Willow Cottage Nurseries Established 1985
We are family run and enjoy a longstanding reputation for the high standards that our children achieve within the Early Year’s Foundation Stage. We offer specialist teaching from Early Year’s Professionals and Qualified Teachers. Our settings are spacious and purpose built in beautiful open countryside, with outstanding garden facilities. We specialise in the care of babies and toddlers and in the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We do not use agency staff. We are passionate about healthy food and have national recognition for our nutritious home-made food, recipes, menus and innovative “fun food education” for the children. We have been awarded national nursery food awards in 2007/8, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Our children’s menus are meticulously planned to include lots of fruit and vegetables, regular oily-fish, meat and vegetarian options. They are low in salt and sugar with lots of fibre! Our meat is free range, traditionally farmed and selected for extra leanness. Our eggs come from our own free-range chickens.
Delivering the highest quality childcare & a prepre-school education of excellence for 25 years
“Second to Mum” Please note that in order to protect our children’s privacy we do not show around our nurseries unless we are able to offer you a place for your child. Please send us your details via the “Request Availability” Tab on our website if you would like to enquire about current or future availability.
www.willow-cottage.com
One of England’s Best Nurseries” Quote Quote from the BBC Radio 4 Food & Nutrition Programme when Willow Cottage Nursery was featured for achieving a National Food Award from The Soil Association & Organix
”THE WILLOW COTTAGE COMMITMENT” TO OUR PARENTS The highest quality childcare: for your child because of our commitment to high standards and the continuous investment we make in our staff, the resources and facilities we provide. A pre-school education of excellence: delivered through “play”, and meticulously planned by a team of Early Years Professionals and fully qualified teachers, in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum. A personal welcome for your child: because we employ a reliable, stable and professional team of staff, and in 25 years we have never used Agency Staff! Delicious home-cooked, well balanced nutritious meals: prepared from quality ingredients. Low salt & sugar. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (home grown, seasonal and organic whenever possible). Traditionally farmed additive-free meats, fish & vegetarian dishes. A very specialised and bespoke service for younger babies and toddlers. A totally reliable service: in that we have never failed to be open due to staff illness or shortages.
LOCATION We have two settings, situated in beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, both carefully selected to give children a safe, healthy and natural environment in which to develop and grow. T h e n u r s e r y Library time in the garden at Owl’s Leat
Children playing in the garden at Oxley’s Farm
Oxley’s Farm, Cumnor Road, Farmoor, Oxford. OX2 9NS These spacious premises are purpose built in 3 acres of grounds between Farmoor and Cumnor Villages. Situated in open countryside, close to Oxford with very easy access from the Ring Road, the A420 and the A40.
Owl’s Leat, Lower Road, Eynsham, Witney. OX29 4EH These spacious Nursery premises are in grounds of over an acre and situated in open countryside on Lower Road between the villages of Church Hanborough and Eynsham. There are farm animals in adjacent fields and excellent views of the area. Lower Road is directly connected to the A40 and is only a few miles from Oxford and Witney. It is also close to Bladon, Kidlington and Woodstock, with very easy access to the Ring Road. Please view map below for exact locations.
OUR PREMISES Each area within the children's accommodation has been carefully planned to create an environment suited to each particular age group. The Nursery area is planned to emulate the home situation, and as the children progress through the school the balance moves gently, but increasingly, towards that of a classroom situation in preparation for school. Each room is purposely set up for the particular age group that it houses and is very well equipped with stimulating, educational toys and games and a range of small and large equipment to encourage the relevant physical development. All our toys are rotated so that the children are regularly introduced to new and different ones. We have a wide range of books available for every age, which are changed every four to six weeks. Our garden facilities for the children are excellent and planned to provide areas of natural outdoor interest and learning. The children are encouraged to make full use of our large patios and extensive adventure play area set in trees.
