Nursery is where a child's education begins in a social setting. Instead of focusing solely on classroom layout and colour aesthetics, Hiba Academy Hangzhou transforms the entire environment into a large ‘teaching tool’. This approach allows for their education to extend beyond the confines of the classroom and into outdoor spaces, corridors, ateliers, and even the canteen.
Many nurseries in China are not wellsuited for children due to their design, which largely follows an adult scale set by national standards. This can cause a sense of ‘oppression’ for children, with guardrails blocking their view, high ceilings, high windows that do not allow them to see outside, etc. However, utilising spatial design these issues can be addressed. At Hiba Academy Hangzhou, the space is arranged with children in mind, allowing them to feel a sense of belonging while still adhering to national design standards.
Whenever we enter the nursery, we often ask ourselves: What is early years education? What do we want to teach our nursery children? When a child's education begins in a social setting, how do we want them to perceive the world, appreciate beauty, and find their place in it? Once we answered these questions, it became clear how we arrange the nursery space.
Hiba Nursery is incredibly lucky to have an Atelier in our environment. We are home to one of the very few independent ateliers in nurseries in China. Originally from the French word which means ‘Artist’s Workshop or Studio’, Ateliers are an integral part of the celebrated Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, which is famous around the globe.
Ateliers are vital in promoting creativity and knowledge and children's interest in concepts and ideas. At Hiba Academy Hangzhou, every day is a new discovery with Ms Irina, an Italian art specialist working as an Atelierista in our nursery's Atelier.
Hiba Atelier is a space for relation, experimentation, error, growth, discovery and invention, a place of interconnection between children, spaces and thoughts of the school, an environment that promotes knowledge and creativity, suggests questions and arouses suggestions developing the child's ability to express themselves through their artistic language.
Through the language of art, we encourage students to address the important issues of their lives, express feelings and emotions and become more conscious of the reverence for life and responsibility for the environment and earth. It intends to nurture whole and elevated individuals through the medium of art, which includes more profound and more purposeful work and experiences with nature.
Project-based learning driven by children’s interests is an integral part of life at Hiba Academy Hangzhou. These projects are integral to children’s learning and in response to their interests in each class. There are around 2-3 projects each semester, lasting approximately 4-6 weeks, however, this can vary from class to class. Each project has three phases which are documented, this is regularly updated with children's learning and development.
Teachers adjust the classroom to the interests of the children, enabling them to freely explore and learn. The classroom is divided into areas for purposes including reading, building, artmaking, miniature worlds, role-playing games, and mathematical and scientific explorations. Our learning environment is like a kaleidoscope that evolves as the children grow, which brings education closer to the children and makes learning an enjoyable experience.
We believe that the flexible and dynamic design of our learning space can deeply inspire children to develop and grow. Our classrooms serve as a place for them to explore the world and themselves, whilst also being a fun and learning environment.
Our EY1 classes have a maximum of 16 children, while EY2 has 22, and EY3 and EY4 have 24. We have a well-rounded team of educators, including Chinese teachers, expat teachers, bilingual teaching assistants, and early years assistants, who provide a wealth of educational resources and advanced teaching methodology.
We take pride in the highest pupil-teacher ratio in Hangzhou, striving to ensure that every child in our classes receives the utmost attention and care from our teachers. Moreover, with each teacher in the class acquainting themselves with the personality, habits, and interests of each child, the education experience for each child is truly personalised, laying a solid foundation to facilitate their all-around development.
All HNH teachers, including teaching assistants, hold a teaching qualification. Chinese teachers possess a preschool teacher certificate, while 100% of expat teachers hold relevant international qualifications or experience in early years. The majority of our expat teachers come from the UK, with a small number from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other places. All teachers undergo a rigorous screening process set by Wellington and have an average working experience of over seven years.
The library at our Nursery provides a standardised book lending service and a systematic reading programme, with a focus on picture books in English as well as Chinese and bilingual books. Beginning in EY1, our experienced librarian runs a weekly reading programme to provide high quality reading guidance to the children. Children are encouraged to select two picture books every week to take them home for further reading, fostering their reading interests and habits.
