WONDERLAND DAY NURSERY & PRE-SCHOOL
THE OLD SCHOOL
GUNDRY LANE
BRIDPORT
DORSET
DT6 3RL
TEL: 01308 421731
Email:
Website: wonderlanddaynurserypreschoolbridport.com
For further information or to arrange a visit,
Please contact the Nursery Manager Lorraine Thom
or the Deputy Manager Lisa Finnemore.
WONDERLAND DAY NURSERY & PRE-SCHOOL
Wonderland has been running successfully since 1992. It is registered both with Dorset County Council and Ofsted. Wonderland is situated within easy walking distance of the town, with ample parking and a drop off point right outside the main door.
At Wonderland we provide a safe, secure, caring and educationally stimulating environment for your child, to enable them to learn and have fun!
Our experienced staff, plan the day so that your child will be interested and involved in as many activities as possible, whilst enjoying a daily routine. The staff team, have been chosen for their friendly, affectionate personalities as well as their formal qualifications.
All the children are encouraged to join both group and one to one activities such as singing, music and movement, games, puzzles, play dough, painting, gluing, stories and many other stimulating activities.
The nursery and the pre-school both work closely with the parents to use each child’s own interests when planning activities which will help every child reach their full potential. The children are encouraged to create their own artwork, which is displayed/or taken home. The children work hard on their pictures, so parents are encouraged to praise their efforts. Each child has their own learning journey where some of their pictures will be kept alongside observations and photographs of them taking part in activities and we love parents to contribute to their child’s learning journeys too.
Wonderland has two small outside play areas, and during nice weather the children visit the local parks and borough gardens for physical play opportunities and to learn more about the world around them.
Wonderland has always successfully passed their Ofsted inspections and has been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted since July 2014. The Ofsted report is available for all parents to read online or you can request a copy. Copies of all our policies are available on request.
Wonderland has two “units” or “rooms”
The Nursery Unit takes babies from birth to 3 years old. The Nursery unit is registered to take 17 children every day.
· 3 babies between 0 & 1 year, staff ratio 1 adult to 3 children.
· 6 children between 1 & 2 years, staff ratio 1 adult to 3 children.
· 8 children between 2 & 3 years, staff ratio 1 adult to 4 children.
The Pre-School Unit takes children from 3 years old to rising five.
The Pre-School is registered to take 24 children per day; staff ratio is 1 adult to 8 children.
OPENING HOURS
MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8am-5.30
WONDERLAND IS OPEN ALL YEAR EXCEPT FOR BANK HOLIDAYS.
STAFF DETAILS
All our staff are fully checked and cleared by Ofsted, and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The majority of the staff are qualified in childcare and most work full time. We have a key person system in both the nursery and the pre-school; this enables your child to settle in with a familiar face. The key person will work closely with your child and monitor their achievements or report to the Supervisor if they have any concerns, e.g. speech or hearing problems, or if your child seems unwell.
OWNER: JILL McCLIMONDS
Jill has had many years experience with young children. She is a mother to three of her own children (who are now grown up) and also enjoyed working as part of the team in the nursery unit, taking care of the babies. Jill has now taken a backseat from working in the rooms and now takes children to school and collects them from school and returns them to Wonderland each day instead. So she still comes down to oversee the running of the nursery and pre-school. You may see her helping out at busy times or covering lunches occasionally.
MANAGER: LORRAINE THOM
Lorraine qualified for her NNEB in 1987. She has been at Wonderland since September 2010 and attained her foundation degree in early years in July 2016. Before coming here Lorraine worked at a nursery in Manchester for 9 years, starting as a nursery nurse and working her way up to manager. (Her nursery were very sad to lose her to us!). Lorraine has continued to attend many further courses / training and shares the wealth of her experience with us. She is our Designated Safeguarding officer, Health & Safety officer, one of our SENCO’s and paediatric first aid trained.
NURSERY STAFF
NURSERY SUPERVISOR:
LEAH RENDELL:
Leah qualified in June 2008 with her diploma in childcare and education (level 3). Leah started Wonderland in May 2008 and finished off her training with us before gaining her full qualification in June 2008. Leah is our nursery room student mentor to help any students who may attend on placement here, she is able to guide and assist them where necessary. Leah is also paediatric first aid trained. Leah is very confident and efficient. She is full of creative ideas to help inspire your child / children.
DEPUTY SUPERVISOR
NATALIE LONGLEY:
Natalie started working at Wonderland in July 2008 after she qualified with her diploma in childcare and education (level3). Natalie is a very energetic member of the team and has a real passion to work with the 0 – 3 age range. Natalie enjoys doing lots of physical activities with the children during the sessions. Natalie is also paediatric first aid and SENCO trained.
NURSERY ASSISTANTS
TAMSYN WAKELY:
Tamsyn started working at Wonderland in December 2016. Tamsyn gained her level 3 cache diploma in childcare in April 2015. Tamsyn has previous experience at another setting before joining Wonderland and loves singing and dancing with the children.
BETH LARCOMBE:
Beth joined Wonderland in February 2014 as an apprentice and completed her level 2 childcare in April 2015. She is working towards her level 3 qualification in childcare and education. Beth likes planning messy activities for the children to enjoy and singing their favourite songs.
OLIVIA GRINTER:
Olivia joined Wonderland as an apprentice in September 2016. She is working towards her level 2 certificate in childcare and education. Olivia enjoys reading the children their favourite stories and helping the children in creative activities.
DEBBIE BANBURY:
Debbie has a level 3 qualification and joined Wonderland in June 2014. Debbie enjoys messy activities and the children love to sit and listen to Debbie read them stories.
