Grantleigh Nursery School | Richards Bay

Grantleigh has a nursery school in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, that provides high-quality early childhood development for children from 2 years (turning 3) to 5 years. Our internally developed preschool programme engages inherent curiosity and love of play, while supporting their well-being all-round. We also form part of the Curro school group, and have early drop-off times and school transport options. Get an overview of everything we can offer you on our fact sheet. Children learn by discovering the world around them – and anything learned while playing at a young age is remembered much faster and more efficiently compared to anything learned while sitting at a table in a forced learning environment. As part of the Curro school group, our children enjoy a programme that supports their physical, social, emotional and cognitive well-being. This approach to early childhood development is built around learning and developing through play rather than strict milestones. This means that children feel supported and encouraged instead of anxious and pressured to develop at someone else’s pace. Learning during childhood starts with babies exploring their touch and taste sense while playing with squishy pasta, jelly, and other texture-rich objects. Later on, young toddlers learn the basics of mathematics by playing with building blocks, balls, manipulating objects around their bodies, and other ways. Older toddlers learn the basics of writing and reading with comprehension by drawing, painting, singing, and generally discovering objects that centre around a specific theme. Here are some examples of the areas that are developed by learning through play: Mathematics: shapes, size, time, counting, adding, subtracting Communication: speech, listening, reading, understanding Creativity: drawing, painting, correct pinching of a pencil, dancing Physical well-being: balance, movement, safety Identity and belonging: personality, morals, caring, friendship, sharing As part of the Curro school group, learners enjoy preference when applying to us from any school in the group. Should you move to the area, we will help you through the transfer process from start to finish. The development of curiosity and imagination in early childhood is vitally important to the development of problem-solving skills and critical thinking later on. Therefore, as part of our excellent preschool programme, we encourage playing with loose-parts and multi-purpose playthings rather than single-purpose toys that don’t involve much imagination. Through loose-parts play, our children learn to use their natural curiosity to explore previously undiscovered fascinations such as stacking, rolling, sliding, fitting, colours, and more. Our preschool programme is presented through a daily routine that focuses on letting children learn by having lots of fun within a framework. The schedule creates space for creative activities, running and playing, singing and dancing, and so much more! This also provides children with stability and a sense of safety. Discover what is included in our daily programme by viewing our fact sheet. As a nursery school in Richards Bay, we are committed to ensuring that your child is cared for and nurtured as well as entertained. Scroll through the rest of our website to discover what else your child can enjoy with us.

We remain open until late in the afternoon, to accommodate your family's schedule. Developmental activities that form part of our programme take place in the mornings, and the afternoon involves free play in our beautiful classrooms and play areas. We also have strict pickup protocols to ensure that only authorised individuals collect children in the afternoons. Our classes are divided by age and each teacher has one or more assistants, depending on the group and the number of children in the class. This ensures that each child gets the care and attention they need, and that they can optimally benefit from our preschool programme. There are often more assistants for the younger ones and babies, as they have needs that are unique from any other age groups. Our school transport service is available at an additional cost, as stipulated in our fee letter. The bus route operates one-way or return, in the following areas: Monzi St Lucia Mtuba Meerensee Empangeni Arboretum Umfolozi Mtunzini Hluhluwe (Monday morning, Friday afternoon) Kwambonambi Contact us for more information on how to make use of our transport service. As a preschool in Richards Bay, we understand that working parents don’t get school holidays, which might pose a challenge when children are at home. That is why our preschool remains open during school holidays with a full holiday-care programme at no additional cost. Early childhood development activities continue, although we may arrange some extra fun activities during this time. We are closed only for a specified period during December and January. Children wholeheartedly run, play, climb, and jump, which may sometimes lead to minor bumps and bruises. This is why we have a registered nurse on-site. Please note that national regulations prohibit teachers from dispensing any medicine, even over-the-counter or herbal tonics, without a valid prescription signed by a medical doctor. Therefore, when a child needs medicine during the day, our nurse dispense medicine in class only if a valid prescription is provided. Children learn by interacting with the world around them. That is why our preschool classrooms themselves are considered to be inanimate teachers of sorts. They are designed to allow maximum room for play and movement while being stimulating on a visual and tactile level. By involving the classroom in the learning experience, your child is engaged in early childhood development even when simply enjoying some lounge time with their friends. Grantleigh has a nursery school in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, that provides high-quality early childhood development for children from 2 years (turning 3) to 5 years. Our internally developed preschool programme engages inherent curiosity and love of play, while supporting their well-being all-round. We also form part of the Curro school group, and have early drop-off times and aftercare options. Our school philosophy is based on Christian values (ethics and morals) and we believe in fostering children’s development so that they can each reach their dreams. After recognising the need for good education in their area, Fred and Renette Grant founded Grantleigh on their Mposa farm in 1996. Their goal was to provide a well-rounded and balanced education based on Christian values (ethics and morals). Our school opened its doors in 1997 with 16 nursery-school learners and 5 junior-preparatory phase learners dressed in civvies, and teaching took place on the founders’ veranda and in their TV room. Swimming lessons were offered in the family pool and cricket lessons started on their tennis court. As interest in the school grew rapidly, construction soon began on school buildings and sports fields. By 1998, 123 learners started the school year in newly built classrooms, we started a transport service, and requests from parents soon sparked talks to include a high school the following year. Our school kept expanding to higher grades, more transport services and a wider variety of offerings in academics, sports and culture. Our first headmaster, Peter Terry-Lloyd, brought great expertise to our school and by 2003 – only seven years after opening – our classes spanned Grade R to Grade 12 for the first time. During that year, we also inducted our first head boy and head girl, as well as our first parent advisory committee (PAC). By 2014, we had joined the Curro school group as a Curro Select school and have continued to provide excellent education to learners in the wider Richards Bay area. We are continuously improving our offering and expanding our school to accommodate more learners, still within small class sizes, with a wider range of interests.