2020
JANUARY 2021 SECOND TERM
Term Begins Tuesday 12th January 2021
First Half Break Monday 15th – Friday 19th February 2021
Term Resumes Monday 22nd February 2021
Term Ends Thursday 1st April 2021
APRIL 2021 THIRD TERM
Term Begins Tuesday 27th April 2021
First Half Break Monday 31st May – Friday 4th June 2021
Term Resumes Monday 7th June 2021
Term Ends Friday 9th July 2021
Visits to the kindergarten are encouraged and recommended
Social Enterprise
Stepping Stones is a key partner with the charity
THE LUNCHBOWL NETWORK
Please click here for more information
A very significant part of our Christian ethos is our commitment to operate as a social enterprise and helping those less advantaged.
This means that all available profit from Stepping Stones Kindergarten directly contributes to Early Years and Primary educational provision for orphaned and vulnerable children from Kibera.
Throughout the year children from Stepping Stones Kindergarten are encouraged to develop awareness of others and help children from these disadvantaged backgrounds.
HAVE A HEART FOR KIBERA: Children are given the opportunity to buy a soapstone heart and learn how this helps to fund 3 hot dinners for the children from Kibera.
Christmas angel key rings: These are sold on behalf of The Lunchbowl Network and every angel sold funds 6 hot dinners for children attending Angel Kindergarten Kibera.
The BIG Christmas Box: Every Christmas Stepping Stones children are encouraged to give a gift for young children that attend Angel kindergarten in Kibera.
CELEBRATING WORLD KINDNESS
Every year we invite children from the Angel kindergarten Kibera to join us for a Teddy Bears Picnic. Our children make the picnic food and newspaper party hats to share with their visiting friends. We encourage our Stepping Stones children to give away a toy or teddy bear of their own to the little ones visiting from Kibera.
We are an equal opportunities employer and actively seek to train and employ support staff from underprivileged backgrounds.