Forest School Classes
Forest School is an inspirational process that offers our children over 3,5 y.o. regular opportunities to develop their self-confidence through hands-on learning experiences in our woodland garden. Activities can include: shelter building, mini beast hunting, cooking our own food over the fire pit, using real tools to cut through wood and making home-made berry paints! 'There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!' Learning in a multi-sensory way enables the physical and mental skill learned to be remembered. Specially adapted sessions for children of all abilities.
Physical Development
Our Physical Development Stars programme supports children's movement for a minimum of three hours per day in line with government guidelines. Our practitioners look at ways routines and activities can be adapted to encourage fine and gross motor physical development in a fun way. Allowing children to be more active has been proven to have a positive impact on children's behaviour, sleep patterns, sense of wellbeing, weight, muscle development, reading and writing skills, amongst many other benefits.
All Inclusive Childcare
We make things that little bit easier for families by offering an All Inclusive Package – all nappies, wipes, meals (according to the dietary requirements) and activities are included in our fees with no additional costs. Fees include: quality Early Years Care and Education, freshly made, healthy meals and snacks (including Halal options); nappies, wipes and a variety of milk (plant and animal based), access to a wide range of quality resources and equipment.
Planting and Growing
We make use of our wonderful big garden and forest area by encouraging children in our nursery and Out of School Care clubs to plant, grow and tend to fruit, vegetables and flowers throughout the year.
Nursery Uniform
We offer families the choice of purchasing a nursery uniform. These optional uniforms offer a smart and practical clothing choice for play at nursery.
Out of School Care
Our nursery offers Before and After School Care as well as a Holiday Club for Primary School aged children. Please contact us to find out more.
Sign Language
Learning Sign Language is something that all children can take part in. For deaf children, this helps them to feel included, settled and eases communication with other children and adults. However, the skill of signing from an early age benefits all children as it can ease frustration for children who are not yet talking, support social interaction and communication, as well as develop fine motor skills.
Community Outings
We aim to go outdoors on a daily basis, we feel it is vitally important for your child’s development. Our older children will often visit the local park or be out exploring the opportunities in their local area, where our youngest children are often seen out in double buggies enjoying fresh air whilst taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the local community.
Nursery Animals
Taking care of animals provides our children with a great sense of responsibility whilst developing empathy and social skills. Caring for animals can be a very calming and relaxing experience for children as well as an opportunity to assess risk. Children name, feed and care for nursery pets. Our children currently look after fish, bunnies and three chickens.
Christmas Shows
We celebrate Christmas by putting on a wonderful Christmas show for friends and family each year. There’s always much excitement in preparing for the show as we learn songs and organise our special event.
Fruit Picking and Baking
Children in our After School and Holiday Clubs love collecting fresh fruit from our garden and helping our chef create all sorts of tasty treats for afternoon tea.
Graduations
We celebrate the big move to primary school with a special graduation ceremony each year—caps, gowns, the works!
Parent Communication
In recognition that education begins in the home, we are fully committed to a partnership approach with parents. Parents are kept up to date with monthly newsletters, parent focus groups and parent’s evenings. Parents are also able to keep up to date with activities going on in the nursery by following our social media accounts; Astley Twitter, Astley Facebook and Astley Instagram.
Fundraising Activities
Taking part in fundraising activities helps children to learn about others that are less fortunate than themselves and understand how we can help them. Fundraising events are good fun and are a great way to get children, families and communities together. We are currently supporting the Fairshare Bank.
Settling in Sessions
Our nursery offers settling in sessions. Parents can bring their child for a couple of hours first, gradually introducing the child to a new environment. Settling in sessions are aimed at helping your child to adapt to their new surroundings and become more familiar with the staff and other children.
Special Festivals
Our nursery encourages children to celebrate festivals throughout the year. This is one of the best ways for children to learn about different religions and cultures by celebrating various world religious festivals, food tasting from different countries, and dressing up in the national dress of their friends.