PROVISION OF FOOD We hold National Nursery Food Awards in recognition of the healthy, nutritionally balanced and enjoyable meals that we provide for the children and the exceptionally high standards of our children's menu. Our menu is planned and regularly reviewed by the proprietor {who hold’s a Food Science/Nutrition Degree}. We use a three week rolling menu to provide plenty of variation and interest. We use good quality, fresh and wholesome ingredients, minimising the use of refined and processed food, saturated fats, salt and sugar. We strive to source seasonal, local, home-grown and organic foods. We are also commended for the creative way that our members of staff integrate healthy food education for the children as part of their normal Nursery day involving them in exploring different foods, discovering new textures and tastes, and in cooking/food preparation. Our homemade meals are freshly prepared by enthusiastic, dedicated and experienced children’s cooks who provides us with delicious cooked dinners, followed by a selection of healthy deserts and teas. The children really enjoy them and are having their ”5 a day” and more! We thoroughly believe that healthy eating in the early years sets the trend for future lifestyle. Our Cook makes a selection of healthy teas including vegetable bakes, soups and pasta dishes accompanied by home-made rolls and bread. For sandwiches or toast we use a variety of savoury fillings like hummus, cheese, sliced ham, cucumber and Marmite. We use honey and home-made fruit “butters” (these are made from homegrown fruits from our allotment and orchards and are only half the sugar of normal fruit preserves).
We use both wholemeal and white bread (making our own bread, rolls and fruit breads when-ever possible). Sunflower margarine is used for spreading. Teas are accompanied by various raw fruits and vegetables (seedless grapes, nectarines, mango, cucumber, carrot etc. and/or home-made fruit loaves, biscuits or cakes (reduced sugar). For babies being weaned their first foods are introduced in close consultation with parents. We are then able to offer a wide variety of nutritious home made baby foods specially prepared from fresh vegetables and fruit, with the gradual introduction of fish and chicken, and eventually lamb (again in close liaison with parents). Our meat is purchased from the local “Real Meat Company” butcher. It is free range and has been traditionally farmed (without the use of hormones). It is also selected for quality and leanness from the best cuts. Our eggs are free range and come from our own free range chickens which are looked after in one of our paddocks at the Farmoor setting. We use lots of fresh fruit and vegetables every day with home-grown and organic produce used in preference whenever possible
(subject to availability and to pricing). We also choose to buy local and low mileage products wherever possible. We have our own allotment and orchards for English seasonal fruit and vegetables. We do not use any food colourings or artificial preservatives. Milk or water is offered to drink as required. We try to be as flexible as we can in catering for special dietary requirements and these should be discussed initially when registering, and specified on the Registration Form. We expect older children to have been given breakfast before attending Nursery.
THE NURSERY Our youngest members occupy spacious, fully equipped playrooms with adjoining, kitchen and bathroom. We are very proud of our Nursery Departments where our babies are cared for and loved by a long-standing team of highly qualified and experienced Nursery Practitioners. Our staff are “hand picked” for their abilities and expertise with young babies.
Our babies enjoy an outdoor music session
……and they really love exploring the gardens
We are very particular about standards of hygiene and in the Nursery extra care and attention is taken. For example – all the toys and equipment used are regularly washed with anti-bacterial cleaner on a regular basis (especially those toys put into mouths). Dishwashers are used to ensure sterilisation of all cups, dishes and cutlery (this is so for all areas). The developmental activities for children in the Nursery department are planned on a weekly basis using the “Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance” as set out by the Department of Education, by staff who have been trained in child development. This planning is available for parents to view on the notice board and in each child’s profile. For children aged 0 to 2 years we provide a staff-to-child ratio of 1:3. As the toddlers in the Nursery become more and more confident on their feet and progress towards more social and gregarious play we gradually introduce them to the next stages of development in the Lower Kindergarten.
LOWER KINDERGARTEN In the Lower Kindergarten our toddlers begin to encounter a very simple structure to their day. They continue to be given an exciting environment both inside and out offering them a wide variety of early learning experiences. Planning for toddlers in the Lower Kindergarten is sensitively formulated around the interests and developmental needs of the individual children in the room each day. The children in the Lower Kindergarten have lots of fun and their daily routines include language development, singing, art and craft, developmental music sessions, dance, and pencil/scissor control skills. We even try a few French and Spanish words and songs!
