Little Owls Nursery

Welcome to Little Owls Nursery: Our Early Years Provision is “Good” (Ofsted 2022)

We are delighted to welcome you and your child to Little Owls Nursery at Nene & Ramnoth School. The Nursery team are committed to ensuring that your child will achieve success, enjoy their education and become a confident, active learner.

We are part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust, with our mission statement being ‘I can, you can, together we can’.

We aim to ensure each child is surrounded by caring adults, in a safe, stimulating environment which complements their home life. Since opening in 2010, we have been committed to providing flexible, affordable, quality childcare to all families.

Through a balance of play and adult directed learning, we are committed to ensuring that your child will achieve success, enjoy their first years in Nursery and become a confident, active learner. We recognise that all children are individuals and take great care to accommodate their differences.

Little Owls Info & Prospectus

Little Owls is a very popular Nursery which opened in September 2010 as part of Nene & Ramnoth School and operates as part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust.

We are proud of our Ofsted inspection history and our Early Years provision is currently rated as ‘Good’. Please see our full reports in the Ofsted section of the main website.

The Nursery opens each weekday from 8.00 am until 6.00pm for 48 weeks of the year and takes children between the ages of 2-5 years.

Little Owls is accessible for all children and their families. Access into and out of the Nursery is at ground level and there are disabled toilet facilities. We support children who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

Little Owls is committed to working with all staff, children, families and colleagues to safeguard children. We have a statutory duty to all children to ensure they are safe. This means we will communicate openly and honestly with you (unless this places a child at further risk) and where necessary with Cambridgeshire Social Care about any concerns regarding a child’s safety. We are committed to working with families to resolve any issues. Our Safeguarding & Child Protection policy can be found on the Policies page of the main website - click here to take you to this page.

We work hard to maintain a thriving partnership with parents and carers. We recognise that sharing knowledge about a child between their parents and the staff in the Nursery supports the very best outcomes for children. All children and families will receive a full induction when offered a place at Little Owls and each child is allocated a key-person. This induction time will include an opportunity to complete essential paperwork and ask questions about the Nursery routines and policies. There will also be time for you and your child to play together whilst getting to know the staff who will be caring for your child. You will be able to arrange for your child to visit the Nursery prior to starting your full sessions.

Parents are always welcome to share in all aspects of Nursery life including presentations such as Christmas singing, stay and play sessions, shared lunches and story reading sessions. We value the responses to our regular parent consultations and are grateful for the support parents give to our Nursery.

Further information about all aspects of Little Owls Nursery can be found in our prospectus - click on the button below:

Prospectus for 2023-2024 Prospectus for 2024-2025

Testimonials

Staff at Little Owls have developed an outstanding relationship with the Speech and Language Therapy service in Wisbech. Staff are knowledgeable, approachable and willing to learn (whether through recommendations from SaLT during appointments or requesting/accepting offers of training). Little Owls encourages a communication-friendly environment in which every child is well-supported at a universal level. Through this alone, some children develop their delayed speech and language such that they will not need to be seen by Speech and Language Therapy. For those who require more targeted intervention, strategies to support speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are implemented appropriately, often prior to involvement from SaLT, and are readily checked with the visiting Therapist during appointments. This means that intervention is provided earlier, allowing children to progress more quickly. The staff’s willingness to take on recommendations means that it is an easy process to pass on information resulting in earlier intervention for those children that need it. Little Owls make appropriate referrals to Early Support which means that children with additional needs access a highly specialist provision in a timely manner. Little Owls accommodates joint visits from the wider multidisciplinary team (e.g. SaLT and Specialist Teaching) in order to allow for holistic planning of interventions, taking into account the child’s overall presentation.
Speech & Language Therapist.

Children in the nursery get off to an excellent start. Leaders have developed a well considered curriculum with a strong focus on the development of early language and communication skills. Activities at the start of term focus on home life to help children get used to their new environment and settle well. Adults are skilled in encouraging children to talk and have conversations. These factors help prepare children ready to start learning the sounds that letters make (phonics) in the Reception Year.
OfSTED Report - September 2022.

My child has made a great start at Little Owls and we will never forget the kindness, support and patience shown to us as a family by the manager, his 1:1 support and the whole of the Little Owls family. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Parent of a child with SEND.

