At Oakland Hall Nursery we are focused on supporting you as parents. We understand that the most important thing for you is your child's happiness and that's why we are dedicated to providing the best care possible.
Oakland Hall Nursery are committed to providing nutritious and healthy meals for the children.
Our menu changes weekly, and we offer healthy and well-balanced options to all children.
Click here to see a sample of a weekly menu.
At Oakland Hall Nursery we have a Key Person System in place, which is aimed at enabling and supporting close attachments between children and members of staff.
When starting at Oakland Hall Nursery your child will be actively encouraged to form special relationships with members of staff and select their own key worker who they develop a secure bond with. This will help enable your child to settle into the nursery more easily and become confident in engaging in the day to day activities of the nursery. Developing a secure bond with their key person allows your dedicated staff member to work in partnership with you to maintain continuity of care from home to nursery.
Your child’s key person will strive to ensure your child’s care needs are met, giving you the confidence to leave your child at the nursery. The key worker will support your child to explore and play freely but feel safe within the environment. They will have activities and quality learning experiences planned for them based on their individual needs.
Your keyworker will complete a daily report on your child and be there to answer any questions or concerns you have. They will be there for you and your child and meet with you for parents evening to discuss your child’s next steps.
We aim to keep the same keyworker with your child as long as possible. There will be times, as your child develops and moves to another room, that their key worker will change, but you will always be kept informed. If you would like a certain key worker for your child, we will do our very best to accommodate your request.
Weaning is the process of moving your little one on from a purely milk diet to the inclusion of solid foods. The first stage of weaning helps lay the foundations for healthy eating habits, and teaches your baby how to eat from a spoon, swallow and eventually chew.
Weaning is an exciting milestone for both parents and children although it can be slightly daunting at times. At Oakland Hall Nursery we are dedicated to supporting you and your child to ensure weaning is a happy, positive and enjoyable experience.
NHS guidelines suggest that weaning should be based on a number of considerations, including the baby’s age, gestation at birth, development and growth rate. Weaning normally starts around 6 months of age when milk feeds alone become insufficient to provide all that your baby needs to grow and develop healthily.
Nobody knows your child like you do and we will be led by you. Once you’ve decided to wean your baby he/she will be offered nutritious and tasty purees, mashed foods, finger foods and new textures at meal times.
We will also introduce a sipping cup to encourage your baby to drink water. Your baby will also be offered a spoon to help them explore and develop independent eating.
If you would like more information on supporting your child in the weaning process please speak to a member of staff.
Our Typical Day
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Welcome and breakfast |
| 9.00am | Child-centred play, e.g. sensory activities, messy play, puppet show, role play |
| 9:15am - 10:00am | Nap time for babies, if required |
| 10.15am | Healthy snack and drink |
| 10.30am | Garden play e.g. sandpit, mud kitchen, imaginative play, slide |
| 12.30am | Lunch |
| 12:00pm - 14:00pm | Sleep or relax time, depending on room |
| 14.15pm | Adult led activities and child centred play opportunities |
| 15.00pm | Adult led activities and child centred play opportunities |
| 15.15pm | Garden play, e.g. water play, sit and ride toys, role play |
| 16.15pm | Teatime |
| 17.00pm | Free play, e.g. musical instruments, home corner and shower time |
| 18:00-18:30 | Home time - you're welcome to come and collect your child at any time. |
Now that your child is turning 2 years of age they will be getting ready to move to our ground floor.
Although we understand it can be a big change for your child, it is an exciting time with lots of new opportunities.
We will ensure that the team at Oakland Hall Nursery will work closely with you to support you and your child to make the move as smooth as possible.
What we will do to help:
- A couple of weeks before your child turns 2 years of age we will begin the process of moving to the ground floor.
- Your child will spend short sessions on the ground floor before they move downstairs permanently to enable your child to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.
- Your child’s current keyworker will liaise verbally with your child’s new Key Worker and will pass on all developmental and care information.
A transition form will also be completed this is available for you to read, you can also add any comments to the transition observation on eyLog. - We will inform you daily of the outcome of your child’s trial sessions and ensure you are introduced to your child’s new Key Worker.
If your child requires any additional support or delay in making a permanent move this will be discussed with you and your child’s current Key Worker.
Our ‘play’ times are planned on a weekly basis to meet the interests and next steps of each child. They can be indoor and outdoor – whenever possible, the double doors are open allowing free flow between the inside and outside classrooms. The practitioners prepare the environment to make it exciting and stimulating and lay out various activities for the children to examine, create, construct and decipher. All of our practitioners get down to the children’s level – adult involvement with the children gives enhancement of play and learning, safety, support when required and helps to extend learning and development of each individual child. At the beginning and end of play sessions we often have group singing, rhymes, musical movement or story time. Our Early Years Teachers teach specific numeracy and literacy sessions for children from aged 3 to help in preparation for school – these may take place in the morning or afternoon.
