🌱 Every child is an individual
Peques Holistic Education
A whole-child philosophy rooted in curiosity, nutrition, movement and the joy of learning.
A whole-child philosophy rooted in curiosity, nutrition, movement and the joy of learning.
Our Curriculum
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All Ofsted regulated early years providers must follow the EYFS — including child-minders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes. The EYFS framework supports an integrated approach to early learning and care and sets out the legislation for the delivery of early years education in the UK.
Multilingualism
Research has shown that bilingualism is beneficial for children’s development and their future. Children exposed to different languages become more aware of different cultures, other people and other points of view. They also tend to outperform monolinguals in multitasking and focusing attention, are often more precocious readers, and generally find it easier to learn further languages. Multilingualism gives children much more than just languages.
We operate under the system of one person, one language (OPOL) as described by Colin Baker. Our Spanish teachers speak only Spanish to the children, our English teachers speak only English, and our Mandarin teachers speak only Mandarin. The only exception is when it is in the interest of the child to ensure their needs are being met.
We strive to recruit native Mandarin and Spanish teachers, so that children benefit not only from the language itself but from the culture — naturally and organically.
Our aim at Peques is to identify, assess and meet the challenges of a child who has English as an additional language. Being a multilingual setting, we have children of many different nationalities. We identify a child with EAL as one who does not have at least one parent or carer who speaks English to them at home.
Nutrition
Diet is central to health, and children’s diet is an important influence on their wellbeing now and in the future. We promote health and demonstrate a positive approach with regard to food and healthy eating patterns — a key part of our commitment to Every Child Matters and to preparing children for their lives ahead.
Our aim is to foster a whole-nursery approach to healthy eating and to encourage the nutritional health and wellbeing of our entire early years community.
Our objective is to ensure our nurseries provide — and continue to provide — healthy, delicious, multicultural fresh food and a nutritionally balanced diet.
We acknowledge the importance of children understanding what they eat and why. The children’s enjoyment of food is the primary consideration — no matter how nutritious the meal, if the children do not eat it, we have missed the point.
Independent eating is encouraged and mealtimes are used as a social development opportunity. Children and teachers eat lunch together and discuss daily topics, which encourages children to eat well and try items they might otherwise refuse.
Special dietary requirements — including allergies, intolerances, religious beliefs, pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian — are fully respected. An alternative meal resembling the dish of the day will always be provided to ensure full inclusion.
Birthday cakes can be made by our chefs. Parents may order a homemade cake in a choice of flavours and make a contribution, which goes towards a staff team-building fund.
Physical activity is woven into everyday life at Peques. For families who wish to explore more specialised sessions, we welcome the Everybody Yoga Company and The Small Sports Club into our settings once a week.
Our Specialist Partners
Sarah discovered yoga more than ten years ago. She holds a 200-hour Power Vinyasa Teacher Training certification from Dylan Ayaloo Training Academy (accredited by Yoga Alliance USA), and completed her Yoga for Kids and Families training with Rainbow Kids Yoga and Kidding Around Yoga. Everybody Yoga classes at Peques are themed adventures — exploring yoga poses, children’s stories and age-appropriate mindfulness and breath work. We teach children to use their breath to find calm whenever they need it, building foundations for lifelong mental wellness.
Yoga sessions are available to all children over 18 months and are included in your monthly fees.
Freddie’s background spans sport and education. After a stint playing professional rugby with London Wasps, he completed a degree in Sports Science and Nutrition at St Mary’s University. He founded The Small Sports Club to bring a unique coaching style to children in London settings — combining multiple sports with a strong emphasis on education. TSSC sessions cover Rugby, Football and Basketball, giving children the opportunity to try each before pursuing a particular sport. All sessions are planned in accordance with the EYFS statutory framework.
Sport Sessions are available to all children over two years and are booked directly through Freddie’s website.