A Christmas concert for parents
Outdoor “parachute play”
The children are given lots of help and re-assurance when they start toilet training and we work closely with our parents at this important stage so as to make it as smooth as possible. The staff in this area have been selected for their experience with children of this age and to ensure that encouragement and cuddles are plentiful. For children aged between 2 years and 3 years we provide a staff to child ratio of 1:4.
THE KINDERGARTEN The Kindergarten classrooms are created to be dynamic and enabling environments both inside and out, offering children a wide variety of early learning experiences and opportunities to explore and investigate. The Kindergarten department planning and delivery is overseen by Early Years Professionals (EYPS). The children are taught, cared for, and supervised by a team of Early Years professionals (EYPS), fully qualified early year’s teachers, nursery nurses (N.N.E.B. or B.Tech. qualified) and experienced nursery trained staff. We use the six areas of learning from the Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance to plan for each child and promote development on an individual basis. All areas of learning are equally important and underpinned by the Themes and Principles of the EYFS. Each child has an ‘Individual Play Plan’ (IPP) compiled by their Key Person. An IPP will run alongside our chosen Theme and provides specific activities and experiences designed around that child’s interests to promote their personal development. Learning to cook is really fun!.
Healthy morning “snack time” in Café Willow
EDUCATIONAL PLANNING Within the Early Years Foundation Stage each child is planned for sensitively and individually in order that they might learn, progress and achieve their own personal best. The six areas of learning used for planning are:• Personal, Social and Emotional Development • Communication, Language and Literacy • Mathematical Development • Knowledge and Understanding of the World • Physical Development • Creative Development Through our planning we encourage each child with: • Language and literacy development -through reading, poetry, finger rhymes and an extensive use of books, stories and story sacks (books with puppets/props that bring the stories alive). • Letter formation, progressing to unaided writing of news and stories. • Number recognition, counting skills and basic mathematical concepts. • First level Information Technology and use of computers. • Colour recognition. Early science, geography, history and religious concepts. • Early “European Languages”, (normally French and Spanish). • Physical play and development through extensive use of movement, dance and drama. • Developmental music, rhythm, listening skills and singing. • All kinds of craft activities encouraging independence and imagination, and sensory, creative and manipulative skills. • High standards of personal and social behaviour. • Christian values and education.
MUSIC At Willow Cottage we encourage interesting and exciting music for every age, even our younger members of the Nursery Department! We enable children to use a wide range of instruments and listen to a variety of different types of music. We include the imaginative use of puppets, story sacks, and materials to make the sessions fun and have lots of “music to movement” and dance. We encourage the children to: • Sing songs (and poems) from memory. • Investigate the sounds made by a variety of musical instruments. • Explore Pulse and Rhythm patterns. • Listen to and explore classical music. • Listen to and enjoy different types of music and also music varieties from around the world. • To understand concepts such as; “high” and “low”, “fast” and “slow”, “long” and “short”, “loud”, “quiet”, and “silence”.
Some of our music sessions even happen in the garden!
EARLY YEAR’S FOUNDATION STAGE PROFILES Each child's interests and learning progress is carefully recorded, and monitored throughout their time with us. These records compile their “Early Years Foundation Stage Profile” and we encourage parents to be actively involved in contributing to their child’s profile and share with us the important knowledge they have of their child. The profile will be finalised with a comprehensive “Early Years Foundation Stage Report” written by your child’s Key Person in the term before your child starts school and will be passed onto you, or to your chosen Primary school at the appropriate time.
Gathered together for an early learning session
COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS Every effort is made in the communication between staff and parents to ensure complete confidence is maintained. There is time for verbal communication/feedback at the beginning and end of each day which will complement the written records that are kept. For our younger children (Nursery and Lower Kindergarten) Feedback diaries are kept carefully in order that concise information about food intake, sleep times, and any other happenings can be given to parents on a daily basis. The Kindergarten staff and children produced a daily notice board to tell parents of the activities that have been happening that day. We produce regular newsletters to give our parents important dates, information and articles of interest.