Personal care routines: are attended to at specific times during the day and, in addition, whenever necessary. We have potties and other items to assist with the toilet training process. Children learn about the importance of hand washing and everyone washes their hands before every meal to maintain good levels of hygiene.
Sleep time: babies have a dedicated sleep area and their own cot. Our toddlers and pre-school children rest on comfy mats with blankets.
Water: every child has their own beaker or water bottle kept in their room so they have access to water throughout the day. Practitioners support, remind and encourage all babies, toddlers and children to stay hydrated. At snack time there is a choice of water or milk. Formula milk is given as per your child’s home routine.
At Oakland Hall Nursery we work closely with you as the main carer.
When your child is ready to toilet train we support you and help you and your child have great success in this area.
In the nursery all the toilets are small and easily accessible. Below are some signs to help you recognise if your child is ready to toilet train.
Signs of readiness for Potty Training
- Urinates a fair amount each time.
- Can pull up and down pants.
- Shows interest in others toilet habits.
- Desires independence.
- Can communicate when wet or soiled.
- Tries to remove own nappy when soiled.
- Might be dry at night.
Preparing for Potty Training
- Choosing a suitable potty which your child likes.
- Reading Stories surrounding using the potty to sit on.
- Choosing some underwear.
- Make a decision when to start.
- Create a reward chart with your child to reward them for their efforts.
- Get a fabric bag to carry around when you first begin potty training containing:
3x knickers, socks and bottoms.
Baby wipes
Nappy sacks
At Oakland Hall Nursery we support and prepare our children in starting school by working in partnership with you and the local schools to make the transition as smooth as possible.
We support the children’s personal, social and emotional development by encouraging the children to make friends and support them to communicate their needs. We understand that these early experiences are important in building confidence and self- esteem which will help them when they start school.
During the pre-school year we also focus on the early education of the children we support the children in recognising and writing their own name as well as a fun phonic programme that we deliver during our circle time. The children also have fun planned activities which support school readiness.
Our children hang their own coats on their pegs and self-register when they come into nursery. They have a funky finger activity, which is for the children to complete independently; they prepare their own snack and tidy up after themselves; and they set the table for lunch time. All these little approaches to support independence help to build children’s confidence in starting school.
In the term before the children start school, we liaise with the schools and invite the teachers into the nursery to visit the children. We also complete a transition report for your child, detailing all your child’s achievements.
Working in partnership with our parents is important to us and we hold a Transitioning to School workshop for our parents to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to share their concerns, and we will share ideas with you to support your child in getting ready for school.
Before the children leave Oakland Hall Nursery we a hold a graduation ceremony with parents, key workers and children to celebrate the children’s time at nursery before they embark on their next adventure in school.
At Oakland Hall Nursery we currently offer the 15 and 30 hours free funded childcare places.
All children are eligible for the 15 hours free funding from the term after their 3rd birthday, however there are some requirements for the extended 30 hours free funding.
30 Hour Free Funding Eligibility
In order to access the 30 hours free Childcare you will need to apply through the HM Revenue and Customs website.
If you’re eligible for 30 hours free childcare, you’ll receive a 30 hours eligibility code.
We require you to provide us with your 11 digit eligibility code, your National Insurance number and your child’s date of birth to process your request to access the funding. Please note that we require the code before the beginning of the term that you wish to claim for.
Every three months, you’ll need to reconfirm that you’re still eligible for 30 hours free childcare. You’ll be reminded to reconfirm you’re still eligible 4 weeks before the deadline.
You don’t need to take your code to your provider every time you reconfirm, however, you should notify your provider if you fall out of eligibility.
For further help and information you can call HM Revenue and Customs Helpline on 0300 123 4097 or click on the link here.
The funding known as Early Years Pupil Premium or EYPP is available to children aged three and four years whose parents or carers are in receipt of certain benefits or for children who have been in care or have left care through adoption or child arrangement orders.
How can the extra funds help my child?
This extra funding can be used in lots of ways to give them the best start in life and prepare them for full time school.
For example, the funding can be used to provide:-
- Specialist training for staff e.g. speech and language development
- Extra or individual support in a particular learning area
- Extra equipment to support particular development
- Additional staffing or staff hours to enable further support for your child
Do I qualify for EYPP?
If you receive one of the following benefits, you may be entitled to claim extra funding for your child:-
- Income Support
- Income based Job Seeker Allowance
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit (providing you are not also entitled to Working Tax
Credit and have an annual gross income of less than £16,190) - Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
- Support under Part VI (six) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Or if your child:
- Has been looked after by the local authority in care for at least one day
- Has been adopted from care
- Has left care through special guardianship or subject child arrangements orders
What do I do next?
If you think you may qualify, it’s quick and easy; complete an application form from the nursery office.
At Oakland Hall Nursery our curriculum is based upon the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) which is defined by the Department for Education (DfE).
The Early Years Foundation Stage framework is reflected in our practice within an environment that ensures children experience a variety of rich play experiences which are carefully planned.
We encourage children to reach their full potential whilst allowing them to develop at their own pace. Each child’s development is closely monitored and encouraged.