Our nursery class aims to provide high quality of care and education in a safe and stimulating environment, we see parents as partners in helping each child develop to their full potential and offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.

The environment has been carefully designed with low-level shelving, used to divide up learning areas within the room, resources are clearly marked with signs and symbols to encourage children's self selection and promote independence. Practitioners provide opportunities that challenge children's thinking and extend their knowledge and understanding through experiences and activities tailored to the child's individual needs. The children gain independence, choose from, and work at, a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping them to work collaboratively with others. The children have access to free-flow meaning they can choose to play indoors/outdoors. Outdoor activities contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them.

Our approach to learning, development and assessment

Learning through play

We offer play based learning which supports children in exploring and developing new and existing experiences, which helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, by which children learn to 'think'. Our nursery class uses the practise guidance Early Years Foundation Stage to plan and provide a wide range of play activities which help children to make progress in all areas of learning and development. In some of these activities children decide how they will use the activity and in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. Practitioners are actively involved in skilful and sensitive interactions which helps to 'scaffold' children's learning. This is achieved by making sure resources are appropriate and interactions both indoors and outdoors are relevant to the level and the ability of the child.

Assessment

We use Tapestry which is a secure online learning journal, to record photos/videos, observations and comments, in line with The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, to build up a record of your child's experiences and progression during their time at Archbishop Courtenay nursery. This system allows us to work closely with parents and careers to share information and record the children's play and learning both at nursery and at home.

Robins nursery is amazing, both of my children have been so happy here and are doing so well academically. The nursery is safe and welcoming and my child loves It. The staff are so lovely and helpful. The website is brilliant, would highly recommend! Laura 11/3/19

My daughter loves coming to nursery! She always enjoys herself and the staff are helpful, full of fun.

Beata 11/3/19

I'm happy with Archbishop Courtenay nursery website and Tapestry too. Its good to see my child happy and enjoying every single minute of it, really happy xxx Anne 11/3/19

Very pleased with the nursery the photos/videos on the website are great and the Tapestry is very helpful to keep me informed of what my child is doing. Caroline 11/3/19

All four of our children have attended Archbishop's and no other nursery compares! We love the staff they are all so kind and caring. Natalie 12/3/19

I found this nursery really good for both of the kids. My both kids enjoyed and learned a lot in this nursery. All teachers are very cooperative and friendly with all kids. Shehla 12/3/19

Tapestry has been a very welcome introduction to the nursery. I have been able to see what she has been getting up to and being able to share some of the things she has been doing at home with them. I find it easy to use and update. I would perhaps like more regular observations, once a week maybe, but other than that I am very happy with it. The website is also very useful to give an overview about what the children have been getting up to. It's great to see them all having fun. It's clear to me that my child loves coming to nursery and is happy and well cared for in the setting. She loves to learn and has been showing me her new skills in writing and phonics at home.

PS:- sometimes the website page becomes unresponsive when I'm looking at it ( as it did this morning) it tends to become unresponsive when looking at the class pages. Sarah 12/3/19

Tapestry is very good and helpful. Thank you all for everything. 12/3/19