About us
Hoppers Nurseries is a small, family business and for children in our care, it’s a home from home.
It was set up by Emily Mottram in 2023. Emily holds Qualified Teacher Status and an MA in Comparative Education. After several years teaching in primary schools in London and Boston, USA she moved into working in early years education research and policy where she was responsible for creating strategies and solutions for high quality systems of early education and care.
With the birth of her son in 2020, Emily wanted to find a nursery that could bridge the gap between best practice research and practice.
Emily decided to set up her own nursery, where she could put evidence-informed approaches and practices to use in her setting.
“When I was looking for a nursery, I wanted one that ticked all my boxes: quality interactions with children and adults and places; rich in language; meaningful play both indoors and outdoors; responsive and caring adults who keep an eye on what children need, who understand and listen to children and regular opportunities to explore the world around us.”
EMILY MOTTRAM, OWNER AND DIRECTOR
Our values
The Hoppers Nurseries approach is rooted in an understanding that children are born as competent learners; curious and capable of constructing their own learning, through play and exploration. We take a research-based approach, keeping up to date with the latest in evidence-based professional development, to guide our teaching, care and community participation.
Parents and carers
Communication and dialogue
We understand the vital role that parents and carers play in their children’s development and work hard to build relationships with all the caregivers we meet. Face-to-face conversations are best, but where this is not possible, we are happy to talk on the phone or by email. We also encourage dialogue via our Famly app portal, where parents can find or share observations of their child, and interact with us.
Participation and community
We encourage parents to get involved in day-to-day experiences with children and share moments of life at Gilwell Hill. We organise a variety of workshops to support learning for children and adults and organise events across the year, all of which nurture a spirit of participation, inclusion and community across the nursery.
Our team
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![A smiling woman with shoulder-length auburn hair, blue eyes, and light skin, wearing a beige blazer and a red patterned blouse, standing outdoors in front of green foliage.]()
Emily Mottram
Owner/ Director
BA (Hons), QTS, MA
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![A smiling woman with curly brown hair, wearing a black shirt with small textured patterns, standing outdoors surrounded by green foliage.]()
Kerry Gray
Nursery Manager
NNEB
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![A smiling woman with dark curly hair, wearing a black shirt with red polka dots and red trim, standing outdoors with blurred green trees in the background.]()
Magda Ghita
Lead Educator and Care Lead/ Third in Charge
BA (Hons), QTS
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![A woman with long brown hair, wearing a black shirt, standing outdoors near a tree with green foliage in the background.]()
Carolina Castañeda
Lead Educator and Room Manager
BA (Hons) Child Psychology
Montessori Diploma (NAMC)
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![Smiling young woman with curly hair and a nose ring, wearing a black T-shirt and a necklace, standing outdoors with greenery background.]()
Suraiya Angel
Lead Educator
Level 3 Early Years Educator
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![A woman with long, wavy black hair wearing a white shirt and black vest, standing outdoors with green foliage in the background.]()
Vivienne Mensah
Lead Educator and Room Manager
Level 3 NVQ in Children’s Care, Learning and Development
Montessori trained
