We are an Ofsted registered nursery school and we look after children from 2 ½ - 5 years. We can care for up to 26 children per session which means lots of children for me to play with! Our sessions run from Monday to Friday between 9am and 12pm.

The session prices vary according to your child’s age. Megan, my nursery manager, tells me that younger children need more help at nursery school and that means I need to have more adults to support them. For this reason, the cost for a 2 year old at my nursery school is slightly higher. However, this price will drop to £12 as soon as they turn three and will not change until they are eligible for funding – when it becomes free!

The ages for this funding are as follows:

Something else I think is important to tell you – we ask for a £15 registration fee to cover all of the paperwork we send out and to pay for your children’s snacks for the time they are with us. I decided this would be easier than asking you all to remember to bring something every day – because I know what busy people you are and that some children can be a handful! Not to mention the interruption to the military operation that is getting ready for school. We also ask for a £50 security deposit (subsidised to £25 for subsequent siblings) which is payable when your child starts Teddy Wilf’s and is returned in full once all of the final fees have been settled and all borrowed equipment is returned. If either of these financial contributions would cause a problem – please do speak to either Megan, my nursery school manager, or Julie, my business administrator. They are both VERY aware of how much a family costs and can discuss payment options with you.

Anyway, I’d like to give you a little bit of information about the nursery school itself, now that we’ve got the boring bits out of the way! We are very lucky to have a large hall for Megan and her staff to play with, and currently Megan is in the process of choosing and ordering lots of very exciting toys and equipment for your children to enjoy from September. The hall will be divided up into a range of workshop areas – these will include a construction area, a creative/messy area, a quiet area and a book area. We are busy finalising the plans so please watch this space! I think that play is by far the best way for young children to learn and that’s why the majority of the morning at Teddy Wilf’s will be spent playing, exploring, investigating and learning.

Megan and I have worked together to come up with a rough daily routine which I’ve written below:

09:00 am Doors Open & Registration

Free Play – children can play with the activities provided or choose their own

10:15-10:45 am Rolling snack time – we will provide a range of yummy snacks for the children that they will be able to access during the rolling snack time. This allows children to come during a natural break in their play and allows them to continue with exciting and challenging projects.

11:30 am Tidy Up Time

11:40 am Circle Time – a chance to play games, share news and find out what they’ve been up to!

12:00 pm Home Time – time to say goodbye, but hopefully we’ll see you again soon!

Now one thing I have learnt from other nurseries is that it is incredibly important for us to keep parents informed about their child’s progress - so at Teddy Wilf’s we have thought long and hard about how we can keep in touch without having long sign-up lists and inconvenient meeting times. And I have to say, I think we’ve cracked it! As part of our assessment process we are constantly observing children and making notes on their development – but we will be highlighting a selection of key children every week and they will be our focus for that week. The staff will be pushing them that little bit further and we will be looking at their needs in conjunction with our planning (as well as the other children!) and then planning their next steps for development. As part of this process we will also try and arrange a time to touch base with their parents during that week so we can give you an update on how they’re doing at nursery school and you can fill us in on how they’re doing at home. At the end of this week your child’s learning journal will be formally updated and together we will decide on those next steps and how we can support you and your child to move them on. I apologise if this is as clear as mud – but please do ask Megan to explain it to you if you have any questions, she is far better at explaining it than I am!

I like it when children can take pride in their work and I love it when you can tell a child has tried their hardest to create something that is theirs and theirs alone. I have to say I’m not convinced with some of the pictures I’ve seen coming out of nursery schools – especially the Mother’s Day cards! I like children to create something personal to them, and personal to you – so please don’t expect 26 copies of the same thing!

Now, I’m a very friendly Bear, and I like to know all about the children at my nursery. And more than anything, I like sleepovers! So please, please, please, invite me to stay at your house and keep a diary while I am there – take lots of pictures and write about the people I meet and the things I do. There will be a sign-up sheet for taking me home after the October half term – and if there is a special event you would like to take me to – make sure you talk to Megan – I have some very special outfits for special events!