I have written my first review in 2010 on stepping stones. Review is down below with name Phani. we had bad experience with my son and we duly removed him in october 2010. I have seen my son grow over 4 years in a different schools and subsequently he never had issues in any school. First below teacher whoever has written as anonymous is not telling the truth. First we as parents were never allowed inspite of several requests to observe the child from the distance. we also requested if a psychiatrist can observe him in the class and even that has been rejected.
It is time for legal recourse if school hasn't learnt even after 4 years it is simply not an option for school to ask any kid to leave in middle of academic year without external i ... View Morendependent opinion.
Please mail me at chphani_77@yahoo.com if you are keen on joining the cause. I will also publish the stepping stones feedback and his later grades in other schools to show how badly school bungled and mistreated the kid. we should open up all the data we have so that no other parents suffer as we didView Less
I have been associated with Stepping Stones International School since its inception, in the capacity of a teacher. I am going to give you an unbiased opinion of the school.
At the outset, let me tell you a little about the founder, Ms. Seetha. Having studied and worked as a teacher abroad, she has practiced her methods of studying and learning for many years. More importantly, these methodologies have been proven to work time and again. SSI has tremendously knowledgeable staff who are very passionate about teaching kids age-appropriately. From personal experience, I would like to add that the curriculum at SSI is challenging. Phonics is given utmost importance and children start to read by the end of LKG! Children also work on advanced m ... View Moreath. Where else would you find a 5-year old learning to stitch or do science experiments as part of their school work? Good communication, team work and the consistency in delivering the best, contribute to the holistic development of the child.
Having worked so closely with the school, I was quite disturbed to see some of the views of a few parents. I would like to clarify a few issues.
As parents and educators, we all know that children come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and behaviour! It is not the schoolâs intention to remove a child from school based on any of the above. In fact, the teachers try their best to make sure the child adjusts and in certain situations the other children also adjust to the child. It is never the teacherâs intention to alienate the child. Let us face it-every parent finds it difficult to accept issues related to their child. So, after talks and discussions, the parent is invited to either sit in the class or observe their child from a distance. There have been instances when child psychiatrists have been called to observe the child. Only, and I repeat only if things go too out of hand is the child asked to leave. This is done with much regret and never with any personal malice.
SSIâs policies have always been clear and transparent. They never charge extra for anything. The school starts its academic year with fewer working hours and then gradually builds on to 3-3.5 hours. This is done so that children ease into the school routine. Ms. Seetha looks into every detail personally. There is no âblame gameâ for anything that happens at school. With this said, I hope I have made myself clear. Do not base your judgement on a few rash views. If you are a parent looking for a âhead startâ in your childâs life this is the school. I am sure there are plenty of parents out there who would agree with me. Like a parent has commented-the âWOWâs outnumber the âoopsâ (if at all there are any âoopsâ!)
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My daughter studied in SSI for three years. We think SSI is one of the best preschools in Bangalore. They give importance to the overall development of the child. Ms.Seetha is a wonderful leader with a great vision. All the teachers are well trained and love what they do and support the school's vision.
Academics, sports, personality development, environmental awareness, social responsibility - all these are taught to such young kids in a way they understand and relate to.
Teachers give a very honest feedback. They clearly tell us which the child enjoys to do and where the child needs help. They definitely understand that each child is unique and let them be. They are very professional and they know how to teach children what is good ... View More behaviour and what is not. In all these years of being associated with them I have never seen any of the teachers or supporting staff being rude to kids.
Ms.Seetha and team are passionate about what they do. You can understand it from the way they maintain the school, plan for curriculum, activities, the gifts that they think for kids etc
The management is honest. Apart from the fees they don't ask for a single rupee through the year. I think in this age when we are asked to pay for class photo, class trip, annual day etc, I found the team SSI an exception.
(In one instance the school management intervened and asked the new transport provider to return 500Rs back to the parents as the amount charged seemed to be on the higher side.)
I think if you are in HSR and surrounding areas, you should definitely put your kid in SSI. If you Need any further information about SSI you can find me through  school's Facebook page. I will be very happy to assist you in making a educated decision.
THANKS
SUPRIYAView Less
I respect anyone's point of view and can't argue on that part but just to share my experience -
I had my daughter studied in stepping stone for 3 years and I have seen this school very closely. She enjoyed the school environment very much and mainly due to her interest I attended almost all the sports day, annual days and of course the PTMs too. If I ask her to write this review then probably she can provide more data points but form my own memory stack, I did see all the students participating in the events like drama and sports and never had a perception that teachers would scream neither my daughter told any such thing happened in school.
Unlike others (I donât mean only schools it includes corporate houses and individual like ... View Moreus) Stepping Stones has a rare quality of timeliness. I had never seen any event starting or finishing late. Being in the industry for 20 years I know what it takes from us just to achieve this part alone during the client visits. There we are dealing with mature adults and yes, in school itâs a child they are dealing with.
Stepping stones operates on high quality of professionalism. I could still remember my daughterâs UKG teacher addressing the parents on day -1 of the school. She was telling â¦âby end of this month your child will be able to achieve thisâ¦.by end of second month your child will be able to achieveâ¦.you have my assuranceâ. And it was amazing to see how she learned exactly the way it was planned. My daughter is in a different school now (well known brand) and they do send monthly activities and test plans but honestly I do not feel there is strong connect between the dots.
