Welcome to our nursery!

Shiplake Village Nursery welcomes you to a safe, happy and stimulating pre-school environment, in which children can learn through play and positively develop their social, emotional, physical and intellectual capabilities. Each child is valued and respected as an individual and we believe every child must have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The nursery was established in 1966 and has occupied its current premises since 1990. Conveniently situated next to Shiplake Memorial Hall, it is surrounded by beautiful open countryside. There is ample parking making it easy for drop off and collection.

We have use of a well maintained garden, which has willow structures and raised beds for planting and playing in. The Nursery room provides a light, spacious and attractive environment for the children inside, and it is planned to maximise the children’s learning experiences. We have a maximum of twenty children in any session.

All of our staff hold current DBS certificates and meet EYFS regulations. Our staff continue their professional development through regular supervision sessions which lead to focused training. We will occasionally be supported by Teaching Assistants from Shiplake Primary School and Agency staff. All supporting staff will have completed Safeguarding training and be fully DBS checked. Parents are informed if there are any changes to the usual Nursery staff caring for the children.

We work to the following ratios:

For children aged 2years, at least one member of staff for every four children (at least one member of staff holds a full and relevant level 3 childcare qualification, at least half of all other staff hold a full and relevant level 2 qualification)

For children aged 3yrs and over, at least one member of staff for every eight children (at least one member of staff holds a full and relevant level 3 childcare qualification, at least half of all other staff hold a full and relevant level 2 childcare qualification)

Our Staff

Holly Ackroyd

Acting Manager

Holly has experience both in a nursery and as a nanny, she is also a mother to twin 2 year old boys. Holly holds a Foundation Degree in Early Years and a Level 3 Diploma. Holly has completed training in Generalist safeguarding, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Paediatric First Aid, Food Safety Level 2, FGM V3, Prevent Duty and Special Educational Needs

Chloe Park

Acting Deputy Manager

Chloe joined in July 2018 and holds a BTEC Level 3 in childcare. Chloe has completed training in: Emergency Paediatric 3, Advanced Safeguarding, Forest School Session, Nutrition for Children, Food Hygiene Level 2 and Prevent Duty.

Jessica Turner

Nursery Assistant

Jessica joined Shiplake Nursery in February 2017. Jessica has three school aged children who all attended the nursery. Jessica has the relevant training in: Safeguarding, FGM, Child Protection, Food Safety Level 2, Prevent Duty and Paediatric 1st aid

Karen Hawkes

Registrar/Administrator

Karen joined in 2016 as a committee member and was appointed Registrar in March 2017. Karen has three school aged children who attended the Nursery. Karen has completed training in Generalist Safeguarding.

Staff use effective methods, such as skilful questions, to help children think, solve problems, and develop good communication and language skills
Ofsted, 2016
Staff provide children with lots of praise and encouragement that help raise children's self-esteem and support their emotional well-being effectively
Ofsted, 2016
My son always tells me about the fun activities he's done while here, whether it's baking, digging in the nursery garden, hunting for bugs, or visiting the 'big school' once a week.
Parent

Preparing for school

All sessions at our Nursery promote teaching and learning that is focused to children’s “school readiness” and we work closely with the Reception Teachers at Shiplake Primary School to support this. We try to involve the Nursery children in as many school activities as we can such as Christmas nativities and sports days.

On Wednesday mornings staff walk with the children to Shiplake Primary School. They spend time in either the reception classroom and outside classroom or main hall. The children really look forward to this visit. The Reception teacher helps to plan their activities and will spend time with them, the main focus is on familiarity.

Closer to the time, at Nursery, the children will role play with the school uniforms and talk about how they feel about going to school. They will formally meet the reception teacher from their chosen school as will the key workers to discuss their Learning Journal and the Early Years Tracker assessments which have been carried out. If a child has any requirements for additional support this will also be discussed.

Parents are encouraged to support school readiness and are given packs containing information about the types of tasks and activities children are expected to carry out independently in school. Parents are also regularly updated throughout the year during key worker meetings and learning journals and daily diaries are always available for parents to view or add comments.