Your Welcome Pack
Welcome to nursery!
Our wonderful nursery school has been redesigned to facilitate the best in early years teaching and learning.
Accepting children from 6 months to 5 years old, and with extended opening hours, we pride ourselves on creating an enriching environment with high quality teaching that supports your child’s transition to school.
It is the first step on your child’s journey in life, with their early years being crucial to develop confidence, resilience and a love of learning
We care for each child as though they were our own, making coming to nursery a home from home experience.
Thank you for choosing us!
About us
Our central location means that we are a crucial part of the Cambridge community, and you will often see our children and their Teachers walking to local parks, museums, or the shops to discover their local area and engage with others.
The nursery is housed in its own beautiful Victorian building which is perfect for nurturing and fostering relationships with our children and families. We aim to inspire each child to be the best that they can be within a nurturing, safe, happy and stimulating environment.
At Sancton Wood Nursery School, we believe children learn best through play and first-hand experience. Children are encouraged to take part in a varied and interesting programme of activities introduced by staff, but uniquely planned and taking a child-led approach. Individual needs are met in an environment that ensures every child feels safe, happy and content.
Children should be able to take risks and learn from their mistakes; here they are able to make choices, think about their actions and learn from their results.
Children are taught skills with praise and encouragement from qualified members of staff. Our Teachers ensure children reach their full potential in all areas of their learning.
The nursery
Designed with bright and inviting spaces, resources that inspire exploration, and an emphasis on outdoor education and Forest School to compliment the EYFS, we have invested in all of our rooms to create environments which facilitate learning at each child’s pace.
Our large, walled back garden is the perfect place for your child’s imagination to take flight and discover a more natural, cooperative way of playing.
Our outdoor play equipment is the perfect stage for performances, den building, discovering dinosaur bones in the sand, keeping an eye on the residents of our bug hotel and taking off to far away places whether it be pirates on boats or astronauts in spacecrafts.
What does my child need to bring to nursery?
Our nursery is all inclusive, but we do ask for parents to provide a few extras, just in case!
Three sets of clothing to be kept at nursery, including socks and underwear
Seasonal hat
Shoes - One pair for outdoors and a pair to wear inside (Velcro or slip on, no laces please)
Waterproof trousers and a jacket/coat
Dishwasher safe, age appropriate water bottle
Washable, waterproof laundry bag
Any prescribed medication, in date. If your child has an auto injector (EpiPen) we require two pens to be kept at nursery
Please ensure all items, including medication, are clearly labelled
Room leaders will contact new families prior to your child's start date with additional information.
Did you know?
We are very excited to have been awarded the Millie's Mark Award!
Millie's Mark is awarded as a special endorsement to childcare providers that go above and beyond, having 100% of our staff trained in Paediatric First Aid
You do not need to provide any of the following, which are included in your nursery fees:
Nappies
Wipes
Barrier/nappy cream
Food, snacks and drinks
Children do not wear a uniform, but when dressing your child, please do keep in mind that they may be involved in Forest School, playing sport, messy play, water play, and other activities which are more challenging to keep clean. We feel that mess is part of a fun and exciting day for our children, and would hate for expensive clothing items to become ruined whilst they are having so much fun!
Our curriculum
ndation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old.
Often learned through role play, children might practise listening to others, engaging in story time, using descriptive language to express themselves, or expanding their vocabulary through new experiences.
The children’s developing interests will shape the nature of their learning, and they will likely only be interested initially in things they already know. We gently help them to widen their experiences and to prepare them for their next stage in education.
Depending on the age and prior learning of each child, we then look at specific areas being woven in to their time with us each day.
In your child’s early years, we focus on their personal, social, emotional and physical development, as well as their communication skills.
As they progress we work to expand their knowledge of Literacy, Maths, Creative Arts and Design, as part of a broad, challenging and stimulating curriculum.
By providing access to a wide range of activities your child will be able to discover their passions, challenge themselves, succeed and fail in a safe environment and gain a breadth of knowledge from a provision that instils curiosity, promotes mastery and nurtures the whole child as they discover the world around them.
We use the award-winning platform and app ‘Famly’ to communicate your child’s progress with you, and show their developmental milestones and progression within the EYFS.
The Seven Key Areas of Learning: Communication and language
Personal, social and emotional development
Physical development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
Daily structure
Each day is as unique as each child, but we do try to follow a flexible routine which gets them used to a school day, particularly as they enter our preschool.
From 8:00am, children will arrive at nursery and settle into their rooms, followed by a nutritious breakfast to help fuel them for an active morning.
They will spend time outdoors, either in our own beautiful garden or in local parks, whatever the weather!