It is noteworthy that pupils at Wellington College Hangzhou have access to a collection of over 70,000 books. These vary from novels in Chinese and English, poems, essays, picture books, professional material for teaching support and university or career guidance for pupils at higher grades. According to our calculations, it takes 191 years to complete our collections if you read one book per day.
At Hiba Academy Hangzhou, the canteen is managed and operated by a catering group ranked in the world's top 500, providing children with lunch and snacks. For children with allergies, separate meals are prepared. Drinking water is tested weekly by professional institutes to ensure the health and safety of every child.
After lunch, the children return to their cosy classrooms, where their beds are thoughtfully prepared by the teachers for each child. This allows the children to be fully refreshed in preparation for the afternoon's activities.
Fine motor skills and gross motor skills are the focus of the physical exercises for early years children. While indoor activities support the improvement of the former, outdoor activities support the latter. Through our specially designed outdoor spaces and programmes at Hiba Academy Hangzhou, pupils can develop physical strength and coordination, build confidence in facing new challenges and explore new avenues of discovery, while also enjoying themselves in the process. We hope to support the children to grow into the best versions of themselves, inspired, intellectual, individual, independent and inclusive.
Every day, we accurately measure the outdoor air quality and send the reports to each teacher via email before the beginning of a school day. Based on these measurements, teachers assess whether it is appropriate for children to engage in outdoor activities. If the air quality meets the standards, children are encouraged to participate in daily outdoor activities.
We have a spacious area specifically designed for outdoor activities, with a unique layout aimed at creating a seamless connection between the classroom and the outdoors. Compared with other bilingual and international nurseries in Hangzhou, Hiba Academy Hangzhou has the largest outdoor space, which includes an outdoor kitchen, a large complex of balance beams and blocks, fountain pool, large building area, climbing section, sand pit, and a running track.
Furthermore, we have established various amenities that include a music zone outdoors, cycling track, vegetable patch, and an open area furnished with plenty of stimulating resources. Notably, all the playground equipment for children is imported from abroad and passed through the most rigorous quality assessments to ensure the safety of the children engaging in outdoor activities.
As a member of the Wellington College Hangzhou, HNH enjoys access to a wide range of resources and facilities within the campus.
Our football pitch meets the standards set by FIFA and they have certified it. It regularly serves as a venue for international school leagues. In addition, we also have a natural grass football field outside the campus that costs up to 300,000 RMB per year to maintain. The lighting system installed here is provided by Musco, which has been used for major sporting events such as the Sydney, Athens, London Olympics, and the Winter Olympics in Russia. This system not only provides illumination for the pitch, but also enlightens the road ahead for children at Hiba.
We also possess a 25m long, 6-lane swimming pool that meets industry standards and uses a touchpad sensor. The pool water quality is tested daily as we uphold the highest possible standards in contrast to other venues that solely employ purification equipment. Our swimming coaches are all highly skilled professionals, including Ms. Caron Hou, the former chief coach for the Singapore National Synchronised Swimming Team, who teaches artistic swimming and coaches our school team. Over the years, we have staged numerous inter-school competitions with Wellington Shanghai and Wellington Tianjin, as well as swimming contests with other bilingual and international schools.
Our grand theatre is equipped with professional equipment like Haworth chairs, Shure stereo, and GrandMA lighting equipment, all renowned by prestigious theatres at home and abroad. With a seating capacity of up to 560 people and an orchestra pit designed for concerts, our theatre is managed and maintained by a skilled team in Singapore. Young performers can hone their skills on this professional stage from an early age, gaining valuable experience and confidence that will help them succeed on any stage, no matter how large.
In choosing Hiba Academy Hangzhou for your child's early years, you are not just selecting a nursery; you are embracing a community where values matter, identities flourish, missions are accomplished, and visions become realities. Our commitment to providing a rich, bilingual environment, steeped in Hiba Values, ensures that your child's journey begins on a solid foundation of courage, integrity, respect, and responsibility. As parents, your involvement in this unique educational community becomes a shared venture, shaping the future leaders and innovators of tomorrow. Every day is an opportunity for your child to grow, learn, and thrive because Hiba Academy Hangzhou is where excellence meets early education, and the promise of a brighter future begins.
To inquire about admission to Hiba Academy Hangzhou, please scan the QR code displayed at the end of this article, and our admissions officers will promptly contact you.
_1724823574088.png)
