What We Do

We care for up to nine babies aged 0-2 years with a ratio of 1;3. Each baby is cared for by the same staff to ensure positive relationships are being built to make it a home from home environment.

We strive to care for each baby as an individual and follow home routines during the day to ensure a smooth transition from home to nursery care.

Each baby will be provided with a daily record book for staff to fill in each day about what they have done i.e. meals, fluid, sleeps etc. The babies will be involved in a variety of activities including:

• Messy play (playdoh, pasta, jelly, shaving foam)
• Painting including mark making
• Heuristic play
• Investigatory play
• Role-play
• Sand play
• Water play
• Baking
• Singing and rhymes

Babies also have a variety of books to look at during the day, and will be involved with all kinds of different play and experiences to enhance their development.

We also take the babies out to play in the garden at least twice a day depending on the weather.

We care for 16 toddlers aged 2-3 years with a staff ratio of 1;4, the children have access to 2 rooms during the day, within the toddler rooms they still have individual routines and are cared for according to these. The toddlers will also have individual record books for staff to record all about their day. The toddlers are encouraged to go to the bathroom with staff to learn about personal hygiene i.e. washing their hands before and after meals etc.  When you feel your child is ready we will also start the potty training process within this room.

There are 10 areas of provision set out for the toddlers during the day, which are:

• Sand
• Water
• Painting
• Mark making
• Book area
• Construction
• Small world
• Malleable
• Role-play
• Workshop

These areas are then enhanced with other resources depending on each child’s individual interests and developmental needs.

The toddler children will also be able to use the outdoor play area during the day.

We care for up to 16 children aged 3-5 years with a staff ratio of 1;8. The children in the preschool room have more structure to the nursery day to ensure they are building their independence for going to school.

We currently have two pre-school rooms in which 10 areas of learning take place.

• Sand: Children play with wet and dry sand, a variety of small world play and a selection of appropriate tools.
• Water: Water is made fun and exciting by adding glitter, making it different colours, small world play, bubbles
• Workshop: This is where we have fun with glue, cutting, sticking and creating junk models
• Role-play: we can let our imagination run wild, we can be anything we want! Children are also provided with day to day familiar objects and dressing up.
• Malleable: we are able to explore and get messy! Children have the opportunity to explore with natural materials, treasure baskets, magnets, shaving foam, spaghetti, mushy peas, clay, play-doh, gloop and lots more!
• Small world: Children can play with a selection of small world sets and expand their imagination and play alongside or with their friends.
• Construction: Children can build trucks, helicopters etc with the mobilo, build the tallest tower or a house with the duplo.
• Quiet area: Children can come to sit and look or listen to a selection of brightly coloured and illustrated stories, whilst resting somewhere comfortable and cosy.
• Computer: Children have access to ICT equipment and can play on a selection of age appropriate learning games that develop maths, English but also teaching them to use the computer functions independently.
• Mark Making: Children can express themselves through their early writing, learning to recognise their name and letters. Attempting the first stages of writing is learning about making marks for a reason.
• Painting: Children are able to express themselves creatively on a large or small scale, putting their ideas, feelings and favourite things into a picture. Children can also explore with materials learning that we paint even without a paintbrush!

Children are introduced to try new things in a fun and relaxed way ensuring that learning really does take place. During all this fun and excitement we will also have time to have outdoor play!