Nursery School in Valasaravakkam

Nursery sits between the toddler group and kindergarten. A child arriving at three has usually settled into being away from home; the work of this year is attention — being able to choose something, stay with it, and finish it.

Phonics before reading. Letters are learned by sound and by touch, tracing sandpaper letters, long before anything is written down. Children build words with the movable alphabet while their hands are still too young to form letters neatly, so reading does not wait on handwriting. Most children in this group begin blending sounds into words during the year.

Numbers you can hold. Quantity comes first and the symbol second — number rods, spindle boxes and bead bars, so ten is a thing of a certain length and weight before it is a digit on a page.

Language and stories. A story every day, retold by the children, with questions asked out loud. Vocabulary at this age is built by talking, not by labelling.

Outside, and with their hands. Sand and water play, the garden, music, and practical work — carrying a tray without spilling it is a lesson, not a chore.

What the year is really for.

• Concentration long enough to finish a chosen piece of work.
• Sounds, blending, and first reading.
• Counting, quantity and the beginnings of place value.
• Taking turns, waiting, and sorting out a disagreement with words.
• Dressing, tidying and asking for help — the independence kindergarten assumes.

Visits run on weekday mornings while the children are working, which is the only time a classroom tells you anything. Come and see the Valasaravakkam group, meet the lead teacher and ask what is open for the coming year.