Our Schools

Marmalade Caterpillar - Balham

The Marmalade Caterpillar is in St Jude’s Church Hall, Heslop Road.  The school is a five-minute walk from Balham Underground and Overground station. The Head Teacher is Mr Darren Walker who has a teaching degree and has been working in Early years for over twenty years and since 2008 with marmalade Schools.  

The Marmalade Caterpillar staff are all well qualified, experienced, and passionate practitioners led by the Head Darren Walker who was awarded "the most Outstanding Practitioner" award by Kingston University.  He and the team have developed creative learning strategies catering for different children’s learning styles and interests.  During the day the children undertake purposeful activities to challenge and extend the children’s skills and abilities.  This is all achieved in a warm and friendly environment where all children have a safe and stimulating place to learn.  In addition, the children play and learn in mixed age ranges which allows them to support each other building empowering relationships.

The Marmalade Caterpillar has created a strong nursery community with opportunities to share in and support the nursery experience keeping parents involved, supported, and engaged in their child’s learning journey.  We embrace diversity and celebrate our families and the children as individuals.  The Marmalade Caterpillar ensures a strong transition from home to nursery and from nursery to school.

The Marmalade Caterpillar has forty children in any one session and there are eight full time teachers and three visiting teachers.   

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