Greensprings School - Growing Education in Nigeria for 38 Years!
In May 2019, we published our first article on Montessori education in Nigeria. This article is still being read today, and we are happy to be able to publish another article on great Montessori work in this important African country. Greensprings School is a co-ed institution based in the city of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve center. It is a British International school, with a Montessori origin and foundation. Like many other Montessori schools around the world, it has an inspiring story to tell. Lai Koiki, a young mother in the early 80s, was looking for a good school for her daughter, but she found none up to her expectations. As a first time mom, she became interested in early childhood education and read up on it. In doing so, she came across the Montessori Method and was completely fascinated by it. She immediately knew that this was what she wanted for her daughter. She started her journey by completing a Montessori qualification at the St. Nicholas Montessori Training Centre (UK), which is no stranger to our website. After completing her studies, she started the school, which opened its doors on 21 January 1985 with three students and two teachers! Since then the school expanded until it reached its current student population of 2,500, over 600 staff members, and 3 campuses! The school enrolls students from 18 months to 17 years of age. It follows an open door policy and school life is organized around five core values: Child-centeredness Respect Integrity Excellence Service Greensprings School has the following sections and curriculum diversity, which displays different international pedagogical approaches, as well as local and British content. THREE CAMPUSES From humble beginnings at Anthony Campus, the school has grown to three campuses, Anthony, Lekki, and Ikoyi. The Anthony and Lekki campuses have a creche, preschool, elementary and secondary classes. The Lekki Campus has about 1,400 students, a 24-hour health clinic and caters for about 400 boarding students. The Ikoyi campus has a preschool and elementary section.PRE-SCHOOL (18 Months to 5 Years) This is the Montessori component of the school. “In Pre school, our Montessori methodology is committed to serving children of all religious and ethnic backgrounds between the ages of 2 to 5 years. We follow the basic Montessori philosophy incorporating art, music and movement, dance, gymnastics, computer and outdoor play activities.“ (Website) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (5 - 11 Years) Elementary school follows the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). Upper elementary classes are taught using the International Primary Curriculum. “Teaching from the age of 5 is by subject and is conducted by highly qualified specialist staff. This is a special feature of Greensprings School and gives children from an early age contact with subject specialists, not available to many children in other settings until secondary school. Our classes average around 20 pupils.” (Website) SECONDARY SCHOOL (11 - 16 Years) The curriculum used is the National British Curriculum which culminates in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). SIXTH FORM SCHOOL The Greensprings Sixth Form school is regarded as one of the best in the country. This school is dedicated to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which prepares students for university. This course is an excellent gateway for graduates to the best universities in the country and globally. BOARDING SCHOOL Greensprings School claims to have the best boarding school in the whole of Nigeria. Common rooms are equipped with wifi and modern facilities such as audio-visual appliances. Students have access to excellent sports facilities, including 3 football pitches, 4 tennis courts, 2 swimming pools, 2 basketball courts, 4 table-tennis tables and a badminton court. SPECIAL NEEDS Greensprings accepts special needs students, and is working on a new and fully equipped building to ensure that such students have all the facilities and support that they require. HUNGER FOR EXCELLENCE The above lines already reveal the continuous pursuit for excellence that we observe. When this school does something, they put in all their efforts and passion. We will list some of the additional evidence of this hunger for excellence. Over the years the school has invested in top class sporting facilities and equipment. Greensprings has made a name for itself in the school sporting circuits in Nigeria.It is the first thinking school in Nigeria, being part of the Thinking Schools International.The school has a strong offering of enrichment and extracurricular activities.The alumni are not forgotten, as they are continuously drawn into the life of the school and Greensprings believes in supporting its alumni to develop solutions going forward.Greensprings continuously produces graduates who reach the highest levels of academic success. We wish it all the best with its goal of redefining education in Africa. We are very interested in publishing Nigerian Montessori stories. If you can help us with information, we would really appreciate it. Look out for our next article, which will be on the Greensprings Montessori Centre, a wonderful offshoot from Ms. Lai Koiki’s initial dream. All information is from the Greensprings School website and videos. Click here to check out our YouTube Channel. CREDITS School website: https://www.greenspringsschool.com/montessori-education-in-nigeria-10-undeniable-reasons-you-cant-but-love-it/ Images: school website and videos. A special thanks to Isaac Nwali for sharing information about Greensprings School, via LinkedIn.
03 November 2023
