The advantages are many. Your child will most likely be based in one room during their time with us and get to know their carers and the other children. In the event of a member of staff leaving our employment, there will still be others remaining with whom your child is familiar. Siblings are also able to be cared for in the same room. All children, both older and younger, benefit from experiencing children of other ages; younger ones can be helped by older children while the latter have the opportunity to assist and enjoy interacting with the younger. We also find that staff members are more motivated by the daily variety which is offered with this arrangement.

All three nursery rooms have been designed and refitted to enable us to care for children in a way which puts them first. One example of this is that all children can have undisturbed rest or sleep, if they so chose.
Other nurseries generally choose to group children strictly according to age because it is both easier to administer and to achieve maximum occupancy. We are convinced by our own experience, which is also confirmed by research, that vertical grouping is better for your child both in terms of progress and general sense of well-being. We are therefore prepared to work hard to overcome any administrative and financial disincentives. While we operate a separate pre-school class, children of pre-school age will also spend a portion of their nursery day mixing with younger children.

Qualified Staff
We recently carried out research which confirmed our belief that the best asset we have is our staff. 'Highly qualified and experienced staff' was given as the most important reason why parents chose our nursery. If you review the qualifications of our staff you will see that a very high proportion, hold as a minimum, the N.N.E.B. certificate, D.C.E. or equivalent. Some hold a higher qualification. Many of our carers also have at least five years of experience working in child care settings or nursery schools and are therefore able to utilize this experience in the nursery and share it with younger staff.

We are confident that this, amongst any other factor, is the best guarantee to you that your child will receive a consistently high level of care and a stimulating learning environment. You may be aware that it is difficult to recruit qualified and experienced staff in the childcare sector due to a number of factors. Amongst these are the rapid expansion of childcare facilities, high local living costs and the lack of qualified carers. Many providers are experiencing on-going recruitment difficulties. We believe our commitment to preferring to employ qualified staff only, (while still offering a very small number of apprenticeship opportunities) is the best way forward.

We are also committed to maintaining staff to child ratios which are above the minimum regulatory requirements. We also deter staff from working more than 35 hours per week. The result of this is that carers are not overstretched by the demands made upon them. We have low levels of staff turnover and sickness and do not engage casual or agency personnel which means your child will have the continuity of familiar carers.

Organic Food
You are no doubt aware there is on-going debate and mounting concern over the health risks associated with conventional farming techniques. With the wide spread use of pesticides, fungicides and artificial preservatives in food production plus routine use of hormone treatments and antibiotics with livestock, let alone the questions posed by irradiation and genetic engineering, many people feel safer choosing to eat organic foods. This is especially true when making choices for their children.

No one can really say what long term health implications we all face with modern farming methods. Disasters such as B.S.E. and Foot and Mouth disease are recent examples, but it is significant that not one organically farmed herd in Britain has ever been found to have contracted either disease.

We believe that providing freshly prepared meals using only organically sourced ingredients will give your child the best start in life they deserve and we are prepared to go to considerable lengths to guarantee this service. Your guarantee is our registration with the Soil Association. Sourcing and purchasing the ingredients of a wide and varied menu poses difficulties and comes at a premium but you will be pleased to know, all the costs are covered by the inclusive fees. If you feel organic food is important, you will have to search far and wide to find other child care provision which is prepared to match our commitment.

Preschool Nursery Classes
During term times, children aged three or over, are taught by our DfES recognised teacher in the morning. Children attending in the afternoon are taught by our Montessori trained teacher. The sessions are designed to extend your child's learning experiences and prepare them for a successful transition to their next educational setting. Most children of three years and all four year olds are entitled to the nursery grant which will substantially reduce the monthly charges. We also have a limited number of free sessions for children who attend term times only for our pre-school morning or afternoon sessions.

Inclusive Fees
We are pleased to operate a simple pricing structure of a day and half-day rate which also offers a discount of over 11% when a full time place is booked. The fees include all meals, snacks, eco-friendly nappies and other consumables plus weekly, French and Swimming lessons by qualified teachers during term times, for children aged over three. You will pay nothing more (except if your child accompanies us on an occasional outing) and bear in mind; we do not charge an initial registration fee. We also accept Childcare Vouchers, which can also substantially reduce the monthly fees.

Quality Equipment
You may have noticed internal construction is largely timber with a natural varnished finish, and much of the furnishings and equipment is made from quality hardwood. We are confident that the long term investment in high quality purchases will pay dividends while your child enjoys the feel and pleasing effect of their surroundings.

'Our Mission'
The issues outlined above are naturally open to opinion but we would suggest when making your choice, to 'compare like with like' and if visiting other providers, compare their responses to issues such as these. You are guaranteed to receive some of the best available child care in the locality which may be summed up by our Mission Statement: "Our aim is to provide a comprehensive high quality day care service in a 'Home from Home' atmosphere, while being friendly to our environment."