What you can expect for your child

In the Baby Room - for Baby Roos (3-12months) and Kangas (12-18months)

We have a dedicated room for the younger age group of children at the nursery. The building is light, bright, colourful and spacious and is designed with non-walkers, crawlers and early walkers in mind. It has its own dedicated and enclosed outdoor space with a canopy and rubber surfacing, providing shade and shelter if it is raining, so that even the youngest of our children can always go outside for fresh air. We also provide outdoor waterproof overalls for each child so they remain dry and comfortable in the wettest months of the year.

Our baby room routine is flexible, adapted to follow what you do at home as closely as possible. You will be given daily feedback detailing the times, amounts and food your child has eaten, when they slept and the key activities they have been doing. All drinks (except baby milk), food, nappies and wipes are provided. We ask you to bring spare clothing in a named bag and any sleep bags your child may use. We provide bedding for each child, stored for their own use for the days they attend, and washed on site once they are finished for that week and we have a quiet / sleep section of the room where all our babies can sleep undisturbed in their own cot. 

We know that children under 2 years old are in a period of discovery and stimulation. We have an abundance of toys, resources and activities which are designed to help them develop their balance, coordination and motor skills, and stimulate their senses at ground level. As they become more independent we will introduce toys that help them recognise objects, shapes and colours. They will enjoy messy play, musical activities and group mealtimes, and daily play sessions outside either in the soft play area, under the canopy or on the grass.

In the Toddler room for Piglets (18-24 months) and Tiggers (24-36 months)

Once they are walking independently and are confident in their movement, we will discuss transitioning your child from Baby room across to the Toddler room. The Toddler room is larger with more space to explore for our newly mobile age group. Again we split the room so that the Piglets and Tiggers can play together or separately. All children across this age group will have activities designed to meet their stage of development, and they will also enjoy some group times with the older children.

In the Toddler room we follow a more structured routine with set meal/ snack times, group times and outside play.  We include a wide range of activities including dough play, shape sorting, soft books, songs and musical activities, sand and water play, messy play, role play, fine motor skills, threading and mark making. A key focus will be on developing language and communication skills and introducing the children to self-care: starting to put on their own coats and shoes, potty training, hand washing etc.

All our children will participate in group eating times, where we promote:

• • Physical development - cutlery control and taking your own portions of food
• • Personal and social development - time to talk and share
• • Numeracy - counting and laying the table
• • Language development - reading your name on placemats
• • Knowledge and understanding of the world - where the food comes from

For Preschoolers - 3 years plus

From 3 years onwards, we continue to use the early learning goals to provide structure to our activities and learning through play, whilst beginning to focus on the preparation for school.

We design a wide variety of experiences and activities for the children that encourage them to make decisions and become independent learners. When they arrive they will be asked to self-register – looking for and recognising their name card and placing it on the ‘who’s here today’ board.

They will learn about the letters of the alphabets through our phonics work and ‘letter of the week’, how to write their name, counting numbers from 1-20 and beyond, the days of the week, the weather and key events in the calendar. Mark making is key and is encouraged through the use of pencils, crayons, paints, in the sand tray and on the chalkboards. They will learn about mathematical concepts such as big and small, full and empty, big, bigger and biggest, as well as shapes, colours, animals and opposites. They will have the opportunity to use a variety of resources for exploration including sand, water, construction materials, paint, glue, chalks, scissors, measuring jugs and magnifying glasses, as well as being able to make believe in the role play area. More or less everything we do can be taken outside, and children will have regular dance sessions and physical activities outdoors.

In our quiet area we have an interactive whiteboard which we use to teach the children all sorts of concepts interactively through fun games and engaging characters. There is also a reading corner where the children can help themselves to books, a large chalk board on the wall for practising writing and group sessions held on the big rug; listening and telling stories, identifying words and signs and regular show and share sessions.

Through our monthly topics they will learn about themselves, the world around them, the seasons and other topics designed to engage them. Craft and creative activities are then linked to the current topic and the children’s work will be displayed on the walls and from the ceilings, giving them a sense of achievement and pride.

The children also cook, do yoga, participate in bi-weekly Rugby Tots sessions, do planting and gardening with our Outdoor Learning Leader, Phillip, and participate in festivals, food tasting and dressing up.

We encourage independent play, listening and concentrating, making friends, sharing and socialising. Our PALS (playing and learning to socialise) sessions are a core part of the pre-school week and are very popular. Using our friends Jack, Kate and Anna (puppets) the sessions can have varying numbers of participants and focus on key social skills:

• • Greeting others
• • Taking Turns – listening and talking
• • Taking Turns at Play
• • Sharing
• • Asking for Help
• • Identifying feelings
• • Empathy
• • Overcoming fear and anxiety
• • Managing frustration
• • Calming Down
• • Speaking up

Overarching everything, your child’s key person is there to identify their learning and development needs and to plan activities and experiences that will assist them starting school.