Our nursery welcomes children from the age of 6 months until they leave for school. We run 5 days a week during term time, offering flexible session times between the hours of 8am and 4pm.
We are a free play nursery because we believe that children should come to us to have fun, to explore and to learn naturally. Children of all ages play together because we believe they learn from each other and that this helps develop confidence & social skills.
We adapt the set up of the nursery based on the children attending at any one time. We have the capacity to seperate off an area for our Under 2s if it is felt that it is needed. We often find that our youngest children prefer to be out with the older children in which case they will have 1:1 until they are able to confidently walk.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to support all our children to learn and develop and each child is given a Key Person from the moment they start with us. To find out more about this please see the link below.
Under 2’s (Koala’s)
Our Koala’s follow a similar routine to their home routine. We ask parents to let us know what this is, which may change on a daily basis depending on the child! We do our best to follow what they are doing at home, however if any aspect isn’t working in the nursery environment we will discuss this with you.
As they grow they are likely to begin to follow a similar routine to the rest of the nursery and they will spend more time in the main area (if they have previously been in a seperated area). The decision to move them completely into the main area will be taken in discussion with the parents and the Key Person but is likely to happen around the time they begin walking independently as they will want to be with everyone else! At times of the year when our youngest ones are all mobile and keen to explore we may stop having a seperated area to maximise the space. However, if at any point it is noted that a child would thrive more with some time away from the main group then we will reassess the environment accordingly.
When we have a sperated area for the Koala’s there will only 3 under 2’s in there at a time to enable the adult to give them as much quality attention as possible so that they can explore and develop. It is also a no shoes area so that the babies can freely explore when playing on the floor. They will be brought out of the area to explore the outdoors, though at times we may separate an area outside so that they can explore without the older children trying to take over! They will also come out of the area to explore messy/ art experiences though we may also set these up in the Koala’s area at other times for the same reason.
The Koala’s will be able to participate in singing and story time with the next age group (Caterpillars) if they are interested and comfortable. However their adult will also explore songs and stories within their play. Additionally we may set up a dark, sensory area for the Koalas to explore either with the other children on as a group on their own.
2 Year Olds (Caterpillars)
The majority of the time our Caterpillars will be exploring the setting inside and outside freely with the older children (Gruffalos). This works well in our nursery as there is so much space and we find that they learn from each other. However we provide certain experiences separately so that we can target it more at their level of development. This varies based on the children’s needs and interests at the time
Our routine is almost entirely free play with snack available for children to access when they are ready and an art activity for them to explore. At 11.30 there is often a music/singing/story/sensory time which may happen in groups around the setting or in just one group depending on the children’s engagement at the time. The Caterpillars may be separated from the older children for this or it may be left open for anyone to join or to choose to carry on playing. At 11.45 we have lunch time altogether which finishes at 12.30. After this it is free play for the rest of the day though group experiences such as dancing, ring games, board games or other activities will be offered from about 2pm as this is when the setting begins to be packed away.
We also plan trips in the local area for the Caterpillars for example to the park on the Whyke Oval, to the postbox in Whyke Road, to the shops on the Whyke Estate or to the train bridge in Whyke Lane to watch for trains.
3+ Years (Gruffalos)
The Gruffalos follow the same routine as the Caterpillars with a group time at 11.30 targeted at their level of development. Initially this will be optional or may not take place depending on whether they are ready to focus at this level. Throughout the year we review their ability to sit and focus and when they are ready we introduce a set group time called Gruffalo Time. This often includes discussions about what we have been learning, feelings, celebrations around the world as well as numbers and letter sounds. At points throughout the year we will be working with all our pre-schoolers; 1:1 and in groups to develop their school readiness. This may be practicing gross and fine motor skills, practicing putting their shoes and coats on, recognising their name, developing an interest in letters, developing conversation and listening skills, developing understanding of numbers 1-5, learning new vocabulary and possibly beginning to learn to write letters in their name if they are ready.
The Gruffalos will also take part in trips further out of the setting, for example visits to Pallant House Gallery, Bishops Palace Garden, The Novium or the Library.
The Gruffalos will also take part in more long term projects such as growing plants in our garden, watching caterpillars form cocoons then turn into butterflies or constructing something together out of wood. The Caterpillars will join in with these as well though they are often aimed at the older children as they may be more able to follow a project through over several days or weeks.
