Exploring Our Pre-school Environment
Here we provide everything to keep the active mind and body stimulated and entertained.
Our fully qualified and experienced staff, make learning fun within the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
We fully acknowledge the importance to encourage our children in free play and self-expression.
We have plenty of space with dedicated areas that infants can play, explore and experiment.
Role Play - an area which can be a kitchen, hospital, garage, office or even a space rocket, if that is what the children want it to be.
Small World: Whether in the doll’s house, train station, farm, busy road network and garage, our children can use and develop their imagination and communication skills.
Construction: Modelling with a variety of materials, using the necessary tools and equipment, glue, card, wood, plastic, etc. along with different types of building bricks. Children learn the concept of size, weight and density i.e., big, small, heavy, light, soft, hard, etc.
Art & Craft: Using paints, crayons, pens, beads, string, clay, textiles, collage, glue, scissors, etc. Children learn co-ordination, co-operation, design and colour skills.
Sand & Water: A sand and water tray with buckets, bowls, scoops, bottles, funnels, etc. Children are introduced to the concepts of maths, science and technology.
Library: A good selection of storybooks and reference books for infants to select and look at or share at story time. Children learn the concept of written communication, while sharing others life experiences.
Information Technology: with access to a computer and laptop with age suitable software, children can develop all areas of their learning, using a mouse and keyboard.
Quiet Room: After all that activity, sometimes our infants just need to be able to relax and have a snooze.
We operate a 1:4 staff ratio for our two-year-olds and 1:8 staff ratio for our children over three.
Our Curriculum
-
The curriculum at ABC is tailored to suit each child, building on individual interests and learning step by step.
Our inclusive, highly skilled and experienced team celebrates individual development and creativity.
We strongly believe that every child can thrive and that there should be no limits to learning opportunities.
Our commitment to all children who attend our nursery is to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where their Individual needs are met by highly skilled passionate staff.
Children will feel happy, valued and safe, enabling them to have confidence to further explore the world in which they live in.
-
A Unique Child – Every child is a competent learner from birth, who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive Relationships – Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving & secure relationships with parents and/or key person.
Enabling Environment – The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.
Learning & Development – Children develop and learn at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5 years of age.
We fully embrace the EYFS standards and implement our play based educational activities using the EYFS Curriculum.
The curriculum focuses on seven areas of learning, which we use in the planning of children‘s activities, from six months up to five years old;
Prime Areas that underpin everything in early years:
Communication and language
Physical development
Personal, social, and emotional development
Specific Areas help children to strengthen and apply the prime areas:
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
Children in our Foundation Stage and Pre-School rooms benefit from the same curriculum as children attending an LEA nursery school and are entitled to Nursery Education Funding from 3 years old, depending on their date of birth.
-
We have two secure and substantial outdoor play areas. One outdoor area is focused on the under 2’s and the other is dedicated to 2-5yr olds.
Each dedicated area is suitably equipped with play apparatus and toys to assist in physical development, (such as co-ordination and balance), spatial awareness and risk assessment. We utilise our resources to encourage learning co-operation, communication skills and social development.
Spacious and carefully supervised, our outdoor play areas have safety surfaces, soft woodchip, sand, tarmac, wooded and garden areas. The entire space is appropriate for interesting and stimulating outdoor play – ideal for all year-round outdoor activity, when we take the entire curriculum outdoors.
-
While each age group have their own activity room, interaction between babies, toddlers and infants occurs regularly to stimulate a homely environment and understanding atmosphere. This approach proves invaluable to the personal development of each age group. It is also a means of developing a child’s confidence and supports their transition to the next care room.
-
All our meals are freshly prepared each day in the nursery kitchen, by our fully qualified and experienced chef. We are fortunate to have an additional room designated solely for dining.
We offer well balanced, nutritious meals. Every meal is based on the healthy plate guidelines, containing protein, fibre and carbohydrate.
Meals are served in our dedicated dining room, which encourages children to share in the social occasion of eating together, to be independent and prepare for school.
We continually introduce different flavours, to develop and broaden children’s palettes and experience of other cultures.
Our full day menu includes a healthy mid-morning and afternoon snack, which together with meals provide the minimum five daily recommended portions of fruit and vegetables. Meals are well-balanced, containing all the vital elements for a healthy diet, inc. protein, carbohydrate, fibre, vitamins, etc. juice & fresh water is always available.
Food Standards Agency ‘5 Stars’ awarded for hygiene standards.
We fully cater for special diets on medical, cultural or religious grounds.
-
Irrespective of colour, creed, race, gender or disability, we strongly promote tolerance and understanding of the many varied and rich differences in our society, through positive imagery, discussion, role-play, visits and celebration.