We care for children from 3 months to school age on term-time only or year-round contracts. Our sessions run 08.00–17.30 Monday–Friday. We are closed for two weeks at Christmas, and on public holidays.
Caterpillars 3 months – 2 years
In our Caterpillar room we work closely with you to understand your baby’s needs and to follow their home routine as much as possible to facilitate their transition into nursery care. Staff are always available at drop-off and pick-up for questions, and you are welcome to call the office in the day to check on your little one. Our highly experienced team ensures each child receives high-quality, nurturing care. The room contains a range of toys and activities that children are free to choose from, such as drawing, playdough, small world toys, puzzles and role play. Different topical activities are set up daily with the children’s interests in mind. The Caterpillar room has a dedicated sleep area which is designed to be calm, soothing and comfortable.
Over the course of a child’s settling in period they will be carefully observed and their key person allocated based upon how relationships are developing. The key persons role is to ensure that your child’s care and learning is tailored to meet their individual needs.
Butterflies 2–3 years
The Butterfly room team provide our exploring children with a safe, secure but challenging environment. This enables them to start to independently explore their surroundings with care and excitement. Activities and learning are planned through careful observations and reflect the children’s interests. Children spend as much time as possible outdoors, and also enjoy early Forest School sessions when they are ready. The staff in Butterfly room come with a wealth of professional experience and we pride ourselves in our relationships with children and their families.
Rainbows 3–4 years
In the Rainbow room we provide a stimulating and fun environment and incorporate a structured routine in preparation for school. We create an exciting curriculum that reflects children’s needs and interests which is delivered through highly motivating and stimulating activities, we believe in supporting and nurturing children in their learning and development to become confident, independent well rounded little people. Children will take part in the forest school experience and during the summer term before our older children transition into reception, our school leavers will take part in a school readiness programme which focuses on further developing skills required for school life, giving them the best start. The staff in Rainbow room come with a wealth of professional experience and we pride ourselves in our relationships with children and their families.
Forest School
We are in the unique position of having extensive grounds that allow us to run exciting, engaging sessions for children as part of their regular nursery day.
The focus in Forest school is to reconnect children with the outdoor environment by giving them the space and freedom to discover, play explore and learn within a natural forest setting.
At Holwell Nursery, Forest School provides increasingly diverse opportunities for children to benefit from a supportive curriculum that will help them build positive values and attitudes about themselves and the environment in which they live in. Children take part in challenging and achievable tasks that build their confidence, skills and independence. The children are encouraged to lead their own activities, to be responsible for their actions and take calculated risks to achieve their own goals or the goals of the group.
Forest school is led by Marina who is a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader.
