Being quite the infant members of the community itself, First Friends Nursery School has already made a significant impact in the lives of Fairland residents since its launch in January.
Owner of First Friends, Shirley Murphy-Spencer, was overjoyed at how much support the community has shown to the school since it opened. The nursery school wants to return the support by being active in community projects that would be safe and appropriate for their youthful pupils.
“Our school offers a unique take on nursery school teaching. We want to make our pupils aware of the community in and around them. We want to get them involved in safe and secure community activities,” said Murphey-Spencer.
The nursery school sports a fully-functional vegetable garden ranging from a wide selection of fruits and vegetables. All home-grown with the help of the pupils and teachers.
Recently, the school has been paying visits and sending food supplies to the Moth Homes (Memorable Order of Tin Hats). The home serves as a retirement village for servicemen who require financial and physical assistance.
“It was a great experience for the pupils to go out and help their community. We’re planning many more of these excursions in the future.”
Murphy-Spencer is also very passionate about getting her pupils active and involved in the outdoors.
“The nursery promotes home-grown activities, teaching the pupils about general knowledge and instilling a sense of responsibility. I think it is crucial to teach children about general knowledge and to get them interested in nature.”
Murphy-Spencer has been teaching pre-scholars for more than 20 years.
“Starting up a school like this has always been a dream of mine.”
The 13-staffed nursery school currently has pupils between two and six years old.
“We have 15 children registered with the school at the moment and we are slowly growing larger as the months pass. We even have potential pupils for next year from parents who already have their children going here,” she said.
The school is looking forward to an upcoming Valentine’s Day picnic with the residents of Moth Homes.
