Collaborations With Schools and Nurseries

How I Work With Schools and Nurseries

• Parent workshops and educational talks
• Staff training and professional development sessions
• Nursery and school consultancy
• Event support and in-setting experiences for families
• Promotion and community engagement initiatives

Each collaboration is grounded in child-centred practice, strong parent partnerships, and a shared commitment to early years wellbeing.

"Working with Lisa - Happy Families was a highly positive and professional experience from start to finish. We felt well supported at every stage, with clear guidance and a collaborative approach that made the partnership both effective and enjoyable. The event was exceptionally well planned and thoughtfully executed. The flow of the event was smooth and intuitive, allowing families to move comfortably between activities while remaining fully engaged. The event also provided excellent outreach opportunities. We were able to connect with a large number of families in a welcoming and inclusive environment, fostering open conversations and genuine community engagement. Overall, this collaboration was both rewarding and impactful. The professionalism, care, and thoughtful planning demonstrated by Principal Lisa - Happy Families were evident in every aspect of the event. I would highly recommend working with Happy Families and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate again in the future."
Kids Kingdom

"Lisa is energetic, full of life and ideas – no task is too big. A fast mover with a positive outlook on all things, her dedication to the projects she works on is immense. I believe her genuine approach makes her 'followers', or should I say community, engage and show up, she has had a tremendous impact on all the projects we have worked with her on."
Maria Gold, Director of Marketing, Marriott Group

Available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm · Virtual and in-person options available · Bespoke packages tailored to your needs

Chat with me on WhatsApp

Honest Reviews

Choosing a nursery or school is one of the biggest decisions you'll make for your child.

I've spent more than 35 years inside early years settings, as a teacher, a Nursery Principal and a consultant. So when I walk into a setting, I know what to look for.

My Honest Reviews are exactly that. Honest. I visit, I watch, I ask the questions parents don't always know to ask, and I tell you what I see.

Read My Reviews

• Victory Heights Primary School, City of Arabia (below)
• Safa British School (below)
• Victory Heights Nursery, Dubai Production City (below)

What I Look At

• How children are welcomed and settled in
• The curriculum, and how play and learning fit together
• Outdoor space and real, hands-on play
• How the team talks to children, and to parents
• Toileting, independence and self-care
• How the setting communicates with families

Not sure which setting is right for your child? Book 30 minutes with me and we'll talk through curriculum, suitability and settling in.

Book 30 minutes with Lisa

Are you a nursery or school? I'd love to visit. Message me on WhatsApp.

My Honest Review: Victory Heights Primary School, City of Arabia

I was genuinely excited when I heard that families living on the Arabian Ranches and City of Arabia side of Dubai were going to have access to the Victory Heights approach to education.

Victory Heights Primary School in Sports City has already built an Outstanding KHDA reputation, and with Sasha Crabb's long-standing leadership and influence across the group, I arrived at the new City of Arabia school with very high expectations.

And I loved it almost immediately.

From the moment I arrived in reception, there was a sense of warmth and fun. Funnily enough, I felt as though I was going on safari. A wonderfully cheerful guide in a safari hat appeared and led me through the school, and within minutes I had completely relaxed into the atmosphere.

Then I saw the library.

It is beautiful, bright and imaginative, with a wonderful little theatre tucked away inside it. It is the sort of space children dream about, a place that makes books, stories and imagination feel exciting before anyone has even opened a page.

What really stayed with me, though, was the team.

I was reading Julia Donaldson's Superworm with some of the children, and members of the leadership team simply got down onto the floor and joined in. They acted out the story, became the characters and laughed alongside the children. There was no sense of standing back and observing from a distance. They felt involved, warm and completely at ease with the children.

The children I had brought with me absolutely loved the experience.

Even the small details had been thought through. The library had created beautiful little library tokens for the children, carefully made and presented, and those details matter to me enormously because they tell you something about how a school thinks about childhood.

Then I went down to Early Years.

It felt like a dream.

The resources were thoughtfully chosen, the classrooms opened naturally into outdoor areas, and children had easy opportunities for movement, exploration and a change of environment throughout the day.

And then, in the Early Years library, there were rabbits.

Actual rabbits.

There was something so calm, gentle and nurturing about that whole area. Most importantly, the classrooms did not feel staged for visitors. They felt authentic, lived in and genuinely used by children. They felt like places where learning actually happens.

