Nursery Tour

Illustration of a Little Acorns character

At Little Acorns we are dedicated to offering quality care, ensuring that children are free to develop as individuals whilst in a safe and secure environment. All rooms and gardens are arranged to develop the six areas of learning as set out in the EYFS. Each child has their own clearly named Tracker Plus into which is placed spontaneous and planned observations, and samples of the child's 'work'. Parents are encouraged to add to the observations as these form the basis for the child's own Individual Plan. This Tracker Plus travels through the nursery with the child and is given to the parents when the child moves on to Big School. When the children turns three years old the key worker also completes a Foundation Stage Profile. The primary purpose of the EYFS profile is to provide reliable and accurate information about each child's level of development as they move onto Big School.

The Seedlings Room
The Budlings Room
The Acorns and Oaks Rooms
The Elms Room

The Seedlings Room (3 – 18 months)

The Environment

Parents complete a My Routine Sheet and are encouraged to stay and settle their baby and to work with staff to form a settling-in plan for each individual child’s and parents' needs
Lovely warm and caring atmosphere
Underfloor heating allowing for more wall space and warm floors to sit or crawl on
Brightly decorated with lots of the children’s own pictures on the walls
A quiet area for reading or just taking time out
Relaxing and calm separate area for the babies to sleep in with stars and moons nightlights
Each baby will have his or her own clean bedding kept in their own draw
A nappy changing room with a bathing area for the utmost cleanliness and individual potties for the children. Also in this room is an electric hand drier and low level sink for hand washing
A milk kitchen for safe storage and preparation of milk, formula and mother’s own breast milk with each child having their own named steam steriliser
You will be asked to cover your shoes to keep the floor clean and hygienic
Appropriate food is provided for all stages of the child’s individual development
We ask you to introduce foods at home before nursery, signing our list when you are totally happy for us to offer the food at nursery
There is a separate covered area in the outside play area for the non-crawlers and more hesitant players with built in sand and water trays, a planting area and many stage appropriate toys

The Staff

The baby room Supervisor is Joanna.
The staff are devoted to caring for the under 2s showing an interest in them as individuals yet supporting them in bonding as a group and sharing
The staff to child ratio is one to three in the baby room

If you would like to see our Settling In policy and procedure please ask at the office.

The Budlings Room (18 – 24 months)

The Environment

Each child’s keyperson will visit the toddler room with them to help bridge the move
For new children joining Little Acorns, parents complete a My Routine Sheet and are encouraged to stay and settle their baby and to work with staff to form a settling-in plan for each individual child’s and parents' needs
A stimulating and caring atmosphere
Under floor heating allowing for more wall space and warm floors to sit on
Walls are decorated with colourful displays, including examples of the children's work connected with the current child lead planning. Interest tables, or nature tables, are available at child height, with properly labelled objects for children to handle and explore
A separate Art Room for children to explore creatively and enjoy the freedom to express themselves
I.T. is introduced through push and pull toys and digital cameras for the children to take pictures of each other and their environment
Each child has his or her own clean bedding kept in their own draw for nap time
Children are supported to be independent in their personal hygiene by using individual flannels that are washed after each use. Children are also encouraged to wash their hands after nappy changing to start a good toilet routine
Access to the covered outside play area with an environment that takes account of their physical developmental needs with planting, creativity and physical toys
From the moment children arrive, there will be a real choice of activities set out with materials that vary throughout the year
Activities that provide a wide collection of opportunities for toddlers to explore investigate and learn in a safe, stimulating place to achieve the six areas of learning
Staff promote independent learning, social skills and personal development essential for all toddlers
Staff ensure toddlers can have the opportunity to rest if necessary, sleeping on comfortable sleep mats

The Staff

The staff team is lead by Charlotte who works closely together with the Manager, staff and with parents to care for the children’s individual
The staff are experienced, with a variety of skills and qualifications to meet the needs of the toddlers
The minimum ratio of staff to children is one to three

The Acorns and Oaks Rooms (24 – 36 months)