Each day will provide exciting opportunities for learning, using the EYFS framework, with activities linked to the Key Areas of Learning.
Activities each day could include:
Education and School Preparation
A big part of nursery is of course about preparing children for their future school.
Educational aspects of nursery should be made as fun and interactive as possible, giving all children a chance to develop but still making sure nursery is fun. We help children with literacy, reading, and mathematical skills, as well as stimulating children’s development through exploration, play and adventure.
Education is a big part of nursery and something we strive to help all young children with.
Forest School, Nature Walks and Messy Play
To help keep children active and make sure they go outside regularly, we have a large outdoor play area, as well as organising nature walks to let all children explore the outside world.
It is so important to us that children go outside and spend time with others, with outdoor walks or messy and sensory play some of the best ways to do this.
Our Forest School programme also helps children to develop problem solving skills and resilience. We encourage children to take risks in a safe environment, and discover for themselves how to overcome obstacles using teamwork and collaboration.
Sensory play gives children the chance to be more creative and get their hands dirty. Furthermore, children do lots of arts and crafts, meaning everyone can find something they really enjoy from a young age.
Music and Movement
Children should have as many opportunities for creativity as possible. Singing, dancing, drama and yoga are some of the extra activities we do to get all children involved and potentially find some hidden talents! These activities are fantastic ways of improving self-confidence, giving all children selfbelief and encouraging them to take part individually and as a group.
Drama and dance can also be incorporated into different activities, allowing children to use initiative and get involved with something they enjoy.
At lunch time, children will explore a healthy, freshly cooked seasonal menu which introduces them to new tastes and textures. Children are encouraged to self-serve, with dietary requirements and allergies catered for.
Menus include:
Homemade soups and stews with vegetarian options
Meat, fish and vegetable pies
Pasta and couscous salads
Homemade pizzas
Curries and tagines with grains
Fresh fruit and low sugar deserts
In the afternoons, we focus on another curricular activity centred around each child’s age and stage.
Whatever the day, you can rest assured that your child will have an engaging, safe and fun-filled experience with us that helps to build their confidence and instil lifelong skills. Our days are thoughtfully considered to ensure every child can fully experience what the nursery has to offer.
Important information
Each child will be assigned to a Key Person. The Key Person will help ensure that every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.
We also have a Room Leader for each room, who will ensure that every day runs smoothly for the children in their care. Occasionally, there may be challenges or things that happen which do not go to plan, however they will keep you informed with anything you need to know.
We will ask you to complete a set of permissions, via the ‘Famly’ app, which tells us the things that you would like your child to do, or not to do, based on your preferences.
Don’t forget!
You will receive your login to our ‘Famly’ app shortly. This will be your go-to place for nursery information, to see the news feed, make changes to your child’s booking pattern, or report absences. You can also request ad hoc sessions if you require additional periods of care for your little one.
We have a set of nursery policies to cover all areas, such as:
Safeguarding Health and Safety
Food and Allergies
Trips and Outings
Use of Electronic Devices, and more...
Please do spend some time reading these and ask us if you have any questions. We can provide hard copies to you, or they can be accessed via. ‘Famly’.
If for any reason you have any concerns or would like to speak to us in confidence, our Head of Nursery will be happy to speak with you.
We would also welcome you to provide regular feedback on your experience of the nursery, and suggestions for improvements that you would like us to consider.
Inset days and nursery closures
2024:
2nd September - Inset Day
3rd September - Inset Day
2025:
1st January - Bank holiday
6th January - Inset Day
22nd April - Inset Day
For children that attend term-time only, our term dates can be found on your 2024/2025 fee sheet
Christmas Break: 23rd - 31st December
Easter Break: 14th - 21st April
Summer Break: 18th - 29th August
Key contacts
Nursery Principal - Nazish Usman 01223 471703 nazish.usman@sanctonwood.co.uk
Head of Nursery and Nominated Safeguarding Lead - Linzi Perrins 01223 471703 linzi.perrins@sanctonwood.co.uk
Room Leaders:
Maple class - Clara Furmaniak clara.furmaniak@sanctonwood.co.uk
Chestnut class - Giovanna Adamante giovanna.adamante@sanctonwood.co.uk
Willow class - Holly Mainiero holly.mainiero@sanctonwood.co.uk
Deputy Safeguarding Leads clara.furmaniak@sanctonwood.co.uk giovanna.adamante@sanctonwood.co.uk
Admissions Manager - Victoria Fonzo 01223 471703 victoria.fonzo@sanctonwood.co.uk
Nominated Safeguarding GovernorLibby Nicholas libby.nicholas@dukeseducation.com
