Butterflies and Bumblebees

Butterflies and Bumblebees are our rooms for children from six months to two years. We work to a ratio of 1:3, one adult to every three children. Bumblebees can have up to nine children at a time and Butterflies can have sixteen. Both rooms have access to outside space and will occasionally join up or use facilities elsewhere in the Centre. We understand that many parents find it a wrench to leave their very young children at nursery for the first time and we welcome you to call us at any point in the day.

Sunshine

Sunshine Room is our bright, vibrant unit for 2-3 year olds. We can have a maximum of 24 children and work to a 1:4 adult to child ratio. We are located on the ground floor in a spacious airy room which has direct access to the garden.

The room is laid out to enable independence and choice, with resources and equipment at the child's level, clearly labelled to promote self selection. There are spaces for busy times and also for quieter moments and the room has a designated sleep and rest room for those children who need it.

We aim to spend as much time as possible outdoors to make the most of the valuable learning experiences the outdoors can offer including in colder and wetter weather. Please provide clothing for your child for all weathers including a raincoat, wellington boots and a spare set of clothes.

Every child has her or his own peg and drawer with their name and photo making it easy for them to recognise their own peg and hopefully promoting a good sense of ownership and belonging.

Rainbow

Rainbow unit is for 3–5 year olds. We work with a ratio of 1:8 which means that each key person is responsible for the care and education of no more than eight children on any given day.

We have two qualified teachers in Rainbow who bring a wealth of teaching experience to the room.

The open plan room has designated spaces for role play, writing, sensory play, playdough, construction, maths and creative learning. The art area has a huge Perspex painting station to allow for huge expressive mark making. There is an additional room, our library, which can be used to experience the joy of books. There is also an interactive whiteboard within the library which is used when the tiny curious minds have questions that we can find the answers to together, we often use it for guided meditation and yoga too.

Our children love the Centre for its huge garden which inspires risky and messy play of all kinds. Attached to our excellent outdoor provision we have a studio offering woodwork, clay and other medias.

 We have a community allotment plot, on a shared allotment just a stones throw from the nursery within the City Academy grounds. Our children love the opportunity spent time in nature and explore what is needed when growing our own vegetables.