The Environment

Children are welcomed into a caring atmosphere and will have visited with their keyworker from Budlings Room a few times before moving over. A Moving Room sheet will have been completed by Budlings Room with information regarding your child including the stages of development
For new children joining Little Acorns, parents complete a My Routine sheet and are encouraged to stay and settle their child and to work with staff to form a settling-in plan for each individual child’s and parents’ needs'
A specially treated flooring as used in hospitals to reducing the risk of cross infection
Wall mounted air purifiers that tackle 'bugs' and smells so reducing the amounts of sickness
From the moment children arrive, there will be a real choice of activities set out with materials that vary throughout the year with the staff promoting
independent learning, social skills and personal development essential for all toddlers
The room is brightly coloured with a variety of the children's creativity on show
Children take photographs of themselves and others and enjoy displaying these around the room and I.T. is developed further with tape machines and CD players and use of a computer and whiteboard
Science is developed where children collect bugs and insects and in magnifying containers
Each child has his or her own clean bedding kept in their own draw for nap time
The children have access to six child height toilets; one toilet is equipped for disabled access. Also in this room is an electric hand drier and 6 low level sinks for hand washing with sensor taps that encourage supported independence
A good hygiene routine is encouraged by modeling effective hand washing after nappy changing and toileting and an electric hand drier is fun for the children to use
A nappy changing area where the children have individual drawers containing their own nappies, creams and wipes
A partially covered outside play area with an well reflective environment. The children greatly enjoyed creating their own planting garden
Staff ensure toddlers can have the opportunity to rest if necessary, sleeping on comfortable sleep mats in a dimly lit peaceful area

The Staff

The staff team is lead by Pegah and Carla who work closely together with the Manager, staff and with parents to care for the children’s individual
The staff are experienced, with a variety of skills and qualifications to meet the needs of the toddlers
The ratio of staff to children is one to four in the nursery room
During the working hours of our qualified Teacher, the ratio in the nursery room is one to 13

The Elms Room (36 months + )

The Environment

Children are welcomed into a caring atmosphere and will have visited with their keyworker from Acorns or Oaks Rooms a few times before moving over. A Moving Room sheet will have been completed by previous room with information regarding your child including the stages of development
For new children joining Little Acorns, parents complete a My Routine sheet and are encouraged to stay and settle their child and to work with staff to form a settling-in plan for each individual child’s and parents’ needs'
A specially treated flooring as used in hospitals to reducing the risk of cross infection
The learning environment continues to expand with the natural development of the stages of these older children with activities that provide a wide collection of opportunities for toddlers to explore, investigate and learn in a safe, stimulating place to achieve the six areas of learning
The children have access to six child height toilets Also in this room is an electric hand drier and 6 low level sinks for hand washing with sensor taps that encourage supported independence
A good hygiene routine is encouraged by modeling effective hand washing after nappy changing and toileting and an electric hand drier is fun for the children to use
A partially covered outside play area with an well reflective environment. The children greatly enjoyed creating their own planting garden
If children of this age need to sleep during the day they can join the two year old children in their sleep area
A Welfare Room is on this floor with a bed for children not feeling well. The Welfare Officer Kylie Cubitt administers medicines when required, stays with children whilst they are feeling unwell or accompanies them to hospital if need be
Children take home a 'homework' bag once a week into which the child places a chosen story book and their daily diary. Parents are encouraged to make comments in the diary to be read out at circle time and this forms a useful link between home and nursery. This homework bag also aids in preparing the child for moving onto Big School where this will be a daily event for them
The children also have a scrap book that goes home once a week for children to complete creativity at home and bring in to share at circle time

The Staff

The staff team is lead by Bolaji who works closely together with the Manager, staff and with parents to care for the children’s individual
The staff are experienced, with a variety of skills and qualifications to meet the needs of the toddlers
The ratio of staff to children is one to eight in the nursery room

Our comprehensive facilities include:

A pram park and covered entrance with CCTV controlled video entry system
CCTV in each room and a parent monitor to watch your child at play before leaving
Safe and secure baby area with a warm relaxing and homely atmosphere
Baby room providing a safe and stimulating environment
A milk kitchen for safe storage of milk bottles and mother’s own breast milk
A separate nappy changing and potty training room to promote independence and personal hygiene
Over 2s Toddler Room - they can enjoy learning and grow in confidence (direct toilet access)
Over 3s Nursery Room with Qualified Teacher and an Interactive Whiteboard
- building on the child’s learning experiences and preparing them for the ‘big’ school
Outside play area with a specially designed soft play surface
A pram park and covered entrance
A parent portal on our child database which allows parental access to their own child's details only to check their progress and financial statement