Children begin their nursery journey in our nurturing, homely small hall. They are introduced to the nursery routine and settled into nursery life by our experienced practitioners who plan a variety of stimulating experiences which support the settling in process. In this safe, caring environment we value high quality interactions with children, focusing on their personal development and using ‘in the moment’ planning, regular observations and communication with parents to create activities that engage and focus children enabling them to build foundations for future learning.
The small hall opens out onto a stimulating outdoor learning space and we encourage free-flow play into the garden area. The outdoor space is fully equipped with a play house, a range of sensory flower tubs, physical play that supports gross motor development, a mud kitchen and UV canopy which makes exploring the outdoors accessible in all weathers.
Our ethos advocates enabling environments, supporting children in selecting open ended and quite often, natural resources to support their play. They develop an understanding of how to choose the resources they would like, share them with their friends and tidy up at the end of the sessions.
Throughout the session, children can freely come to our snack bar, snack is an integral part of the day and learning experience. We foster independence from early on, modelling and guiding children to serve their own snack, pour their own drink and wash their own hands. Making healthy choices and eating a variety of foods is at the heart of everything we do, including regular cooking experiences.
In our small hall, we believe it is paramount to develop the characteristics of effective learning, focusing on activities that enable them to explore, play and think, developing confidence and self-esteem in order lay the foundation for their progression into the bigger hall and later onto school.