Admissions

Admissions Click the button for our admissions criteria and information.

Expression of Interest Form Click the button to download the form to request a place.

Free Place Entitlement & Fee Structure

The Nursery admits children in receipt of the Universal Early Years Funding (both 2 and 3 year old funding). You can use your 15 hours free childcare in 5 or 10 hour blocks stretched across the year or during term time only.

The Government is funding 30 hours free childcare, 38 weeks per year, which is equivalent to 1140 hours per year. The number of 30 hour places we have to offer will be at the manager’s discretion in order to ensure sustainability of the Nursery. We are only offering 30 hours free childcare to families who meet the Government criteria and can present a valid code. In order to access your 1140 hours per year you will need to book your sessions over 48 weeks per year; this means your 1140 free hours per year will equate to 23.75 hours free per week over a 48 week period. You can use your 30 hours free childcare in 5 or 10 hour blocks (see session times below).

Fee Structure:

Weekly rates: Available for full time places
Session Rates: The session rate (5 or 10 hour sessions; 8am-1pm, 1pm-6pm or 8am-6pm) is payable in full for all sessions booked regardless of time spent in the Nursery.
*2 year olds *3 year olds
£280 per 50hr week £270 per 50hr week
£28.00 per 5 hour session £27.00 per 5 hour session
£56.00 per 10 hour session £54.00 per 10 hour session

Fees are payable monthly in advance and are chargeable for all sessions booked, including sessions missed due to holiday and sickness. One month’s written notice is required to reduce or to cancel your sessions.

*Prices from September 2024

Fee Policy Click on the button to view the fee policy from September 2024.

Term Dates

Academic Year 2023-2024

Summer Term 2024

Monday 8th April 2024	Summer Term starts for full-time children (30 hour code)
Monday 15th April 2024	Summer Term starts for term-time children (15 hour code)
Monday 6th May 2024	Nursery is CLOSED - Bank Holiday
Monday 27th May	Nursery is CLOSED - Bank Holiday
Monday 27th-Friday 31st May 2024	Half Term for term-time children only (15 hour code)
Friday 19th July 2024	Summer Term ends for term-time children (15 hour code)
Monday 5th-Friday 16th August 2024	Nursery is closed for Summer holidays
Monday 26th August 2024	Nursery is CLOSED - Bank Holiday

Autumn Term 2024

Monday 9th September 2024	Autumn Term starts for all children
Monday 28th Oct-Friday 1st November	Half Term for term-time children only
Friday 20th December 2024	Autumn Term ends for term-time children only
Tuesday 24th December 2024	Autumn term ends for full-time children
25th December 2024 - 1st January 2025	Nursery is closed for Christmas holidays

Spring Term 2025

Thursday 2nd January	Spring Term starts for full-time children
Monday 6th January	Spring Term starts for term-time children
Monday 17th-Friday 21st February	Half Term for term-time children only
Friday 4th April 2025	Spring Term ends for term-time children only
Friday 11th April 2025	Spring term ends for full-time children
Monday 14th-Friday 21st April 2025	Nursery is closed for Easter holidays

Summer Term 2025

Tuesday 22nd April 2025	Summer Term starts for all children
Monday 5th May 2025	Nursery is CLOSED - Bank Holiday
Monday 26th - Friday 30th May 2025	Half Term for term-time children only
Friday 18th July 2025	Summer Term ends for term-time children only
Monday 4th - Friday 15th August 2025	Nursery is closed for Summer holidays
Monday 25th August 2025	Nursery is CLOSED - Bank Holiday

Meals & Healthy Eating

We believe healthy eating and physical activity are essential for the children in our care. Both elements provide children with the things they need for growth and development and we believe children develop healthy eating patterns from an early age. Therefore, we aim to ensure the food and eating patterns children are exposed to whilst in our care, are those which promote good attitudes to nutrition. Little Owls is a healthy eating Nursery. All the meals provided are nutritionally balanced to meet the requirements of the Under-5's. Our manager has been trained in Early Years Physical Activity and Nutrition.

Meals are included in your child’s session. All meals are prepared daily on site, by our Nursery Caterer. Our menus are planned on a four week cycle and changed at least twice a year.

