Learning
Here at Sutton Road Nursery we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, which is mandatory for all nurseries in the United Kingdom. We try to make your child’s time at the nursery as fulfilling and exciting as possible.
We have over 30 years of shared management experience, and all of our staff are experienced, or are being mentored by very experienced colleagues. We are dedicated to nurturing children into confident, happy and productive members of society, in this, their first step on the long journey that is education.
We offer real-life experience, with regular field trips and activities along cultural and educational paths. We look at children’s interests and encourage growth in the things they like and are genuinely curious about. We want every child to grow in all areas of their development, reaching their full potential, in both education and personal growth.
We intend to meet every child’s individual needs, and we assess this child by child. We are all unique, and we all have different qualities that need a tailored approach if they are going to show themselves. We are confident that we offer this, and we are happy to answer any questions, or deal with any concerns, quickly, efficiently and in confidence.
These are the areas every early years setting in England must cover. At Sutton Road they show up in play, songs, mealtimes and the jobs children are trusted to do, not as a separate lesson on a worksheet.
Staff talk with children as they play, read throughout the day, and sing. New words are introduced on purpose. Children who speak English as an additional language also hear familiar words from home, such as “water” and “toilet”.
Babies pull themselves up. Older children jump, hop, ride toys and chase bubbles in the garden. Hands are used for real jobs: washing, pouring, cutting tape, serving lunch.
Children are expected to behave well because the expectations are clear and their opinions are taken seriously. Feelings are named, with toys and props when words are not enough yet. Independence is practised every day, from tidying toys to sorting recycling.
Books are part of the day, not a corner that is only opened at story time. Older children concentrate on writing their names and making letters to post.
Size, weight and number turn up in play. Wrapping a parcel and putting it on the scales is mathematics, and the children know it.
Children learn the community they live in, the people who help them, and the cultural backgrounds that matter to their own families. The aim is a respectful sense of what makes each child unique.
Messy play, sensory trays, dressing up, seasonal displays and making things to take home. World Book Day costumes and Easter bonnets are the kind of shared projects families already know from this nursery.
Learning is not kept inside the gate. Children eat in local cafés, visit the post office, meet the emergency services, and join fundraising. Those outings are how “understanding the world” becomes a walk down a familiar street rather than a topic on a wall.
Indoors, older children are asked what they would like out that day. That conversation is how the room stays interesting, and how children learn that their ideas count.
We are happy to answer questions about what your child is learning, and to do it in confidence. Parents of younger children already receive a daily diary. If you are unsure how to carry something on at home, ask the key worker or call the office.
Contact Kerry or Nicola