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Our Aim

The basic aim of all our trained staff at the Little Unicorn Day Nurseries is to ensure that each child has a happy and fulfilled day in a safe, pleasant and relaxed environment. We always focus on your children and their achievements.

Our staff will help develop each child’s potential, including their Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Language and Social Skills during their time with us.

We believe that all children are capable of achieving so much in the right environment and as a result we have three different settings to offer you and your child. Each nursery has the same high standards both in their decoration and atmosphere and all working to the same policies but all different in their appeal.

The aim of the trained and qualified staff within each setting is to provide each child with an unforgettable day. This may be because the staff may have identified a skill your child has acquired or because they have noticed your child’s new T-shirt. Our staff primarily care for your child but along with that comes the ability to teach and encourage your child on a regular one to one basis.

To start with, when your child is still very young, the staff will focus on individual attention, play and encouragement. But as they grow the attention focuses more on their education. This is achieved by providing the children with as many learning opportunities as possible.

However at no time will a child be forced to take part in or do anything they are not happy to do. Each child’s views and needs will be recognised and acknowledged.

By the time your child leaves the nursery to start primary school our aim is to enable them to write their own name, recognise the letters of the alphabet, count to 20 and recognise each number out of sequence, have a good start in the understanding of Science and Technology, History and Geography, have an appreciation of art and music, have basic computer skills, have good social skills and be a well rounded ‘balanced’ child.

We are an international nursery with children whose parents come from countries around the world and so your child will come into contact with many languages.

This all starts by providing the children with the bright, colourful and child-orientated environment that you will see when you walk round each of our settings.

Our Staff

We employ trained and qualified staff who attend, on a regular basis, training sessions on the following:-

  • First Aid
  • Curriculum training
  • Communication
  • Heath and Safety
  • Food Hygiene
  • Allergy Awareness
  • EYFS
  • Child Development
  • Special Needs and Inclusion
  • Managing Children’s Behaviour
  • Working with Parents
  • Art Activity Planning

As well as this ALL of the Management staff hold a ‘First Aid At Work’ certificate, which is updated every three years. The Proprietor and General Manager has many years experience with children under the age of 8 years and keeps herself regularly updated on first aid procedures and is always on call in case of a crisis.

The dedicated Senior Management team consists of a Proprietor, General Manager, an Administrator and a HR Manager. The purpose of this team is to ensure the nurseries are run and operated correctly and to keep themselves updated on new legislation and good working practices.

We only employ the best staff and our rigorous interview procedures and induction policy ensure that we find and maintain the best there is. All of our staff wear a Uniform, which we expect to be maintained to a high standard.

Each site has a different number of Management staff employed within them. These can be easily identified by the fact that they do not wear our Uniform. At least one of these members of management are supernumerary, which means they are not counted in the ratios and are therefore able to deal with the queries that come their way each day.

If you have anything you wish to talk through with someone you can either talk to your child’s key worker or to a member of the management team. In the interests of your child’s safety and heath all new information about your child or changes in your circumstance must be reported to management.

We welcome feedback on our service from our parents and if you feel we can improve on something please tell us.

Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the Curriculum that we follow for under 5’s.

Little Unicorn Day Nursery and Little Herons Emergency Childcare Centre follow the EYFS Guidance and Curriculum Planning.

Following 10 years of research by the Government and in conjunction with the Every Child Matters framework all children under the age of 5 years in any formal/registered childcare setting must, from 1st September 2008, be able to access a curriculum called The Early Years Foundation Stage.

The EYFS combine’s several documents including the Children Act 1989 and the National Standards 2001. By combining these documents together you get a clear and concise programme of care and education that must be followed by everyone.

At Little Unicorn and Little Herons we have found many advantages to the new guidance and it takes everyone ‘back to basics’ which has an overall positive effect on the quality of childcare being offered.

The positives include a curriculum for the babies, recommending lots of one to one attention and allowing carers to focus on their key children on a more individual basis. Attention is being paid much more too each child learning in their own time. Everything is ‘child centred’.

However the new guidance is very similar to the philosophy we already adhere to and have done since 1998. Therefore the additional requirements have only cemented the overall good quality and education we continue to offer.

Please look around the nursery to gain more information about the EYFS or ask any of the staff.

Our structured learning curriculum covers:-

Under 2’s

Emotional support, Social interaction, facilitating the ability to develop their Physical skills, Intellectual Development by providing stimulating toys and equipment, and Language Development by talking to them and playing music. We will also provide them with appropriate art activities, sand and water play.

Over 2’s

Physical activities, Intellectual and Cognitive Work, Emotional and Social Development, Language Skills, Moral and Spiritual Awareness, Art and Craft, Construction Play, English, Maths and Science, History, Geography, PE, Appreciation of Art, Literature and all kinds of Music, Drama, Sand and Water Play, Imaginative Play, Cookery, Computer Skills.

All of these activities will be specifically designed for young children and will allow each child to develop at their own pace. We also strongly believe in learning through play.

Within the rooms your child will have a Key Person who is responsible for your child’s developmental record throughout his/her stay in that room. A Key person system enables close co-operation between you and the nursery to monitor the progress and development of your child. We believe that communication between nursery and home is essential. You are welcome to discuss things with your child’s key person but we would also advise you that management should be informed of all major changes or events.

Admissions Policy

Our waiting list works on a month-by-month basis. When you complete the registration form you will be asked for your preferred start date. We then put your registration form into the file in your preferred month.

Places are allocated for each month starting at the top of the list. Between 2 and 6 places are usually offered. If you are not offered a place we are happy to keep you on the list. If we are unable to offer you a place at your preferred site we will automatically offer you a place at one of the other sites.

Please be aware that siblings are given priority.

Part time places are subject to availability and these range from 1 to 4 days.

Waiting List

If you are pregnant you need to fill in an information sheet, but this must be followed by the registration form as soon as the baby has been born and a non-refundable registration fee of £10 is required at this time. Due to the high demand for places we allocate them about 3 months before the child’s start date. We will then inform you by letter or by telephone that you have been allocated a place for your child. Our average intake is 6 per month.

If we have not received your registration form by the time we allocate the places your Information Sheet will be disregarded.

When we offer you a place at this nursery we will issue an invoice for fees for the first month. This will need to be paid once you accept the place. If you then change your mind about taking the place you will forfeit the fees already paid.


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