Our Story
Abacus Ark was founded in 2012 by Anthony Ioannou, inspired by a long family tradition in early childhood education. His grandmother, Angela Carrington, opened Toddlers Inn Nursery School in St John’s Wood, where his mother Laura later helped expand the family’s vision for nurturing, play-based learning. It was also where Anthony began his own early years journey – an experience that shaped his understanding of the power of care, curiosity, and community.
After beginning his professional career in finance, Anthony was drawn back to his roots and lifelong passion for early childhood education. He founded Abacus Ark to combine the warmth and values of his family legacy with a modern, forward-thinking approach to learning.
In 2016, Anthony’s wife Moira joined Abacus Ark from a background in financial publishing and media sales. Starting in the classroom, she went on to become Nursery Manager, Operations Director, and now serves as Head of People and Culture – ensuring the family’s tradition of care and excellence continues in every setting.
Today, Anthony and Moira lead Abacus Ark together, proud to see their own children come through the nursery, continuing a three-generation legacy of family-led, child-centred education.
Abacus Ark – Past & Future
Our Story
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1971
Our Beginnings
Angela Carrington founds Abacus Ark in a small room attached to a church on Harley Street.
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1981
A Family Tradition
Angela’s daughter Laura joins and together they open Toddlers Inn Nursery School.
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Next Generation
Anthony’s Early Roots
Anthony attends before completing BSc & MSc in Mathematics at Durham University.
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A New Direction
Finance to Early Years
After a finance career, Anthony follows his passion and joins the family mission.
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Today
Abacus Ark Now
Run by Anthony & Moira, maintaining child-centred excellence.
Your Career with Abacus Ark
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Stage 1
Nursery Practitioner
Start your journey learning our pedagogy in action.
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Stage 2
Key Practitioner
Take on observation, planning and mentoring responsibilities.
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Stage 3
Third in Charge
Support daily operations & champion health & safety.
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Stage 4
Deputy Manager
Shape curriculum & coach the team.
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Stage 5
Nursery Manager
Lead with empathy, professionalism & purpose.
Our Educational Philosophy
At Abacus Ark, our pedagogy is at the heart of everything we do. It reflects our belief in children as capable learners and in education as a shared journey. Joining our team means embracing curiosity, creativity, and collaboration to support every child’s growth.
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WE WALK IN THE SHOES OF THE CHILD
We see each child as a curious, competent, and active participant in their own learning journey. Our approach is child-centred, respecting their interests, ideas, and ways of understanding and seeing the world.
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WE CREATE PURPOSE DRIVEN ENVIRONMENTS
The learning environment at Abacus Ark is considered the “Third Teacher.” We design our spaces with our purpose in mind and supporting the journey of the child.
3
OUR CURRICULUM IS DYNAMIC AND RESPONSIVE
Our curriculum is dynamic and responsive to the children’s evolving interests and inquiries. Instead of a fixed syllabus, we follow an emergent curriculum that allows learning to unfold naturally, guided by the children’s curiosity and discoveries with the end goal in mind.
4
OUR TEACHERS ARE FACILITATORS
Teachers at Abacus Ark act as co-learners, guides, and researchers. They listen, observe, and engage with children, providing support and challenges that extend their thinking. Teachers facilitate rather than direct, fostering a collaborative and respectful learning community.
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EDUCATION IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
We believe that education is a shared responsibility. Parents and the wider community are active partners in the learning process. We welcome their insights, skills, and participation, creating a rich, supportive network for our children.
Our PACT – What We Live By
PACT stands for Partnership, Awareness, Creativity and Thrive. These four values shape how we work with children, families and each other every day.
Partnership – greater than the sum of our parts
Effective partnership means everyone is pulling in the same direction. We listen to families, communicate clearly and work as one team around each child.
- Keep channels of communication open with families.
- Be respectful, positive and goal-focused in every interaction.
- Draw on each other’s strengths to support every child.