Please click on the buttons below to see a sample of the meals we provide:

The menus balance children’s food intake across the day and foods which are offered are in line with the Children’s Food Trust’s Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England. Click here to view the “Eat Better, Start Better” guide.

Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

Little Owls has regard to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice when carrying out its duties toward all pupils with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND). We are committed to developing a service that provides equality of opportunity and high achievement for all children.

Our fundamental SEND principles are:

A child with SEND will normally have their needs met within Little Owls
The views of the child will be sought and taken into account
Parents have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education
Children with SEND access a broad, balanced and appropriate Foundation Stage curriculum

Our SEND Policy is available on the Policies page of the main website - click here for access.

Accessibility

Little Owls offers accessibility for wheelchair users; there are slopes to gain access to the building and the Nursery rooms are on one level. Toilet facilities are wide and wheelchair friendly. The room layout allows for movement between zones so all children can access the activities on offer. For further details regarding meeting the needs of children with SEND please request a copy of our policy.

Safeguarding Children

Little Owls, as part of the Nene & Ramnoth School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff to share this commitment. All staff undergo enhanced DBS checks. In order to protect children from harm, it is essential that all staff follow their Safeguarding Children training. Therefore, all staff are required to report any obvious or suspected signs of child abuse. This may mean staff risk upsetting some parents by reporting abuse, which on investigation proves to be unfounded. In these circumstances, we apologise for any embarrassment caused and hope parents appreciate how difficult it is for staff to carry out this responsibility. We wish to make clear, and hope that parents will understand, that acting on any suspicion is done in the child’s best interests.

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy is available on the Policies page of the main website - click here for access.

Parents as Partners

Little Owls aim is to create effective partnerships with parents, which means providing an open and communicative environment where parents can get actively involved. We value parents as their child’s main educators.

Respecting diversity:

All families are important and are welcomed and valued
We recognise that families are all different. Children may live with one or both parents, with other relatives or carers, with same sex parents or in an extended family
We understand that families may speak more than one language at home; they may be travellers, refugees or asylum seekers and welcome your expertise to guide us in supporting your child
Staff undergo training in diversity, equality and anti-discriminatory practice

Ways you can help

Please allow time for your child to attend some short sessions before they start their full sessions.
Please keep us informed of any change in your contact details.
Please dress your child in comfortable, manageable clothing, avoiding dungarees if your child is potty trained!
Please ensure your child has weather appropriate clothing, including wellingtons and sun hats/sun cream.
Please name all of your child’s clothes including their shoes!
Please provide at least 2 complete sets of spare clothes each day.
Please tell us if your child will not be attending for any reason.

Curriculum

Early Years Foundation Stage: Little Owls Nursery and Nene Reception Classes

In Nursery and Reception we deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

At Little Owls Nursery, children experience a range of play experiences which provide practical educational activities within the seven areas of learning. We place a strong emphasis on Personal Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Communication and Language.

Little Owls takes an holistic approach to child development and provides a learning environment which places the child at its heart. We use the children’s interests to plan an individualised curriculum for your child. We value parents as their child’s main educator and as such, work closely with you to help your child to maximise their full potential.

For more information about the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, please click on one of the links below to download the PDF document.

Parents Guide

Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Outdoor Play

At Little Owls we are fully committed to providing children with the opportunity to play outdoors and operate a free flow indoor/outdoor policy all year round.

Our outdoor vision and values for all young children are:

All children have the right to experience and enjoy the essential and special nature of being outdoors.
Young children thrive and their minds and bodies develop best when they have free access to stimulating outdoor environments for learning through play and real experiences.

We aim for our children to be able to experience a readily available, high quality outdoor play environment. It is through this that children can have sufficient time to become deeply involved in their experiences. We believe children need to have time to develop their use of space and resources and uninterrupted time to develop their play ideas. They need to be able to return to projects and practise skills again and again until they have mastered or finished with them.

Contact Us

Please direct any enquiries to: Miss Kelsey, Nursery Manager, on 01945 583907 or email: littleowls@nenerjs.org

Nursery Address

Little Owls Nursery
Nene Infant & Nursery School
Norwich Road
WISBECH
PE13 2AP