The nursery is a charity and, therefore, there is a board of Trustees elected from the parents of the children. The Trustees help to oversee the legalities and finances of the nursery.
The day to day running of the nursery is the responsibility of the nursery manager, Kate Dean, who works in the nursery each day. She is assisted by a team of eight nursery assistants who work on a rota. There are a minimum of 4 additional staff members (and more usually 5) at each session.
All staff at the nursery have undergone an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS), are trained in Paediatric First Aid and safeguarding children. They are all significantly involved in continuous training to ensure they remain able to deliver the highest level of education.
Key-Person
When your child starts nursery they will be allocated a ‘key-person’ who will be responsible for settling them in at nursery and progressing their learning during their time at the setting. A record for each individual child is kept by the key-person and includes Observation sheets (which include photographic as well as written evidence), a Summary and planning sheet and a Progress tracker. We use Tapestry (an on-line learning journal) to record progress and activity and this is available for you to view at any time. The key-person will work together with other nursery staff in order to provide your child with a depth of supportive adults. They will have a number of targets for your child each week together with a programme of activities she/he intends to provide to help your child achieve their target. This is done through play and your child will learn and re-enforce a wide variety of new skills without realising they are learning.
Staff List
Kate Dean – Manager and DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and ELSA: NVQ 4 in Childcare and Education
Natasha Hayes – Deputy Manager and DSL and SENCO (Special Education Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator) and ELSA: Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education
Tamsin Madone – Early Years Practitioner: NVQ 3 in Childcare and Education
Jessica Hounslow – Administrator
Forest School Team
Richard Dean – Forest School Leader (Level 3), NVQ 3 Childcare and Education
Lara Butler – Early Years Practitioner: Forest School Assistant (Level 3)
Anna Mitchell – Early Years Practitioner: NVQ 3 in Childcare and Education, Forest School Assistant (Level 2)
Special Educational Needs Team
Natasha Hayes – SENCO
All staff hold a current Outdoor and Paediatric First Aid certificate.