Staff and groups
Nursery groups
Nursery staff
Staff ratios
Continuity of care
Moving to another group
Nursery groups
The Nursery is divided into separate groups named
- Baby Bears
- Baby Crocodiles
- Baby Pandas
- Big Pandas
- Tigers
Each group has rooms designed to give children suitable surroundings for full day care. There are areas for activities including art and craft, sand, water collage, baking, floor play, and places to relax in comfort.
Please note that in all groups the age range will vary by up to three months. We can take babies from three months in Baby Bears. The group has six children. They will move to the next group normally between 12 and 15 months.
Baby Crocs is a group of 9 children aged between 12-27 months.
Baby Pandas is a group of 6 children aged between 12 and 27 months.
Big Pandas is a group of 16 children normally aged between 2–3 years.
Tigers is a group of 24 children normally aged between 3 and 5 years.
Nursery staff
We aim to provide the highest standard of care and we therefore employ staff with a range of qualifications and experience, and from a range of backgrounds.
There is a group leader in charge of each group, supported by Nursery Nurses. We also employ cover staff as Nursery Assistants. The group leaders must be qualified to NVQ level 3 in Childcare and Education. Our nursery nurses are either qualified to NVQ level 3 or are very experienced. Nursery staff are encouraged to develop their knowledge through further training and education. Training sessions and staff meetings are held regularly so that staff can keep abreast of current issues and discuss any problems.
We are fortunate to have experienced and qualified staff, many of whom have been with us for several years. The staff are the most important resource of any nursery. They do a very demanding job and continually try to improve the standard of service.
All new staff have Criminal Record Bureau checks in place, and are supervised for a period of time before they are allowed to work unsupervised. Following this period, the member of staff is permitted to work without close supervision in any area.
See also:
Recruitment and checks on staff policy
Staff supervision policy
Staff development policy
Staff ratios
Staff ratios in groups are as prescribed by law and are
- Children aged 0–2 - one member of staff to three children
- Children aged 2–3 - one member of staff to four children
- Children aged 3–5 - one member of staff to eight children
We also have a full time manager, a part time deputy manager and two part time administrators.
Continuity of care
We think continuity of care is very important for children in daycare and do everything we can to minimise changes for your child. We always try to keep children with the same peer group, and as much as possible with the same staff. We limit the number of part-time staff for this reason. This gives the children a very stable and secure pre-school experience and enables them to form strong relationships with peers and staff.
Moving to another group
We manage the move from one group to another very sensitively so that children settle in with a minimum of upset. All children visit other groups, do activities with mixed groups, and are familiar with many of the Nursery staff. This means they are already familiar with other rooms and staff. When they are moving from one group to the next the staff will plan a series of visits to the new group. Parents will be informed at all stages and the new staff will make sure they get to know you before the move.
If a child is on a long vacation before the move, it will be necessary to make special arrangements for settling into the new group. We do try to consider friendship groups when moving children but cannot guarantee moving friends together.
NEXT: The nursery curriculum
