About Mudroots
Mudroots Early Years is designed as a calm, nurturing first-school environment where children grow through curiosity, play, emotional safety, and guided discovery.
Our Story
The Mudroots experience is built around the belief that early childhood should feel safe, meaningful, and alive with wonder. Children are given time to observe, move, ask, make, listen, and build confidence at their own rhythm.
The Mudroots Manifesto
Childhood deserves wonder, belonging, compassion, and joy.
At Mudroots, we see childhood as a time to build relationships before expectations, understanding before achievement, and character before credentials.
We believe children flourish when they feel safe, trusted, and deeply connected to themselves, to others, and to the living world around them.
We believe curiosity deserves to be protected, because every meaningful discovery begins with a question.
We believe learning becomes lasting when it is experienced through real places, real people and real moments, rather than remembered only through books.
We believe compassion is cultivated through everyday acts of care: nurturing a seedling, returning a stone to where it belongs, protecting a butterfly's resting place, sharing responsibility with friends, and recognising that every living thing has value.
Our Team
We do not call them teachers. We call them Guides.
Because their role is not to lead every step, but to walk beside every child as they discover their own path.
A Mudroots Guide believes that every child arrives with an innate sense of curiosity, compassion and capability. They recognise that each child learns differently, grows differently and experiences the world in their own unique way.
A Mudroots Guide nurtures not only learning, but relationships. They encourage children to care for one another, respect every living thing and understand that compassion is reflected in everyday actions.
Children may forget individual lessons, but they rarely forget the adults who helped them believe in themselves.
School Leadership
The directors of Mudroots bring a parent-trust-first vision to the school, shaping an early years environment where care, nature, learning, and emotional safety work together.
Director · People & School Excellence
With a strong foundation in education and over 10 years of professional experience across leadership, operations, and early childhood education, Smriti Manchanda brings a thoughtful blend of educational expertise and organisational excellence. Guided by a deep passion for child development and inspired by her own parenting journey, she believes that every child deserves a joyful, nurturing, and meaningful start to learning.
Director · Administration
With over 20 years of experience in administration, legal consulting, and business leadership, Manu Manchanda brings strategic vision and operational excellence to the organisation. Guided by integrity, governance, and a people-first philosophy, he is committed to building safe, future-ready learning ecosystems. Deeply inspired by nature, he envisions educational environments where children learn through exploration, outdoor experiences, and meaningful engagement with the natural world.
Director · Learning Experience
Rani Khanchndani brings over 8 years of experience in education, combining academic expertise with a deep commitment to early childhood development. Her philosophy is rooted in nurturing confident, curious, and compassionate learners through meaningful, child-centred experiences.
Director · Growth & Expansion
An accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience, Surrjit Sharrma combines business acumen with a passion for education. His vision is to build future-ready learning environments that empower children through innovation, quality, and meaningful educational experiences.
A Letter from the Founder
A note on why Mudroots was created, and what we believe early childhood should protect.
Before Mudroots became a school, it started as a question.
What does childhood look like today? And perhaps more importantly, what is childhood beginning to lose?
Every generation wants the best for its children. We want them to be confident. Capable. Successful. Happy. We want to prepare them for a world that is changing faster than ever before. But somewhere in that pursuit, I often found myself wondering if we were asking enough questions about childhood itself.
Children today are learning more and earlier than ever before. Yet many are spending less time exploring, observing, imagining, creating, and simply experiencing the world around them. The pressure to prepare children for tomorrow sometimes begins before they have fully lived today.
Mudroots was created as a response to that thought. Not because we believe childhood should stand still. But because we believe it deserves to be protected.
We believe children need opportunities to get their hands dirty, ask difficult questions, make mistakes, build friendships, solve problems, and discover who they are through real experiences.
We believe confidence grows through doing. Curiosity grows through exploration. And character grows through everyday moments that often go unnoticed.
At Mudroots, we are not trying to create children who are ahead of everyone else. We are trying to create an environment where children can grow into themselves. An environment where they feel safe enough to try. Free enough to explore. And valued enough to be exactly who they are.
Every decision we make, every space we design, every experience we create begins with one question: Is this good for childhood?
If the answer is yes, we move forward.
Because while children may spend only a few years with us, the foundations built during those years can stay with them for a lifetime.
Thank you for considering Mudroots as part of your child's journey. We are honoured to walk alongside you.
Warmly,
Smriti Manchanda
Mudroots Early Years
Our Commitments
Children learn best when they feel secure, seen, and connected to caring adults.
Outdoor discovery, natural materials, and seasonal observation shape everyday learning.
Families are kept close to the child's growth through transparent communication and support.
Next Step
Schedule a visit, meet the team, and experience the environment before you decide.