Choosing a nursery for your child is one of the hardest decisions you will have to make- we always recommend parents visit us to find out more but we wanted to set out what we think makes us different to other nurseries- the little things we offer which others might not!

• We include EVERYTHING- for FREE! For all our children under the age of 3 everything is included at no extra cost to yourselves- that’s nappies, wet wipes, sun creams, all meals, weaning foods, cows milk (or substitute if required) so no rushing to pack a bag full of supplies in the morning- all we ask for is a spare set of clothes-which can stay at nursery if you prefer. For children over 3- on fully funded days we charge a small consumables fees to cover all the above.

• All our food is cooked on site by our wonderful cooks– some nurseries ‘buy in’ food from outside caterers but all our food is cooked by us- we make an amazing hidden vegetable sauce which includes 7 different vegetables and this is the base of many of our dishes. Our main meals are served with at least 2 vegetables and fresh fruit is served 3 times a day- our Little Ones really do eat well! We don’t serve ‘children’s foods’ such as fish fingers or chicken nuggets preferring to make traditional family meals which allow the children to experience a wide range of tastes, textures and flavours. Some of our current favourites include roast chicken (of course!) curry, fish pie and spaghetti bolognaise to name but a few.

• All our children eat together in our main room, we sit in what we call family groups so we may have a table with 6 children, a baby in a high chair and a member of staff. The tables are set up with table clothes, and even homemade flower decorations- it’s just like a restaurant! We encourage independence- the children pour their own drinks, serve themselves seconds from platters on the tables and following their meal the children use hand held mirrors to help clean themselves up. Staff will eat with the children- by seeing them eating the same as them it encourages even the fussiest of eaters to try the food on offer.

• Small is beautiful– well we think so! Our nurseries are all small- our smallest nursery has just 29 children a day! When you think of some nurseries which are over 100 places- we really are tiny! Being small means we get to build up stronger relationships with our children and our parents- it is often commented that we are part of the family! Every member of staff knows every child- the children even know each other’s mummies and daddies!

• We offer a totally flexible settling in program which is unique to every child– there is no limit to how many settling in sessions your child has before they start with us. Our settling in program is led by you as parents to ensure as smooth a transition as possible between nursery and home. All our settling sessions are FREE of charge!

• Each nursery has a hands-on nursery manager– no sitting in an office with the door closed here! Our managers spend the majority of their time in the rooms, supporting the staff and being with the children. They build up strong relationships with the children and with you as parents.

• We don’t charge when we are closed. This may seem obvious but lots of nurseries charge for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year when they are closed- we don’t!!

• We operate an open-door policy all day every day to our parents- you are more than welcome at any time!

• Extra sessions and swaps are fine with us– as long as we have the space and it doesn’t affect our staffing ratios feel free to swap days or add on any extras you need.

• We use a paper based record system for your child– each child has a record of achievement (ROA) file which builds into a wonderful record of your child’s time with us- we include photographs, pieces of work and observation stickers- they really are something lovely. A lot of nurseries are moving towards an online system and whilst we see the benefits- somehow there is something very special about having it in your hands to treasure forever!

• Our 2,3 and 4-year olds are all in the same room– the benefits of this speak for themselves- just read our Ofsted reports! Our children have less transitions which means they feel more secure, giving them a platform to build and develop their confidence and self-esteem.

• Our children experience a wide range of activities, experiences and opportunities throughout their time with us. Our planning is focused on the child and is based around current interests. We are more than happy to scrap what we have planned if something else more exciting comes along- a child might have had a hospital visit over the weekend so the nursery can be transformed into a hospital complete with bandages, medical kits and poorly teddies! We might be lucky enough to have snow… in which case it’s a definitely outside kind of day!

• We create invitations to play each day– setting up exciting areas and activities and allowing the children to take the lead in where they go. Our staff are highly trained and experienced in spotting learning opportunities and are experts at teaching through play- our moto is Learn To Play… Play To Learn and we do firmly believe that children need to play to learn.

• And last but most defiantly not least- our staff- we really do employ the best staff! Our staff really do care, we are a very hands on nursery with love, cuddles and affection in abundance. Our staff are highly qualified, all have a paediatric first aid qualification and all have food hygiene. We expect a lot from our teams but we think your children are worth it!