As mentioned before I respect every oneâs view point but I would not let one OOPS to offset all the WOWs.
Actually this review had given me a chance to give thanks to Stepping Stones which I have never given to them.
- Subhasis
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I had two of my children studying in SSI and our association to the schools spans 7 years. Never once did we face an issue either with the teachers or the support staff. I am amazed at how the head mistress and the teachers inculcate the right balance of freedom and discipline in the children. All the Stepping Stones kids I have interacted with are well behaved, responsible and responsive kids... all this without losing their childlike innocence and naughtiness.
My kids thoroughly enjoyed Stepping Stones and even till date they are nostalgic about this school. My personal opinion is Stepping Stones is a school which gives parents good Value for money and the kids a good Value System. I really wish Stepping and its management a long and su ... View Moreccessful stint.
- Passionate about Stepping StonesView Less
Hi, I was associated with Stepping stones for three years. My experiences are as below: Stepping Stones is very organized, had good curriculum & they gave an excellent foundation to my daughter. Stepping stones not only concentrated academically but also improved the child's behavioral pattern, improved the communication skills, taught good etiquette, good sporting activity for the children of this age too! Over the three years, we could not find even a single day going wrong. We were surprised by the very methodical & organized way the school management handled the Annual events, parent teachers meet etc. Even after two years of graduation from the school, our daughter thrive on the fundamental education, good character & etiquette she ac ... View Morequired from the Stepping Stones school! Any day we would vouch Stepping Stones as the best pre school we had come across !
Due to limited class room strength, the school teachers monitor individual child on their academic progress, class room behaviors, personal & communal etiquettes & correct them. They often share a very candid feedback in trying to improve every aspect of early education! We were very appreciative of that!
As parents, we should work jointly with the school to improve the child's performance & any feedback should be taken in the right spirit since the feedback is only going to improve the child's future!
Finally, if parent can understand why the child is being corrected & with a positive intent work with the teacher to improve, the child's future is guaranteed in the right direction!
We were extremely happy with Stepping Stones & confidently say SSIS is the best preschool in Bangalore!View Less
Only People who are associated with Stepping stones for many many years will say, there's a problem with the child. Gimme a break! You guys forget you are dealing with a child. I totally agree with you Phani, i pulled out my son from stepping stones too. They branded him saying he has behaviour issues they made him sit separately, they had a problem with practically anything he does,
One day he came back from school & refused to speak for close to 45 mins & later he told me he was sent out of the class b'coz he made noise. Once he got up in the night crying & after comforting him he told me Ms. PXXXA shouted at me for scribbling. My Question??? to Everyone who's reading this. Aren't children supposed to make Noise? Are'nt they supposed t ... View Moreo scribble?? What is the Big crime in making noise or scribbling. They harrass the child & the parents. We as parents got so worried we took our son to the Pshcatrist. The doctor gave us a clean chit. The teachers look very sophicticated, plz don't go by the way they speak, they'll talk sooo nicely you'll feel there's something wrong with your child. Like Phani mentioned they expect 3 yrs of continous commitment, My mistake was i told them my son will be there just for a year. I don't want any parent or a child to go thru what we went. Plz think 101 times bfre getting your child enrolled with stepping stones.View Less
I agree with you Phani, My son studies in Stepping stones, I'm sick & tired of the teachers complaints, My son is made to sit separately, he told me i don't like sitting separetly, i want to sit with my friends but they just won't allow him to sit with everyone. they have a problem with everything he does, We are pulling him out of the school now. My son came back from the school one day & he refused to speak for 45 mins, later he told me he was sent out of the class for making noise. a couple of days back he got up in the night from his sleep crying & after i comforted him he told me mama Ms.Priya shouted at me for scribbling. Are'nt children supposed to scribble? They branded him saying he has behaviour issues, infact we got so worried we ... View More even took him to a psycatrist to get him assessed. Doctors gave us a clean chit. As parents we went thru hell. I suggest plz don't put your child in stepping stones i don't want any parent to go thru what my husband & i went thru.
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I am in complete agreement with Phani. We have had bad experience with Stepping stone too on the same lines as mentioned. The school has no respect for individuality of a child, and any child who doesn't fit with the class will be excluded from rest! When all over the world inclusive education is a norm, this school is following dark age practices. Also they are too academic and expect children to learn their letter sin first few months! I even found the helps very careless! I picked up my child many times with poop in the pants and school was not even aware! I got my kid out from this school in one and a half months and I am so happy for that! And yes, they did not refund the appropriate amount! My child has just finished a whole year in a ... View Morenother school and doing so well! I would never recommend this school to anyone.View Less
Hi,
I am a parent who had enrolled my child in stepping Stones and associated with SSIS for many many years.
Only if a child is disruptive in class, has behavior issues, special needs child, SSIS would take some corrective action. Whatever corrective action they take, it is for the benefit of the individual child and the class. I as a parent would not want another child with behavioral issues in my child's class.
I can vouch that they are not commercial minded. Whatever you have mentioned is documented clearly in the prospectus, and application form. A parent is expected to review before enrollment and all of their policies are really transparent.
I have checked with many parents and I haven't found a parent who has iss ... View Moreues with SSIS.
-Well wisher of SSIS.
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