About Us
Hello! Bee's Knees Nursery and Preschool has been created by myself, Louise Smith and I am the Director and Manager. Let me tell you about myself and the Nursery's philosophy! I have over a decade of experience working with children and have always had a passion for outstanding teaching and learning.
After graduating from Lancaster University with a BA in Philosophy, I went on to complete a postgraduate degree in Primary Education PGCE. My teaching experiences span across the globe from an International School in Tanzania, to Manchester primary schools and outstanding schools in Lancashire. I truly found my calling for teaching whilst working in the primary sector but I then moved to Austria where I worked in an English Kindergarten, with German children aged 1 - 6. Alongside working there, I also co-managed a business teaching English as an additional language to children, adults and professionals. During the school holidays, we also ran English teaching holiday camps, for children aged 4 - 12.
After working with children of Nursery age, I embarked on an Early Years career in the UK and have been working on the management team of a Nursery, which I have loved. I also have a daughter who is almost 2 and I adore spending time together - we love to swim, dance, go to playgroups, make crafts and be silly! I love seeing her curiosity grow, watch her develop interests and make new relationships – you might see her around our nursery, she loves to say hello!
All of my experiences of working with babies and children have secured my understanding of balance and fluidity between play and learning. Play is learning for children- it is how they get to know their world. Whilst it is our job to teach your children skills such as: how to correctly hold a pencil, count confidently and access written print and follow stories, it is also our job to foster curiosity, ignite imagination and ensure risks can be taken in a safe environment. Here at Bee's Knees, our tailor made curriculum offers learning through many different avenues – we understand that no child is the same, so no child will learn in the same way. We are keen to know your child's interests so we can adapt our teaching to their learning.
Having worked with children who had English as an additional language, I know how important good communication is and have embedded this into my teaching methods. This is why here at Bee's Knees, language and communication are a fundamental part of our philosophy for teaching and learning. Our mission is to not only achieve good communication in English but to strengthen this with teaching your children a basic level of German. German will be taught via songs, counting, vocabulary games and so on. There are so many positive outcomes from teaching and learning another language at a young age. The brain has maximum mental plasticity in the young, and so there is a real window of opportunity in this age group. The old adage of “use it or lose it” does apply, as over time children’s minds progressively become less suited to new language learning and lose the flexibility that they had when they were young.
As well as language benefits, there are benefits to children's overall cognition, particularly their ability to problem-solve and multi-task, and their social skills. Of course, there are many cultural advantages to speaking more than one language; seeing the world through a second culture which is only truly possible through speaking a different language helps broaden our perspectives and opportunities.
Myself and my team understand your children are very precious and we will look after and educate them with the greatest care. I am always approachable for any questions or suggestions you may have – I love a good chat!