For a school still so early in its own journey, I think City of Arabia has already created something very special.

This was never, in my view, about becoming the biggest primary school in Dubai.

It feels as though the ambition was to create one of the warmest.

For a family arriving in Dubai, particularly one looking for a smaller primary school with a genuine sense of community, I think Victory Heights City of Arabia is absolutely worth visiting.

Sometimes you walk into a school and notice the facilities.
Sometimes you notice the resources.
And sometimes you notice how the place makes you feel.

This one felt kind.

My Honest Review: Safa British School

I've been visiting Safa British School for around six years now, and one of the things I've always loved most is the team.

I'm a huge fan of Miss Fiona McDermott, who leads Early Years and Year One. I think those first years are absolutely crucial, and she creates such a strong foundation for the children to build on as they move through school. The Early Years classrooms have a real Curiosity Approach feel to them, and that is something I absolutely love.

Whenever I've run sessions there, I've noticed the use of real objects rather than everything being plastic or pretend.

Real china teacups.
Real metal objects.
Real household items.

Children being trusted with beautiful, authentic materials that make the home corner actually feel like home.

That always makes me smile because it says something important about how children are viewed. Capable, trusted and involved in real life.

The classrooms are also wonderfully bright, light and airy, and there is such a lovely energy from the teachers. You can feel their enthusiasm for the children and for what they're creating.

I always enjoy being invited back to Safa British School, whether I'm running a parent workshop or spending time with the team.

And, I have to admit, I've also become very fond of my little post-workshop stop at the coffee shop afterwards.

A good workshop, lovely people and a decent coffee.
Hard to complain about that.

My Honest Review: Victory Heights Nursery, Dubai Production City

At a Glance

• Ages: 45 days to 3 years
• Curriculum: British, play-based, guided by Birth to Five Matters (the early years guidance used in England)
• Opened: January 2026
• Area: Dubai Production City (Me'aisem First), Dubai
• Sister schools: Victory Heights Primary School, Sports City and City of Arabia
• Website: thevhnursery.com

When I Visited

I visited Victory Heights Nursery about six times as it was beginning to open, and I brought along about 20 families each week. It was a soft open, and we were welcoming a brand-new manager in the coming weeks as we were building the nursery to open.

What I Loved

The feedback from the families I brought along was continuously high about the resources. Very beautiful and expensive resources: no money had been spared.

This was a modern nursery, all on the ground floor, so purpose built. The entrance was so family friendly, with a sofa and an easily accessible nursery manager. Huge classrooms, a huge indoor play area, a huge "outdoor" play area that was indoors, which was really unique, and then a fantastic garden.

When I visited, it had the best and most effective nurse I think I've ever met on any of my visits. She had the whole place sewn up, done and dusted on all things, like she knew the base temperature of all the children. She was following them and plotting their development. It was exceptional.

What's Worth Knowing

It's in a fast-developing area of Dubai.

My Verdict

I can see this nursery being very popular with families and being a real resource for the area.

BC Academy

My relationship with BC Academy goes right back to its beginnings.

In 2024, I was incredibly fortunate to be part of the founding team within the Early Years and Nursery department, working with them for around six months as a consultant and helping to create a curiosity-led environment for their youngest children. From the very beginning, I was slightly in awe of what was being created.

There was ambition everywhere. Not simply in the size of the building or the facilities, but in the thinking behind the school and in the determination to do things differently.

Very sadly, my own time there was cut short when a cyst was discovered in my spine and I had to undergo emergency surgery. What followed was around six months away from work, which was certainly not how I had imagined that chapter ending. But BC Academy has remained very close to my heart.

I have returned on a number of occasions to work with the school, its families and its team, and it has been rather wonderful to watch it grow. Under the leadership of Zara Harrington, I have seen a school become increasingly confident in its identity, ambitious in its thinking and determined to innovate. It is certainly a school I believe people should be watching.

Willow Nursery, Dubai Marina

Willow Nursery in Dubai Marina feels like one of those nurseries that has quietly become part of the fabric of the community. For Marina mums, it really is a bit of a staple.

I've watched the nursery over the years and, although of course there have been some changes, what has always struck me is the continuity of the team. Staff seem to stay, relationships are built over time, and in Dubai, where early years settings can sometimes see a lot of movement, that kind of staff retention really matters.

