Minisha Bist – Head of Nursery and Early Years

2024-01-20

Minisha Bist is our Head of Nursery and Early Years, and in her role she focuses on the care and education of girls aged between 3 and 5. As well as managing the teaching staff, she also ensures that she has some time each week dedicated to teaching the girls as she loves getting to know each one!

Teaching has been Minisha’s dream ever since she was a child. After completing a degree in Business and Computing she undertook a training diploma in Montessori teaching which prioritises learning through hands-on experiences rather than paper-based learning.

Minisha’s passion grew for this approach, and she has continued to infuse elements of it within the academic curriculums at schools she has taught at for the last two decades. 

Over the last decade, Minisha has set up three nurseries at prestigious schools in London which are all flourishing. She feels passionately about the importance of a child’s experience during the Early Years period. “I feel like every child is born with a thirst for knowledge and it is crucial that we water this seed and help it to blossom in all its glory.”

Every morning, Minisha is the first person to greet each Reception child as she comes in, which is a time of day she holds close to her heart as she enjoys chatting to the children at the start of the day. From reading stories in the book corner, to practicing yoga poses Minisha enjoys precious interactions with the girls throughout the week. 

Minisha values the close sense of community at the school – ‘All the staff know the girls so well and the girls feel comfortable, confident and safe with everyone. This relationship of trust then empower the ability to be able to challenge the girls academically and for them to then get to the best place where they can be personally and emotionally.’  Most importantly, she believes that what sets Glendower apart from other schools, is the balance of pastoral and academics, which always go hand in hand. 

“What Glendower gives to girls, which is such a huge emphasis for us, is opportunities to find and to share their voice, share their feelings, even to challenge and question us as teachers, and we value that. Each girl as a unique individual with the potential to change the world – to be a real gamechanger in society – and we want to give them everything we can and support her in every way we can so that she’s able to do that.” 

Here’s to all our amazing team, but today in particular, celebrating the incredible work of all those working to provide the very best in Early Years Learning.