Pastoral care is imperative to us. Your child will receive the best care and attention. Each child is supported and encouraged, gaining independence and confidence. Individual care is given to all children and each child is encouraged to reach developmental goals at a pace that is right for him or her.
From day one children are welcomed into our Nursery by our caring and experienced teachers and teaching assistants who are sensitive to their needs. Our staff members treat each child as a unique child. Almost all our teachers are mothers themselves and have a natural caring and supportive manner. Our teachers stay with us for many years. This creates a familiar environment, providing consistency and stability for children, especially those with siblings in the school.
Preparing Your Child to Start Nursery
Miss Roosha recommends that to make the best possible start to nursery you talk to your child about the coming transition and encourage and excite them about the adventure ahead. To make the transition easier, we offer an arts and crafts session on Wednesday afternoon the term before your child is due to start nursery. During these one-hour sessions, which children attend with their carers, your child will have the opportunity to explore the classroom and get to know their teachers in the company of a familiar adult. Parents are given an “all about me” form to fill which will provide the teachers with an idea of what the child’s likes and dislikes are. This will help with the initial settling-in time, where children part from their mummy / carer, building an atmosphere of trust.
Daily Routine
Each day the class teacher will greet the children with a smile. We encourage the children to shake hands with the teacher when they arrive at the start of the day and to make eye contact. We value good manners, kindness and thoughtfulness. Our staff members are role models to the children demonstrating that we need to treat others the way you would like to be treated. This is reinforced through stories, emotion puppets, and discussions during our weekly assembly. During our assemblies, we also celebrate achievements in school and at home using ‘WOW’ forms. These are forms you fill in to let the class teacher know of anything your child has done at home, from recognising a number in the street, to riding a bike or staying in their bed all night.
Birthdays are also a reason to celebrate and we have a birthday board in the classroom where children have their photo and date of birth up. Children often bring in a cake to share with their friends and we sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy or girl.
Open-Door Policy
Miss Roosha is also keen that parents should feel able to talk to the staff about anything, whenever they wish. “Parents are truly part of the process here, and they contribute to our nursery greatly,” she says. We have an open-door policy and parents have the opportunity to have informal conversations with the teachers on a daily basis. At the end of each term, we hold a parents’ evening which provides the opportunity to share the children’s development and discuss any areas that they may need support with. Parents and carers are provided with many opportunities to be part of the nursery life such as reading a story to the class or helping on a school trip.
At Eaton House the Manor Nursery we teach the children that they have a voice and that there are people around them who listen and care about them. The key focus is on ensuring that the children feel happy and content in their new environment. The teachers create a warm, secure, and friendly atmosphere and the children soon respond to it.