The nursery is Reggio-inspired and has a lovely Curiosity Approach feel to it. The classrooms are absolutely adorable: cosy, homely and thoughtfully put together. They feel warm rather than overly polished, and there is a real sense that children actually live, play and learn in those spaces.

When I spent the day there, one of the things I loved most was talking to the parents. Again and again, I heard the same sort of story. Willow had become part of their family. Their first child had attended, and then their second child had followed. For me, that kind of loyalty says an enormous amount about a nursery.

The outdoor space is another huge strength. It is generous, open and gives children real room to move, which is particularly valuable in Dubai Marina, where so many young children are growing up in apartments and may only have a balcony at home. Having that opportunity to run, explore and spend time outdoors is such an important part of early childhood.

Willow Nursery in the Marina feels established, trusted and genuinely loved by the families who use it. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

Jumeirah International Nurseries

I've worked closely with Jumeirah International Nurseries for many years, right back to when the group was still relatively small. It has been quite something to watch them grow from just a handful of nurseries into one of the most recognised and trusted early years brands in the UAE.

Over the years, I've supported the team in lots of different ways. I helped with the launch of their beautiful new nursery on the Palm, ran parent workshops designed to introduce prospective families to the setting, hosted events, attended openings and supported the wider team whenever I could.

What I've always appreciated is the consistency of the brand and the trust they have built with families. It has been a real privilege to be part of some of those milestones and to watch the organisation grow so significantly over time.

Chubby Cheeks Nursery, JLT

I had the pleasure of spending time with the team at Chubby Cheeks Nursery in Jumeirah Lake Towers, where I also hosted an event to help introduce more families to the setting.

What really surprised me was just how organised, thoughtful and curiosity-led the nursery felt. The team were incredibly hardworking and clearly very focused on the needs of working families. There was a real sense of practicality around the service they were providing, from long-day care to transport options, including a nursery bus collecting children from different areas.

Step by Step Nursery, Jumeirah

I really loved Step by Step Nursery in Jumeirah. It has that lovely character you often get from an established villa nursery, set across two floors, with spaces that feel individual and lived in rather than overly polished.

The outdoor area was a real highlight for me. It was generous, inviting and gave children plenty of opportunity to move, explore and spend meaningful time outside. Inside, I was impressed by how well the resources were being used. The nursery felt thoughtfully equipped, with a team who clearly knew how to make the most of the environment around them.

What stood out most, though, was the people. I saw a very dedicated team, strong leadership and a clear commitment to the children and families they serve. It felt like the kind of nursery that becomes part of its local community, offering not just childcare and education, but genuine support to families in the area.

I came away with a very positive impression and a real appreciation for the care and thought that had gone into the setting.

Blossom Nursery Group

I spent around a year working closely with Blossom Nursery Group, and it was a really substantial partnership.

Each month, I delivered an online parent workshop for Blossom, covering a different topic connected to babies, toddlers and very young children. It gave us the opportunity to support families with practical education while also keeping the nursery group closely connected to the wider parenting community.

Blossom also sponsored my Happy Families Magazine for a year and became a major presence at our monthly Bounty Beets events, where they took a large activation space and met huge numbers of families face to face. The feedback I received was always incredibly positive, particularly around how many enquiries and leads the team were able to generate through those events.

I also had the opportunity to spend time with the team at head office, and I was extremely impressed by the level of organisation, planning and professionalism behind the brand. That same professionalism came through every time I worked alongside a Blossom team at an event. Their nurseries are beautifully presented, and I remember visiting their Downtown setting while it was still being created, meeting the new team and seeing the amount of thought and preparation going into the launch.

Working with Blossom gave me a real appreciation for the scale of the organisation, but also for the care and structure behind it. It was a very rewarding year, and I thoroughly enjoyed supporting the group through parent education, events, community engagement and brand visibility.

Early Explorers, Sharjah

I spent around six weeks working closely with Early Explorers in Sharjah during the early stages of the nursery, helping the team establish themselves within their new neighbourhood.

During that time, I visited regularly, held family events, met prospective parents and worked alongside the team, offering guidance and advice as they began building awareness and trust within the local community. It was incredibly rewarding to watch the nursery grow from around 40 registrations to 80 during that period.

The setting itself was immaculate. It had been beautifully put together by the team, with so much care and attention to detail, and I loved the location in Sharjah, surrounded by a lovely, green and shaded environment that felt calm and welcoming for young children and families.

