Hampton School Berths in Lagos, Seeks Parents’ Collaboration
Uchechukwu Nnaike
Following their over 20 years success in the United Kingdom, where they run 18 schools and a teacher training centre, two Nigerian women, Mrs. Kemi Balogun and Mrs. Linda Adeyemi-Hastrup have set up the Hampton Preparatory School in Lekki, Lagos to give back to the society and replicate the success in Nigeria.
According to the co-owners, their idea of running only primary schools is to focus on the foundation and get it right, adding that the school enrols children from as young as three months old and following the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, they move through the nursery classes to lower, middle and upper school (primary years), where the British National curriculum for primary is introduced and followed.
Speaking during a media tour of the facilities recently, Balogun, who is the Director of The Alphabet House group of schools and Alpha Training School, UK, said: “Our focus is the same at Hampton, to create a happy place, an inspirational environment which fosters a passion for learning, creativity, investigation and achievement, where teachers are nurturing and every child is encouraged to excel following our carefully prepared educational programmes based on the British Curriculum.”
She said the school’s aim is to build confidence and independence in children, to empower them both for the next stages of their education and for life beyond the classroom. “At Hampton, every child is encouraged to imagine and have big dreams, believe in those dreams and achieve them.”
For, Adeyemi-Hastrup, who is the Proprietor of KiddieCare Group of Nursery Schools, UK, “everyone is challenged and encouraged to thrive and achieve as individuals, preparing them for their role as caring and active citizens within a global environment.”
She said the curriculum focuses on the core skills of literacy, numeracy, science and humanities, adding, “it also includes specialist teaching in French, Spanish and Mandarin. In addition, a strong emphasis is placed on music and the arts.”
Asked why a Nigerian language is not included in the list of languages to be taught at the school, which will commence academic activities this September, the founders said: “We are looking at the global community, it is becoming more competitive for our children to enter the job market, so we are looking for skills that will that will enable them to compete with the best of this world.
“Nigerian languages are picked up at home, though it is important to teach Nigerian languages, what we want to do first is to pick up the global economy languages that will enable them to stir well and then we are going to have a list of questionnaires for parents who are joining the school to know what additional things they will like for us to teach their children. Nigerian languages will be part of it. It is important to let parents work in partnership with us on what else to put in the curriculum.”
To enable children reach their full potential, they stressed the need to look at them as individuals, adding that classes at the school are small to ensure that the children receive individual attention so that their learning needs can be met.
They also sought the support and cooperation of parents to get the best out of their children.