Riverside Nursery is state-of-the-art nursery, built in 2007 to provide leading care for children from 3 months to 5 years. We provide a secure environment where children can gain a foundation in education and social skills, using both play and structured activities to support their development.
All of our staff are qualified at various levels, from level 3 to level 6, and are trained in paediatric first aid, safeguarding and basic food hygiene. These are updated as required.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum throughout the nursery and use Birth to Five Matters as our tracking tool. This helps us ensure that children are developing within the appropriate age range and identify when a child may need additional support. Parents can also keep track of children’s development through the ParentZone app where we’ll log activities and upload photos, videos and assessments of your child.
In the early years, the majority of a child’s learning and development is done through play-based activities which helps them learn about the world around them and develop social skills. Children will also follow a learning routine, including early maths and literacy skills.
We believe that each child is unique and will develop at their own pace. With that in mind, we support each individual child with their learning and progression, rather than planning for the room as a whole. Wherever possible, we plan ‘in the moment’ for children to ensure that we give them opportunities relevant to their interests at that time.
We’ve developed a stimulating environment across the nursery, with age appropriate toys, furniture and learning aids. By creating an environment that acts as the ‘third practitioner’ we are focussing on embedding and protecting the innate skills of the children. The environment becomes the practitioners ‘buddy’ that supports us to nurture the children that we care for.
Children begin to learn by doing things for themselves, by exploring and investigating, watching and listening, creating and communicating – in other words, playing! Play is a child’s ‘work’ and helps them to pick up important new skills, from learning new words to developing empathy and social skills. Play can also be messy, as children take part in indoor and outdoor activities including sand, water, paint, mud, cornflour and so on! Dirty clothes are just a sign of a fun day!
The Baby Suite, Lower Riverside and Upper Riverside have all been designed to stimulate children’s senses and filled with age-appropriate toys. Indoors, that includes role-playing toys, small-world construction and sensory activities. Outside, we have a nature trail where children can splash in muddy puddles or a growing garden where they learn to care for plants. We also have outdoor toys like bikes, climbing frames and a mud kitchen!
We have two large outdoor play areas for the children. One play area is for older children with the latest in safety regulated equipment and a climbing frame. The other tends to be a favourite with our younger children, with an in-built cushion road complete with road markings, a mini roundabout and a zebra crossing where we can learn all about road safety.
We welcome any potential parents and children to visit us personally to see all aspects of the nursery first-hand. To get the most out of your visit, we’d advise visiting mid-morning or mid-afternoon whilst the children are playing.
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