What stood out most was the dedication behind it. Launching a brand-new nursery takes an enormous amount of work, and it was wonderful to see the team finding their place within the community and families beginning to discover what they had created. I loved being part of those early weeks and watching Early Explorers begin to flourish.

Clarion School

I was brought on board to work with Clarion School as they planned and developed a new nursery provision. Although the nursery itself ultimately did not open following a change in direction, the six weeks I spent working with the school became incredibly valuable in another way.

Each week, I ran two parent-and-child sessions in the mornings, creating a regular space for local families to come together, meet the school and begin building a relationship with the team. Very quickly, we developed a community of around 30 families who were actively interested in joining the proposed nursery.

Those sessions also became an important part of the early development of what would later become my Boomerang programme. I began to see how much could happen when the same families returned week after week. It was not simply about entertaining children for an hour. We could observe them, support parents, build relationships, create familiarity and gradually develop a genuine learning community.

At the same time, from a school perspective, we were building something incredibly valuable: a warm database of prospective families who already felt connected to the setting before the nursery had even opened.

It was very sad to later see Clarion School close, and of course disappointing that the nursery project itself never came to fruition.

Boomerang Parent and Child Classes: these sessions grew into my Boomerang classes for nurseries and schools. Hear two of the mums talk about them.

See Boomerang Classes

Events

Next Up: The Festival of Learning

Sunday 15 November, 10am to 3pm, Times Square Center, Dubai. A free Happy Families event, full of stories, play and learning for the whole family.

What Settings Say

"Thank you Lisa for bringing your Boomerang sessions to Victory Heights. It was so lovely to see how quickly you connected with our families. You created such a warm and welcoming atmosphere and made it really easy for parents and children to come along and get involved. The sessions gave us a brilliant opportunity to connect with the community in a different way, and we saw so many lovely conversations and connections as a result. Thank you for all the energy you brought to Victory Heights. It was a real pleasure having you with us and we would love to work with you again."
The Team, Victory Heights

"We were delighted with the event and felt it went very well overall, especially for our setting... I genuinely don't think it could have gone much better. Lisa included everyone attending; it was upbeat and positive, and the feedback I heard from attendees was very positive. Well done to everyone involved - a great event!"
Ms Fiona Robertson, Safa British School

"You understand how to engage children, make them feel confident and, most importantly, have fun. We have loved the events you have hosted at our school such as the Summer Party. You have a real knack for bringing children, parents and the wider community together and making an event feel really special. Thank you for all your energy, ideas and care. We feel very lucky to have you as part of our community."
BC Academy

"Thank you Lisa for your time, creativity and for seeing our setting through completely fresh eyes. The play spaces you helped us create were on another level. You really understood how to make the most of what we already had and turn it into spaces that the children genuinely wanted to explore, play in and come back to. We also loved coming along to your Bounty Beets event... You have such a natural way of bringing people together and making everyone feel welcome."
Redwood Montessori Nursery

"Working with Lisa - Happy Families was a highly positive and professional experience from start to finish... The event was exceptionally well planned and thoughtfully executed... Overall, this collaboration was both rewarding and impactful. I would highly recommend working with Happy Families and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate again in the future."
Willow Children's Nursery

"It was such an informative session and your relatability for parents was really magical."
Miss Fiona McDermott, Early Years and Year One Lead, Safa British School

"We loved today's Potty Training Awareness Workshop... The end was a great opportunity for our families to ask questions, we've had parents already emailing us to say their thanks."
Jessica Davies, Nursery Manager, The Wonder Years

"We really enjoyed Lisa's workshop on Potty Training as a Montessori Nursery School, here in Dubai. A few of our families have also signed up for the full training program and they are really happy with the results."
Mrs Siog Moore, Principal, Little Land Nursery

"Your energy is truly unmatched, especially during the storytelling session with the little ones!"
Numu Early Childhood Centre

"The event overall was really good and well organised... we got a few leads too which is a super bonus!"
Paddington ECC

"As soon as you meet Lisa, you feel at home. She exudes limitless passion for life, care and happiness. She is dedicated to supporting families and has extensive knowledge and experience of the under fives. Her creativity and endless joy make her magnetic. You instantly feel safe in her aura, and working alongside her is inspirational. She adapts to the needs of early years settings to tailor bespoke projects with finite detail. She’s the wise, hilarious auntie you admired and the granny who brings you comfort."
Sasha Crabb, Director of Education, Victory Heights Group