Jumeirah International Nursery Villanova Review
Nearby schools
The story so far…
JINS Villanova is owned by Fortes Education, also owners of Regent International School and Sunmarke School. With over 40 years of experience, Jumeirah International Nurseries is one of the most established and trusted nursery groups in Dubai. Other locations include JINS JVT, Al Safa, The Greens, Downtown, Ghoroob, Ibn Battuta, JBR and Palm Jumeirah.
JINS Villanova is conveniently located within Villanova Community Mall, within the Villanova residential community.
The nursery is led by Head of Early Years, Jade Penketh, who has over 15 years experience working in nurseries in the UK and UAE. Ms Penketh holds a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Children and Young People's Services.
The nursery caters to children aged between 45 days to 5 years.
What about the curriculum?
JINS Villanova uses the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework with principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, incorporating natural materials and using ‘real’ objects to support the developing independence of the children, as well as the Curiosity Approach.
JINS is a project-based learning environment where children play a very important and active role in constructing their own learning. The projects which the children work on throughout the year are inspired by the questions which they ask their teachers, the thoughts and ideas they share with each other and the many interests that they display throughout their day at nursery. Long-term projects connect core academic areas in and out of the classrooms.
While the nursery uses the English language, children also receive Arabic and French language lessons weekly.
JINS Villanova aims to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to engage in the curriculum and routines. As such, the nursery team develops practices to ensure that all children who have a special educational need are identified, assessed and the curriculum is differentiated to meet individual needs. This SEN provision is free of cost.
What about the facilities?
JINS Villanova has followed in the footsteps of JINS Ghoroob, in its innovative approach to utilising space. The nursery is made up of seven ‘learning pods’, which have been named according to the areas of learning and development that the space caters to supporting: the ‘Wellbeing Pod’, ‘Adventure Pod’, ‘Communication Pod’, ‘Wisdom Pod’, ‘Number Pod’, ‘Innovation Pod’ and ‘Creative Pod’. Rather than having a classroom ‘base’ for each group of children, each class of children moves from pod to pod with the same teacher and assistants, with 50-minute sessions in each environment, throughout the morning. This approach will significantly influence the experiences of children each day.
In our view there are potential pros and cons to this approach. The regular transitions may affect the engagement of children in activities, particularly as JINS favours the child-led ‘in-the-moment’ approach. These transitions may also prove challenging initially for younger children settling into nursery life for the first time. On both of these points however, if this is expertly handled, with some allowance for flexibility to ensure children’s individual needs are met, it could significantly enhance the children’s learning and development experiences. The truth of the matter is that many early years settings needlessly timetable activities, whether this involves a transition from one space to another. JINS Villanova is at least balancing this with child-led provision within these ‘pod’ sessions.
In addition to the nursery’s seven learning pods, and a dedicated ‘baby pod’, the nursery also offers spacious and attractive indoor play areas, including a beautiful adventure play zone with a range of climbing equipment, a textured sensory walkway and reading book nook.
Like most nurseries located in commercial buildings, JINS Villanova has limited outdoor play space, but it does make creative use of the space it has.
What about the staff and ratios?
The team at JINS Villanova all have either a Cache Level 3 diploma in early years education and care, or a Bachelor’s in Education, PGCE or PGCEi. Educators in the JINS group also benefit from access to a range of professional development and training opportunities, utilising expertise from within Sunmarke School and Regent International School, as well as from the highly qualified JINS leadership team.
| Class name | Age range | Adult to child ratio |
| Little Learners | 45 days – 12 months | 1:3 |
| Curious Beginners | 12 months – 17 months | 1:3 |
| Inquisitive Adventurers | 18 months – 2 years | 1:5 |
| Confident Explorers | 2-3 years | 1:6 |
| Active Discoverers | 3-4 years | 1:8 |
| Creative Achievers | 4-6 years | 1:12 |
What about the timings?
The nursery offers an early class from 7:00 am to 8:00 am, a morning programme from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and an afternoon programme: 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm and children may attend over three, four or five days from Monday to Friday.
If you are the owner or the principal of the school and note any inaccuracies, or would like to update data, you can now open an account with us. You will also be able to add admissions availability per year group, and advertise current job vacancies. This is a free service. Please help us keep prospective parents up to date with your latest information.
Are you looking for a place for your child, and want help from our school consultants? If so, click on the link below, and we will forward your request for information to the school or schools of the same type that we are confident have availability. This is a free service for our readers. Request Information
