nursery - school - club
NURSERY
- 1. Do you run Nursery and School Open Days?
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Yes - once or twice a year - information about this will be posted periodically on this web site, plus all
Club members and people who have enquired about AZBUKA Nursery/School will be informed.
- 2. Who are the teachers?
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Teachers are qualified (Native Russian speakers with UK/Russian/Ukrainian pre-school and art/music/linguistic
qualifications), CRB checked and OFSTED cleared to work with children of this age group, they are experienced
working with children and more importantly with expertise and interests in education of bilingual children and
bilingualism. Most importantly, teachers are enthusiastic and make learning fun for the children.
- 3. Where is AZBUKA Nursery based?
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AZBUKA Nursery is based near Richmond Station, West London, conveniently
accessible by both public transport and car.
- 4. What are the premises like?
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The nursery operates from well-equipped, modern, purpose-built premises, with lots of natural light and with
an attached small garden.
- 5. The Nursery - is it full day care, how many hours can the children stay at your nursery?
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No, we are not a day nursery (full day). We are a nursery school with sessional (part-time) education and care -
up to 4 hours a session, 3 days a week (Tue, Wed, Fri), mornings (9.30 - 1.00), term time only. We are an officially OFSTED registered childcare provider.
We are not childminders and do not operate from home.
- 6. What are the ages of the children?
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The school is for 2 to 5 year olds.
- 7. I have a child with special needs. Can you provide for special needs children?
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Together with support from the local authorities we try to run an inclusion policy as much as we can and provide for
special needs children as well.
- 8. Can my child attend just once or twice a week?
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The school is 3 sessions a week - minimum required for getting the full language benefits. However we do have a few part-time (2 sessions a week) places for children. Full time (3 sessions a week) is recommended for the full benefit of 'language immersion'.
- 9. Do parents have to attend?
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Nursery and School - no, unless an initial settling down period is required for your child.
Club - yes. AZBUKA Club Events are attended with parents or carers.
- 10. Does the school provide lunch?
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Every day we have a healthy snack/lunch time, which is required by law.
- 11. What activities do children do at school?
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Some of the information can be found in the NURSERY / SCHOOL section of the web site.
We vary our activities every week following a general structure. We suggest enrolling your child for one term to try out the nursery.
- 12. Are there any free parking places at your school?
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There is plenty of parking on local streets:
Monday - Friday 10.00-16:30 use pay-and-display bays on local streets (vouchers available in local shops e.g. Newsagents
at junction Richmond Rd & St Margarets Rd).There is also Richmond station car park.
Weekends and early mornings/evenings on weekdays the single yellow lines and residents
parking bays can also be used.
Unfortunately the small car park attached to the centre is not for public
use. You can stop for 5-10 minutes to drop the child off at the nursery. However, in special cases it may be feasible to organise a couple of spaces (let us know in advance).
- 13. Do we pay per session attended?
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No, you enrol and pay per term.
- 14. How much is it?
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Our fees very depending on the term. Please visit the nursery and if you are interested you will be
given a pack with all the latest information on fees and curriculum together with the joining forms.
Full time attendance (3 sessions a week) this year (2008-9) works out at around 6.50-7 pounds an hour.
- 15. How do we pay?
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By cheque or cash. We don't accept credit cards just yet.
- 16. We are looking for a Russian speaking nanny. Do you know of anyone?
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Yes, we run a small list of Russian speaking nannies and teachers but for Club members only.
Join the club and you'll have access to this information.
- 17. As a purely Russian family (both parents are Russian speakers) we are concerned about the 'quality'
of our child's English. We sent him to an English nursery school to improve his English.
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English (or any majority language) will dominate very quickly as your child starts formal school.
If you don't give Russian a chance to dominate at pre-school age (preferably untill 6/7) he will miss the
opportunity to realise his full potential at Russian (minority language). You can never replace a child's
nursery environment with an adult speaking to a child.
Children need a chance to speak to other children and play in the same language on a permanent basis.
Recent research has shown that the best potential is realised if a child starts his life and education in his home language.
Our school is 3 sessions (not full days a week) - the perfect chance to accommodate English in his time schedule without undermining his Russian.
Hundreds of parents around the world send their children to the minority (or home language) nurseries in order to
establish a very good active second language or start his education in the home language.
- 18. A child's father is Russian and the mother is English - the child's Russian is passive (he understands Russian but does not actively speak it). Will he benefit from the school and fit in?
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Yes. Any child will speak the language depending how much time he spends in the minority
language immersion environment (nursery) - 4 sessions a week is a minimum.
- 19. There is no Russian support in our family (neither parents speak Russian). Is there any point in sending our child to your nursery? Will he be excluded?
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The answer is similar to the previous question - if you send your child to a German, Spanish or Russian school in London, he will soon start speaking that language. And this is the best and the only age to give them a chance.
As for concerns about exclusion children are very different to adults. If a nursery environment is child-centered and fun for a child (activities, structure of the play, flexibility) the child won't feel excluded because of the language. Children learn a new language very quickly and spontaneously through playing and not lessons.
The earlier your child starts the better.
- 20. There are in fact 3 languages in my family. I am French, my husband is Russian, we speak Russian at home?
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It is definitely possible to bring up a child trilingually. Join the Club and the publications and information on the subject will be free for your own reference.
It is probably easier to concentrate on two main languages at pre-school age bearing in mind what school he/she
is going to attend - that this third language will dominate in the future (school life).
There are trilingual children in the AZBUKA Club and one attends our school at the moment - the Club is for
parents like yourself to share information and experiences on the subject.
THE SCHOOL
- 1. Do you have anything for formal school age children (5+)?
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AZBUKA School is the next step in our language programme, offering Saturday and after school studios
for 5-12/14. This will be available for those children with good active Russian language or for those who have
attended our nursery.
- 2. How do I find out more about it?
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JOIN the Club and you will be informed about all the Open Days.
Alternatively you can CONTACT US for further information.PLEASE read about AZBUKA School in our NURSERY/SCHOOL section of this website.
THE CLUB
- 1. Do parents have to attend?
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Nursery and School - no, unless an initial settling down period is required for your child.
Club - yes. Events are attended with the parents or carers.
- 2. How much do club meetings/events cost?
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Between £3-12 per child. Most of the club events are free for adults. On some occasions
(special fundraising events/ performances etc.) costs could be a bit more, although usually special entertainment is included (theatre show, puppet theatre etc.).
- 3. As I live far from West London- is there any point in joining the club?
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There are some very interesting shows and events in our calendar - even if you attend 2-3 events a year, we think it's
worth it. Try for a year and see. Some people do travel long distances and return time and time again.
- 4. Is your library a reference or lending library?
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Most books are for reference only, for use while at the club meetings. Some books can be borrowed - but by Nursery/School students only.
- 5. What days do Azbuka club events usually take place?
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They usually take place any time on Saturdays or occasionally Sundays/week days.
- 6. Where do club events take place?
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Most events take place at Azbuka school or Nursery in West London. However special events might take place
anywhere in and around London.
- 7. Are there any parking places?
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At weekdays there are plenty of on-street car parking spaces available in the area. There are also few car parks in the area.
