Yellow Brick Road Nursery Review
Nearby schools
Very sadly in the opinion of WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, Yellow Brick Road Nursery closed in 2021 - another victim of the Covid 19 pandemic.
The story so far...
Tucked away in a quiet road in Garhoud, Yellow Brick Road is a purpose built nursery that has been in a stalwart on the Dubai early years scene for nearly 20 years. Part of the Beautiful Minds group, together with Crystal Valley Nursery in Mirdif, the nursery uses the motto “Love, Faith, Hope, Courage and Inspiration’.
Yellow Brick Road is not far from the airport and within striking distance of Festival City, Deira and Mirdif. The nursery is also convenient for the Emirates Training College and Headquarters, and the nursery offers a special discounted rates for Emirates families.
The nursery offers the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum - the UK curriculum based programme for nursery age children - with incorporation of elements of the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
Find out how it feels to visit Yellow Brick Road Nursery by reading our Experience visit here.
Expertise among the staff is clearly a core matter for the nursery. The Nursery Manager, Reema, a long-term employee (as are the majority of the staff) holds a degree in education plus the Cache* 5 diploma from Early Years Educational Services. The nursery is also proud to hold accreditation from the UK’s Early Years Alliance, a well-regarded not for profit organisation. Staff qualifications are important here. Every member of classroom staff is designated a teacher, there are no nannies or helpers. Each member of staff is required to have a Cache 3 diploma or education degree. Of all the nurseries we have visited, this is one of the very best qualified teams we have seen.
[*Cache qualifications are qualifications awarded by the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education - the UK's leading provider of vocational qualifications for those working in the care and education sectors. Cache qualifications are divided into five different levels, ranging from Level 1 (entry level) to Level 5 (for experienced professionals).]
Yellow Brick Road nursery focuses on the philosophy and curriculum of the English EYFS curriculum, with a leaning towards the philosophy of Reggio Emilia. Children spend much of the first term of each year focused on their personal, social and emotional growth, something which the nursery believes is the foundation of all learning. Independence is encouraged in many ways and the settling in period is managed in a team effort between nursery and home.
The nursery takes an ‘unhurried approach’ to literacy, with the focus being on confidence in communication and language acquisition. When children are ready, the nursery offers the Jolly Phonics programme and encourages mark making in many ways. Physical activities are interwoven with other areas of the curriculum – with an emphasis on outdoor activities wherever possible. Gardening is a regular activity and a community event – with parents invited in for ‘Arbour Day’ each year – a day where parents and staff prepare the gardens ready for the children to plant vegetables and flowers.
Community activities are highlighted many times during our tour, our favourite being the link between Yellow Brick Road and Al Mamzar Community Centre (a centre for the elderly). Children from Yellow Brick Road visit the centre monthly and the team report great success and happiness for young and old alike. The young visitors are prepared for interaction with older people in a gentle way – reading books, looking at photographs of elderly people – the team even borrowed a wheelchair so that children were not unnerved by the sight! We visited the nursery again two weeks after our review visit, to see the first time the elderly folk came to Yellow Brick Road to see the children in their environment – it was a truly lovely interaction – check out our video HERE.
Facilities at the nursery are excellent with a wide range for indoor and outdoor learning environments including a library, indoor tree house, a dining room and outdoor gardens, as well as classrooms purposefully arranged to support the needs of the age-groups involved.
Read about our visit and get a first hand impression of Yellow Brick Road Nursery's look and feel by reading our Experience visit here.
Yellow Brick Road nursery is able to accommodate children from 7.00am – 6.00pm, making it a good option for working parents. Unusually, children who attend for mornings only stay from 7.30am – 2.30pm - some might feel this is a long day for part time children (nurseries typically offer 8.00am-12.30pm). Food is included in tuition fees, which we feel is very reasonable. Babies are accepted from 45 days old and children can remain here up until the age of 3+ years. Ratios are excellent, being:
- 45 days to walking - 1:2.5
- Walking to 18 months – 1:3
- 18 months to 3+ years – 1:4
- 2 years 8 months to 3 years 2 months – 1:4
Maximum class sizes are 20-22 children.
Overall Yellow Brick Road nursery offers excellent care and education, superb facilities and a beautiful environment for young children.
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