Tel: 01572 756714 nursery@catmosecollege.com
WELCOME Welcome to Catmose Nursery. Our aim is to provide excellent childcare in a happy, caring, stimulating atmosphere within a secure environment. This is essential to help young children to be confident about their first steps away from home. Our staffing team are excellent and we are proud of the care we provide. We have an ‘open house’ policy where parents are able to visit the nursery without making an appointment. Please do come along and visit us; we are sure you will agree that Catmose Nursery is a ‘home from home’.
Stuart Williams Kirsty Moss Catmose Federation Principal Catmose Nursery Manager
THE NURSERY Catmose Nursery is a well established 28 place nursery for children from 0 to 5 years. The nursery is open from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, except for Bank Holidays and Christmas. We are closed at Christmas for two weeks. We offer full days 8.00am to 6.00pm and sessional places of mornings 8.00am to1.30pm or afternoons 1.30pm to 6.00pm. Inside the nursery there are three age appropriate areas for the children. • The baby room for children 0 to approximately 18 months, with a separate sleep room away from the play area. • The toddler area for children approximately 18 months to three years. • The pre-school room for children 3 to 5 years. The Nursery was inspected by Ofsted in February 2012 and received an overall ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ elements for the high standard of childcare and education provided by our dedicated staff. Our Ofsted registration number is 260839.
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THE FIRST STEPS
Parents are encouraged to visit the nursery prior to their children starting. When a start date is agreed, arrangements will be made for children to have a couple of visits to help them settle into their new surroundings. Every child is an individual and some will take longer than others to feel confident and secure in their groups. Do not worry if your child takes a while to settle, the staff at Catmose Nursery will be gentle and sensitive with a reluctant child. We understand that parents have early anxieties and we will try to minimise these with open and honest communication.
WORKING TOGETHER At Catmose Nursery we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. The themes of the Early Years Foundation Stage are: • A Unique Child. • Positive Relationships. • Learning and Development. • Enabling Environments. These themes are carried out in Prime and Specific areas of learning, these are: Prime Areas of Learning: 0 to 3 Years. • Personal, Social and Emotional Development. • Communication and Language. • Physical Development. Specific Areas of Learning: 3 to 5 years (3 to 5 year olds also cover the Prime Areas of Learning: • Literacy. • Mathematics. • Understanding the World. • Expressive Arts and Design
The development records and observations are available for parents to look at any time and we encourage parents to make a contribution towards our records. These records will follow your child’s progress and development through the nursery and will be sent on to their chosen school when they reach school age. You are your child’s primary educator and we like to work with parents to provide the best curriculum for each child. Children will take part in activities with all aspects of the child’s development being supported. We will provide support, information and guidance for all parents.
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COMMUNICATION Parents are informed of their child’s day at Catmose Nursery through verbal feedback but also through a daily sheet. The daily sheet shows what a child has played with during the day, what they have eaten for snacks, lunch and tea, when they have slept or had their nappies changed where applicable. Other relevant information will be recorded when needed. It is important that you inform a member of staff of any changes in the child’s home circumstances. We need to know if a child has had a bad night, is feeling off colour or has any worries about attending nursery.
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THE BABY ROOM
Our baby room provides a warm, loving and comfortable environment where the emotional, physical and educational needs of each baby are given the highest priority. There is a secure covered decked area attached to the room to ensure the babies have the opportunity for outdoor play. There is a separate, quiet sleep room from the play area with individual cots for sleep times. There is also a separate nappy changing room. The baby room staff will endeavour to follow the baby’s home routine with feeding and sleeping patterns as best as we can. We try to provide an environment that is as homely as possible whilst encouraging all of baby’s milestones to be achieved.
THE TODDLER AREA Children come into the toddler room, generally at eighteen months, to allow them access to a more structured environment. This will be based on each individual child’s needs, physically and emotionally. The toddler area is a bright and stimulating environment where activities enable the children to explore and learn through play, developing at their own individual rate. We have a wide range of interesting and educational activities and the toddlers will have early experience with paint, glue, crayons and play dough as well as sand, water, clay, musical movement and cooking. These activities will encourage your child to communicate and share; learning to communicate with other children and adults is given a high priority. The children will have access to a laptop and have the opportunity of one to one support, learning how to use the computer and working with ICT.
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THE PRE-SCHOOL ROOM The children will be moved to the pre-school room the term after their third birthday. In the pre-school room, activities and experiences are planned to allow the children to progress in their development and learning at their own individual rate. This room has a more structured day with a wide variety of activities. There will be plenty of opportunities for free play to encourage social skills, concentration and the ability to make choices as well as group work. Learning to communicate with other children and adults is given a high priority. There is a wide range of toys and games to stimulate all areas of children’s development. There is a secure covered decked area for indoor/ outdoor play; this allows the children to make decisions for themselves. The pre-school children have access to a computer at all times, to work individually according to their capabilities or in a small group. The children will have a daily register session where they will learn the days of the week, the months and the seasons. They discuss the weather and have the opportunity to share any special news with the rest of the group. They learn to recognise their own written name and have their own tray for their daily picture books and any items they bring in from home.
THE GARDEN Outside there is a large, safe, fenced garden divided into three areas. One area is planted with sensory plants, has climbing equipment, a sit in sand pit, a den making area and a digging area. The second area is a covered area and is for use all year round with a play house, blackboards for chalking and is used as an outdoor classroom. The third area is a trim trail with a stockade for the children to climb and has a willow house for role play.
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MEALS Breakfast, consisting of toast and milk or water, will be available to children who arrive at the Nursery before 8.40am. Parents may bring in cereal if they wish. A snack comprising of fruit, cereal or savoury crackers will be served with milk or water, one mid morning and one mid afternoon. Water will be available all day to the children if they want a drink. A hot lunch will be served at 12.00pm. A variety of foods from around the world will be offered in a healthy and balanced menu prepared by the Catmose Federation Catering during term time. In the school holidays the meals will be prepared and cooked at Catmose Nursery by the staff. Children with special dietary requirements will always be catered for. Food will be cooked daily using the freshest of ingredients. Lunch consists of a main meal, a pudding and a drink. All the children in the nursery come together at lunch and there is a strong focus on developing table manners and self help skills. A light tea will be served at 4.00pm. We ensure that the children that have been at nursery all day have the recommended five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day. All meals provided are well balanced and nutritious.
Catmose Nursery is part of the Catmose Federation.
Catmose Federation Huntsmans Drive Oakham Rutland LE15 6RP Tel: 01572 770066