Little Berries

Nursery Offer

In our Little Berries room we offer the following spaces:

  • Free early educational funded 15-hour places for two-year-old children (eligibility criteria applies) Sessions Available: Morning – 8:45am-11:45am, Afternoon – 12:15pm-3:15pm.
  • Free early educational funded 15-hour places for All three year-old children. Sessions Available: Morning – 8:45am-11:45am, Afternoon – 12:15pm-3:15pm.
  • Free early educational funded 30-hour places for three-year-old children (Government Eligibility Criteria applies) Sessions Available – Full Day – 08:45 – 3:15pm
  • Paid 15 or 30 hour places for all 2-3 year old’s – Sessions Available :Morning – 8:45am-11:45am, Afternoon – 12:15pm-3:15pm, Full Day – 08:45 – 3:15pm.

Curriculum

In Little Berries we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. In this there is a big emphasis on ensuring that the foundations for further learning are developed.

Prime areas are:

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Communication and Language; and
  • Physical Development.

Specific areas are:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World; and
  • Expressive Arts and Design.

We actively encourage child initiated learning – where children are encouraged to learn through exploration and play. Our timetable reflects this with a mix of adult directed and child initiated learning. All our learning will happen outdoors as well as indoors. So we ask that all children attending Little Ridges are prepared for any weather – hot or cold!

Curriculum Information:

Key Person

All children will be allocated an Early Years Educator as a key person.

They will support with the settling in and transition processes, as well as make assessments of your child while they are in the 2-3 provision. You can speak to your child’s key person, room lead or any member of the Little Ridges team, at any time about your child.

Routine

An example of Little Berries daily routine is as follows:

Morning

  • Busy Fingers
  • Welcome and Morning Register with self registration
  • Carpet time – We go through our Makaton sign of the week, words of the week and talk about how we are feeling (zones of regulation)
  • Child Initiated Learning (CIL) (snack available – milk/water fruit and vegetables)
  • Phonics/ Story/Song/Helicopter Stories

Afternoon

  • Busy Fingers
  • Welcome and Afternoon Register
  • Carpet time – Topic based/Literacy
  • Phonics/Mathematics
  • Child Initiated Learning (indoors and out) (CIL) (snack available – milk/water fruit and vegetables)
  • Story/Song/Helicopter Stories

Children will take part in adult-directed activities as part of their daily focused teaching, and adults will do this during CIL, so that it follows your child’s interests.

Sleep Routines

We understand that some children in Little Berries will still be having a nap as part of their daily routine and in our care will be adjusting to different routines and patterns of sleep.  Whilst we will have a main sleep time as part of our daily routine, we will of course adjust this to individuals whilst settling in, and will have a space provided for children who need to rest and sleep at other times of the day.  We know that to provide a safe and comfortable, home from home space for our children, they may feel more settled with a comforter such as a teddy, blanket, sleep bag or dummy (dummy weaning to be discussed).

As part of the transition process, we will discuss with you any comforters your child usually has, and then they can be brought in to the nursery to be used to aid and support sleep.

The individual sleep routine of your child will be discussed with you as part of the settling in process.

Nappies/Wipes:

Parents and carers are asked to provide an adequate amount of nappies, wipes and creams for each daily session.

Please have a chat with us about the nappies you use, e.g. disposable or re-usable, or if training to use the toilet. We would also need to know if your child is allergic to a particular brand or has a particular wipe.

What your child needs to bring:

  • Water bottle (age appropriate)
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather
  • Packed lunch (if they are staying for lunch)
  • Spare clothes for any accidents and if they get messy!
  • Wellie boots to be kept at school (if possible)

Please do not let your child bring in toys or personal belongings unless we specifically ask!

Please ensure EVERYTHING is named!

Food and drink in the Nursery

WE ARE A ‘NUT-FREE’ SETTING DUE TO ALLERGIES. Therefore, children must not bring in food containing nuts, regardless of their nutritional value. Please check cereal bars and other similar products as they often have traces of nuts, which are also not permitted.

Packed lunch

  • Children bringing food from home to eat at lunchtime should bring them to nursery in an appropriate sealed container.
  • This should be clearly named.
  • We would encourage you to provide a healthy, balanced lunch in support of our healthy eating policy.
  • Please cut up food to a size that children can chew and eat safely e.g. cut sausages lengthways into small pieces and cherry/plum tomatoes, grapes, blackberries and other soft fruits lengthways.
  • No fizzy drinks, glass bottles, confectionery or sweets.
  • For further guidance about healthy lunchboxes, please click here or visit:

https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes

WE DO NOT ALLOW ANY NUT-BASED PRODUCTS IN SCHOOL.

TOP TIPS for starting Little Berries at Little Ridges Nursery

  • Encourage your child to dress and undress building their independence. (Do the same with shoes and wellie boots)
  • If they still need help with toileting, please practise increasing their independence in this area.
  • Share plenty of stories, foster a love of reading. Encourage them to handle books with care.
  • Join a library and start encouraging children to chose books themselves.
  • Encourage your child to hold a knife, fork and spoon and eat as independently as possible.
  • Listen to and sing nursery rhymes.
  • Count – steps, spoonfuls of food, cars, anything that can be counted!
  • Allow your child to use colouring pencils and felt tips to help build their fine motor skills
  • Talk to your child and encourage conversations and introducing new words
  • Limit screen time
  • If your child uses a dummy please aim to stop using it before starting nursery as it can affect their speech development.
  • Encourage your child to help tidy up their toys at home – they will be expected to tidy up in nursery!
  • Talk, talk, talk.
  • Establish good behaviour expectations at home.