Creative Play
The nursery is divided into work, rest and play areas. It has a wide range of up-to-date educational resources. There is a messy play room with water trays, sand pit and paint easels. A large room with a home corner, dressing up clothes, puppet theatre and resources suitable for our younger pupils. There is also a classroom for older pupils with a book corner, computers, letter and number puzzles, and resources for learning letter sounds, word building and early handwriting.
Babies Facilities
The baby room has three cots and is furnished and equipped like a nursery room in the child’s home, rather than a commercial nursery unit. This is to ensure a warm and friendly environment that enables a baby to feel safe and secure. There is also a kitchen, children’s cloakroom and toilet facilities. The W.C.’s cubicles and sinks have all been specifically designed so that they are the correct height and size for the children to learn to use them independently.
Outdoor Play
Outside the nursery there is an all-weather play area with artificial grass. There is also a large area within the school grounds, which is used when the weather permits. This is equipped with climbing frames, slides, sit-and-ride toys, ball pool, sandpits etc. The nursery has a vegetable patch for growing their own produce. The nursery staff take children on walks through our own nature reserve, where we have a large pond and woodland. This is securely fenced and the gate is kept locked at all times. The children only enter this area as a planned activity under the close supervision of their teachers. They also visit the Pet’s Corner, where the primary pupils look after goats, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens.
Early Years Foundation Stage in the Nursery, 2 years – Entering Reception
The school is inspected regularly by Ofsted, and the progress of all 2 to 5 year olds is monitored carefully. Some nursery schools or playgroups do not offer six sessions a week and this has led to the Grant being spent in two different settings to achieve the six sessions.
Downham Montessori Nursery offers ten sessions a week and is solely responsible for the successful delivery of the curriculum for all children who are educated at the school.