Nursery Life
Montessori Education
At Christopher Robin, we have chosen to follow the principles and ethos of the Montessori approach to early years care and education because we firmly believe that it offers children the very best start in life.
Montessori education recognises that early childhood is the most important period of life; it is where our children discover both themselves and the world around them; it is where our children shape their future and we begin to see the potential of the adults that they will become.
Wonderful People
Our staff hold a range of childcare qualifications. These include childcare NVQs (at levels 2, 3 and 4), Montessori Teaching Certificates, Early Years Diplomas, Early Years and Primary Teaching degrees and related post graduate qualifications. Staff are coached and mentored by the Area Manager and Nursery Managers; they receive regular training on relevant matters such as safeguarding and child protection, understanding children’s behaviour and language development. We advocate both learning and professional development through supporting those who join us without a qualification to gain one and by offering those who hold level 3 or above the chance to add a Montessori Certificate to their professional development portfolio.
Healthy Eating
At Christopher Robin we believe that nutrition is a crucially important part of a child's development. Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, early afternoon snack and afternoon tea are all included in the fees.
Our menus are nutritionally balanced and as additive-free as possible. Fresh fruit is served every day, and most special dietary needs can be catered for. From stocks and soups to roast lunches, all our food is freshly prepared and cooked from scratch in state-of-the-art kitchens run by our caterers, Care Catering.
Our Home Rooms
All of our home rooms offer a range of curriculum areas to explore, along with cosy, quiet areas to rest, read books or just watch the world go by. In the homerooms you will find that everything is child height, all of the resources and activities help children to feed their curiosity and equip them with the skills they need to succeed; our learning zones cover gross and fine motor movement, life skills, communication, language and literacy, numeracy and arithmetic, science, knowledge and understanding of the world plus much more!
Your Child's Key Person
When your child joins one of our nurseries he or she will be paired up with a 'Key Person', a carer who will work with you to ensure that your child's physical, social and emotional needs are met. The key person will not, of course, be the only person caring for your child, but they will be your first point of contact whenever you'd like to talk to someone at the nursery about your child's development. We believe that a clear line of communication helps you, your child and us. As your child moves through the nursery their key person will change, but we believe that the key person system enables parents to know exactly who to talk to, should any issues arise.
Partnerships With Parents
We see the care of your child as a partnership between you and our nursery team. We always welcome parents’ feedback and we hope you will view us as part of your extended family. We hold regular 'stay and play' sessions where you are invited to join your child for a morning or afternoon to see what your child's time at the nursery is like. We think it's a great idea for parents to come along for the pre-start visits before their child joins us.
Your Child's Progression
Supporting you and your child
As your child moves through the nursery we will keep you up to date with their learning and achievement. Parents receive daily verbal feedback on their child’s day; we hold regular parent evenings and you will have access to “My Montessori Child”, a secure website which will provide a personalised parent site where you will find a full record of your child’s development as captured by their key persons on a weekly basis. On this website you will find your child’s latest development observations along with general information about diary dates from the nursery and suggestions of things you can do at home to support your child’s learning and development.
Additionally, we will create personalised “Wow” books that capture learning in action, contact you every 4 to 6 months to gather parent/nursery “All About Me” review notes and provide “My First Day” photo montages when your child first joins us and when they move rooms.
... And So
Much More!
All of the resources in the home rooms are at child height, our rooms are designed with care and expertise to ensure that every child has full access to toys and activities that will encourage them to be independent and confident, our child height sink units encourage the children to clean and tidy up after themselves, they even wash their own crockery after meals and snacks, although we can’t guarantee that they will continue to do so when they reach their teenage years!
We’ve installed air conditioning in all of our home rooms to ensure that even in the warmest weather our rooms are still comfortable.