PRE-SCHOOL STAFF
PRE-SCHOOL SUPERVISOR: LISA FINNEMORE
Lisa gained her NVQ level 3 in children’s care learning and development in 2010 and is currently working towards her foundation degree. Lisa is also the Deputy Manager and joined our pre-school in September 2013. Lisa brought a wealth of knowledge and experience with her which helps her to lead and inspire the pre-school team and she particularly likes working with the 3-5 year olds. She is in charge of the day-to-day running of the pre-school room and the day nursery as a whole in Lorraine’s absence. She is paediatric first aid and SENCO trained. Lisa is also our behaviour management officer.
DEPUTY SUPERVISOR: SHARON RECORD:
Sharon started working at Wonderland in May 2008 and completed her NVQ level 3 in 2011. Sharon is a very bubbly character and has a very good bond with the children. Sharon has had previous experience of working with children in a previous job before joining us here at Wonderland. She transferred into preschool in February 2014 for a new challenge as a deputy supervisor. Sharon is also paediatric first aid trained.
PRESCHOOL ASSISTANTS:
LAUREN DAVIES
Lauren originally came to Wonderland as a student from Weymouth College and achieved her level 3 cache diploma in childcare in June 2013. Lauren worked for a short time at another pre-school gaining experience before joining us later in the year. Lauren likes being in the garden and doing creative activities with the children.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY UNIT.
0-1 YEARS
The babies play on the carpet area with the many age appropriate toys available for them i.e. the kick gym and baby arch. We encourage all ages of children to interact together so our babies aren’t in a separate area but at times the younger children can be in different areas for activities. We have a separate sleeping room, which has cots and a baby monitor. The monitor is always switched on while babies are asleep. A member of staff checks the babies every 15 minutes and records this on a sleep chart. The nursery will stick to your child’s sleep and feeding routines as much as possible. All bottles of milk and children’s food will be kept in the fridge and heated in the bottle warmer or microwave. The temperature is carefully checked before being given to the child.
1-2 YEARS
All children in this age group are based in a large carpeted area. Many of the activities for this group are designed to encourage and stimulate their physical, intellectual and social development. We have physical play toys like tents and rockers, a home corner and other age appropriate equipment. The children all take part in creative activities in our messy area! There are chid height tables set up for puzzles, games and colouring work, these help with the development of hand – eye co-ordination and further their intellectual and cognitive skills. There is also a quiet corner where children can listen to stories and tapes and have a rest.
2-3 YEARS
Children aged two or three have very limited attention spans so structured learning, arts and crafts, games and free play are alternated throughout the day. We encourage the two to three year olds to socialise and learn from their peers and the older children, as they would within a family group. The toys and games are geared to their age group and are chosen to developmentally enhance the children’s learning as well as being good fun!
There are book racks at the children’s height, to encourage the children to confidently choose and handle books. We have various times throughout the day when stories are read to the children, sometimes in large groups or individually
NAPPIES
The nursery has a baby change unit, potties and child size toilets. Please bring in the appropriate number of Nappies for your child’s stay each day, or alternatively we can store a number of Nappies at the nursery if you prefer. We provide wet wipes and cotton wool. A consent form for applying any cream will need to be signed by you when your child first starts at Wonderland, and for hygiene reasons any cream needs to be supplied by you.
If a parent forgets to provide Nappies the nursery will provide one but there will be a charge or you will be asked to replace the amount used as we have very limited spares.
POTTY TRAINING
We are happy to potty train children but this will only be done if you do it at home too. If we feel you child is ready we will discuss this with you or vice versa. Please supply pull-ups/trainer pants at first until your child gains confidence and is ready to move on to pants. Please feel free to discuss your regular routine with a member of staff or your child’s key person. If you would like any help or advice the nursery staff will be happy to help. As all children develop at different rates, please let your child go at their own pace, this will help your child to become confident, and potty/toilet training an easy and stress free transition.
CLOTHES
Although the nursery has a small amount of spare clothes it would be helpful if you could provide a change of clothes labelled with your child’s name. Any wet or soiled clothes will be rinsed and put into your child’s bag. If your child is toilet training please provide plenty of sets of clothes in case of accidents.
TOYS
Children often want to show new or favourite toys to their friends. We do not object to this but, with so many different toys around, we cannot take responsibility for any that get lost or damaged. We do try to encourage children to show their toys then put them back in to their bags.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING INFORMATION
Some 2 year old children are now entitled to claim Government funding. The grant covers 15 hours maximum a week over a minimum of 2 days. The maximum you can claim per day is 7.5 hours and the minimum is 2.5 hours. For more information, to find out if your child is eligible and/or apply, visit www.dorsetforyou.com and enter 2 year old funding in the search bar.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRE-SCHOOL
The pre-school is situated in two rooms. The inside room is set up in areas that the children can access throughout the day. We have a writing area, home corner, messy area, sand and water, painting and chalkboards, and a technology area with a computer. The pre-school has a good variety of fun, stimulating, and educational toys and games, and a wide selection of books. The pre-school has a “secret garden” where the children can dig, plant flowers, look for bugs, as well as play. They also have an indoor physical play area with climbing frame and slide. The children can move from inside to outside when they choose what ever the weather.
Activities are planned to cover all 7 areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) both inside and outside each day.
All the planned activities are linked to the 7 areas of learning and development.
There are 3 Prime areas which are as follows:
· PERSONAL, SOCIAL. & EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We have lots of games, activities and co-operative toys to encourage the children to play and learn together. We try to encourage all our children to learn good personal and social skills from parents, the staff and each other. For all children 3-5 years old activities are aimed at extending their skills and abilities through to preparation for entry to primary school.