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About Us

We are a small family run nursery, with separate playrooms for three different age groups: Acorns, Little Oak’s and Oak Tree’s. Staff ratios are 1:3 for 0-2 year olds, 1:4 for 2-3 year olds and 1:8 for 3-5 year olds. The nursery is registered to take 42 children in total.

We have two gardens with a mixture of grass, wood chips and paved areas, providing ideal opportunities for the children to ride the bikes, play ball games and explore their outdoor environment. We have two large mud kitchens in each garden.

We have access to an outdoor area in the woods just behind the nursery, allowing us to incorporate regular outdoor learning experiences into our planning. This gives the children the freedom to explore the ever-changing environment around them by going on nature walks and having fun in a grass maze during the summer months.


Inclusion Statement

We value every child equally, regardless of age, ability, culture and religion, and recognise that each child has individual needs. We work towards helping children to realise their full potential by meeting their needs through a differentiated curriculum and adapting activities where necessary.


Registration

Once you have completed and returned our admission form along with the £20 registration fee, we will confirm if we have availability for the sessions that you have requested. Payment in advance for the first month’s fees will secure your child’s place.

Our admission form is available to download in either PDF or Microsoft Word format.

Once you have joined us a £100 refundable deposit will be required. (Please see our terms and conditions for further details).


Opening hours

The nursery is open from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. We are closed on all English Public Bank Holidays and for one week at Christmas.

We offer all day sessions and school hours' sessions (9am to 3pm) for over 2's. We do have a policy that children attend for a minimum of two days a week.

As there is a high demand for baby places unfortunately we do not offer half days within the Acorn room, except for extra sessions when possible.

We would ask that you collect your child no later than 12:50pm for a morning session, and 5:50pm for the afternoon session, this is to allow time to prepare your child to go home and our verbal feedback on their day.


Settling In

We offer a home settle visit, when a member of the management team and your child’s key person will come to your home. This can help you and your child to build a strong relationship with us. On the first visit to nursery you are able to stay with your child and complete contact details and other consent forms. During the second visit you will have the opportunity to leave your child for an hour and half. Every child settles in differently and if more time is required this can be arranged.  

Every child will be assigned a key person to monitor their progress, carry out intimate care routines and help with settling in.

It is normal for parents to provide a change of clothing and suitable outside coat, hat, boots, waterproofs and sun cream, when starting at nursery.


Staffing

All staff undergo checks through the DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) before joining the nursery. Our nursery nurses are all qualified to NVQ Level 3 in childcare or higher. We also employ nursery assistants who work alongside our nursery nurses.


Early Years Foundation Stage and Tapestry

At Welsh Lane Day Nursery, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework for our planning and upkeep of development files. The EYFS is underpinned by the Principles into Practice, which are:

  • A unique child

  • Positive relationships

  • Enabling environments

  • Learning and development

The EYFS has seven areas of learning and development. We aim to develop the three prime areas first. These are:

  • Communication and language

  • Personal, social and emotional development

  • Physical Development

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in four specific areas. These are:

  • Literacy

  • Mathematics

  • Understanding the world

  • Expressive arts and design

Using a piece of educational software called ‘Tapestry’ every child will have their own individual learning journal that is updated by their key worker. By logging on with a secure username and password you will be able to access your child’s journal. Parents are only able to view their own child’s journal and all information is stored on a highly secure server, which is monitored closely.

Tapestry online learning journal allows you to look at your child’s observations and photographs from their time at nursery.  We will reference your child’s learning to the EYFS profile, which will keep you informed of the areas of learning in which your child is achieving, and the age band they were working in for the observed activity. Using this information, the key person can monitor their children’s progress.  It is reviewed every three months using a summative assessment that parents access and can add comments to.

Tapestry allows you to upload observations and photographs of your own as well as share your comments. It reinforces our partnership with you on a more regular basis and in a different way. The journal is only used to record your child’s learning and development whilst at nursery.

We carry out the 2-year-old progress check, as the name suggests, when your child turns two and you can pass it onto your health visitor at their 24-month review.