STAFFING It is our policy to recruit professional staff at all levels in order that we might deliver the quality service “Second to Mum” that we are all looking for. As a long established and well reputed local Nursery we retain a stable and reliable team of Nursery Practitioners committed to delivering “the best” in childcare and pre-school education (and many having been with us well over 10 years). We boast therefore our ability to “hand pick” and build each departmental team to be fully appropriate and with the correct expertise required for each age group. Our staff have a variety of qualifications and experience and includes practitioners holding Early Years Professional Status, qualified teachers, NVQ Levels 2&3. We are committed to supporting staff development and training to maintain our high standards. Please note that we use our own employees at all
times to cover staff absences and holidays, in order to ensure that our children have continuity of care. We do not use Agency staff.
HEALTH, SAFETY & SECURITY Throughout the premises health, safety and security matters are monitored very carefully. Every care is taken to ensure that the children are safe and secure at all times, every effort is made to train our staff in such matters. Our toys, play materials, educational resources and equipment conform to the British Safety Standards. We strive to ensure that toys and equipment are of the highest quality and that they are appropriate for each section of the nursery school. All equipment, toys and play areas are regularly cleaned and an exceptionally high standard of hygiene is maintained at all times. We are fully registered with Ofsted. Individual Reports can be accessed on the Ofsted website.
FIRST AID Appointed First Aid staff are always available and trained with a current paediatric first aid certificate. We train our own staff with courses instructed by a competent training company such as The Red Cross or St. John Ambulance.
LOCATION
Map with arrows showing the location of the schools
OPENING HOURS 7.40
AM UNTIL
5.30
PM.
Later opening times may be available, please ask. We are open all year with the exception of Bank Holidays and 1 week at Christmas. The standard monthly fees allow up to 9 hours cover per day. Please discuss your required times with the manager when you look around the Kindergarten or Nursery.
QUALITY ASSURANCE We hold nationally recognised Food Awards celebrating the high standards of our home-cooked food, our nutritious menus, our organic and local ingredients, our great tasting meals, our food education, our inspiring nursery staff and excellent food policies.
CAN WE HELP YOU? We provide a variety of flexible daily programmes aiming to suit the needs of most parents, from full time (5 days per week) to our minimum part-time place of 2 days, subject to availability.
PAYMENT OF MONTHLY FEES Our fees are calculated annually and divided into twelve equal payments. Each of these payments is due on the first day of each month in advance and by standing order. We do not charge for Bank Holidays and our charges are fully inclusive of all meals and nappies. There is a 10% reduction for twins or siblings attending full-time. Babies and toddlers under three years of age, because of the specialised staffing requirements carry a 10% surcharge; this is removed the month after your child is three. In order to offer continuity to our children our minimum programme is normally two days per week (subject to availability). Our fees are subject to an annual review on the 1st April each year and can be found by returning to our website.
CHILDCARE VOUCHERS We are able to give you advice on various options to help you with your full entitlement of Tax and National Insurance savings. We publish a Parent Information Sheet on this subject which lists a number of helpful Government Web-Sites. We accept most Salary Sacrifice Vouchers which
can reduce your fees by up to £486 per month.
CONTACT INFORMATION For additional information please visit our Website www.willow-cottage.com. If you would like to enquire about a place for your child please go to our website and complete the information requested in the “Request availability”. We apologise but in order to safeguard and protect the children that attend Willow Cottage we do not arrange visits to look around our settings unless we have first established that we are able to offer you a place, (or should you wish to join our waiting list) Email - enquiries@willow-cottage.com Telephone - (01865) Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.
864604
Beryl Green – Administration/Accounts 01865 865854 Julie DeBanks – Area Manager Ruth Salway B. Ed. Hons. E.Y.P.S. – Head Teacher Maria Ragoussi E.Y.P.S. - Manager
Nursery Settings-Telephone Numbers – Parents only Willow Cottage Nursery, Owl’s Leat, Lower Rd. Eynsham. OX29 4EH Willow Cottage Nursery, Oxley’s Farm, Cumnor Rd. Farmoor. OX2 9NS Directors Valerie Grady B.Sc. Hons. P.G.C.E. E.Y.P.S. Neil Grady B.Sc. Hons. Last updated 2011 09 - VBG File Ref: PROSPECTUS 2011 09
01993 883583 01865 865206