Beatriz Pascual, who teaches ballet at the Peques Spanish Nursery School in Fulham, west London, once a fortnight encourages her pupils to estirar los pies (point their toes) and to do saltos con los pies
juntos (jumps with feet together). The children, aged two to four, at this bilingual nursery school also have visits from a flamenco teacher, from whom they learn some elementary steps of the traditional Spanish dance.
Peques is the brainchild of Margarita
Beltran who is Spanish herself and has lived in London for 15 years. The nursery opened in a small Baptist church in September last year and can take children aged up to five. So far, it has 15 children attending, with a capacity for 20.
Margarita, whose three-year-old daughter Stephanie also attends Peques, wanted to go back to work after having her second daughter, Chloe, who is now 18 months old. 'I did three parenting courses after having the children,' says Margarita. 'They worked like magic, I got so much out of the girls. And one day the thought just came to me, "I'll open a nursery".'
Keen to run a Spanish speaking one, Margarita discovered that there were only three other Spanish nurseries in the capital. According to Margarita, ten per cent of the population in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham are Spanish, while in Westminster, the population includes 5,000 Spanish and 5,000 Latin Americans, so the need appeared to be there.
However, it's not only Spanish parents who are using Peques. The nursery is open to any nationality, and parents who want their children to be brought up bilingual are also keen for a place. Robyn Bishko and her husband, for example, are both American and have lived in London for two years. 'We always wanted any children we had to be bilingual and Spanish is the most practical language for the States,' says Robyn, whose two-year-old daughter Emily is due to start at the nursery. 'I also found Peques more playful than other nurseries I visited,' adds Robyn, 'I liked the Spanish flair. Other nurseries were too structured, the children had to sit still for 20 minutes while doing an activity.'
Since 10 January, Peques has been open from 9.30am to 3.30pm (prior to that it closed at 1.30pm) and the day is split between Spanish and English speaking. The manager, Beatriz Lopez, is a child psychologist from Madrid. Both she and the two Spanish nursery teachers who work at the nursery were employed doing similar work in Spain before they came to London. An English nursery teacher is responsible for leading the English-speaking sessions.
The children at the nursery, who wear dark blue cotton smocks with red cuffs and buttons at the back, start their day by sitting on the floor in a circle. 'We talk and sing songs in Spanish about the days of the week, the weather and numbers,' says Beatriz, who adds that most of the children speak a bit of both Spanish and English. 'In the first part of the day, the Spanish staff will speak English to a child if he or she doesn't understand something,' she explains, adding 'but they all learn so quickly.'
The nursery has a book corner, a home corner and dressing up area, and offers activities such as playdough, music sessions and a computer with Spanish and English software. Activity themes are planned a week in advance. At about 11am, the children wash their hands in the pretty wash-room before having a delicious snack, merienda, of freshly-squeezed orange juice, chopped fruit, French bread with butter and either salami, chorizo, parma ham or cheese.
'I had wanted to cook lunch for the children,' says Margarita. 'The way we cook beans and lentils is so good for them, and if they all eat together, they eat what they don't eat at home.' However, unfortunately the kitchen on site does not have two sinks which is mandatory for cooking for children, so instead, they bring packed lunches.
If the weather is good the children go to the park after lunch and as English is the language for the afternoon, circle time is led by the English nursery teacher. During this time the Spanish staff 'stand back a bit', says Beatriz.
