Early Years Education

The Old School House Montessori Nursery Lewes

An open-plan classroom, with role play room and outdoor classroom just off, allows us to create an engaging free-flow environment where children can play and learn in a space of their choosing.

Add in a playground which we use morning and afternoon, and a nature field across the road for weekly-Forest School activities, and you have a nursery perfectly matched to the independent learners who we care for.

Montessori-inspired

The Montessori ethos underpins what we do. We help children develop according to their age and stage

Passionate staff

The staff team is highly trained and passionate about early years. They are interested in the children.

Child-centric

Our nurseries are big enough to give the children variety but not so big they lose the personal touch.

Open 51 weeks a year

We offer high-quality care all year round, from 8am to 6pm.

Montessori-inspired

The Montessori ethos underpins what we do. We help children develop according to their age and stage.

Passionate staff

The staff team is highly trained and passionate about early years. They are interested in the children.

Open 51 weeks a year

We offer high-quality care all year round, from 8am to 6pm.

Child-centric

Our nurseries are big enough to give the children variety but not so big they lose the personal touch

Nursery Lewes

Laying the foundations for happiness

We believe children have an enormous capacity to delight in the world around them. It’s our job to unlock that passion and fan the flames of life-long learning.

 We constantly strive to find new ways to develop the children’s independence and confidence, and so lay the foundations for happy and successful lives.

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.”
 
Maria Montessori

Nursery Lewes Staff

Passionate about their jobs

We make sure that all the staff at our nurseries are passionate about their jobs and the children.

 Everyone on the team is expected to be a role model to the children and we are therefore very careful about who we recruit to work with us.

We encourage staff to get to know the children and to actively teach. To us, early years has to be much more than just childcare.

Our Classroom Team

Our staff are all highly qualified childcare professionals and most have many years of experience. Just as importantly, we employ caring people who love children and who want to give them the very best start in life.

Whatever our backgrounds, we all enjoy getting to know the children and take great pride in their achievements.

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Our values and principles

Children and young people have the right be protected from neglect and abuse. Everyone has a responsibility to protect children and young people and to report concerns.

Children’s needs are paramount and take precedence over the needs of adults in any conflict between the two. This nursery’s policy and procedures are designed to safeguard all children, to ensure they are all equally valued, and to give them the best start in life.

All allegations and concerns are taken seriously and dealt with appropriately in accordance with our safeguarding policy.

Caring for the under 2s

Mini Monties

At one end of the classroom, in their own beautiful play space and interconnecting sleep room, are the youngest children in the nursery – the Mini Monties.

 The emphasis is on giving the children consistent, focused attention so that they feel at home and happy. Cuddles and a helping hand are never far away, but we also use our experience and training to assess and plan for your child’s development, just as we do with the older children. Our record keeping is shared with parents on a regular basis to ensure nursery and home are working together to meet all of your child’s needs.

A home-from-home in the Mini Monty play space

Our Mini Monties are aged between six months and two years old. They are cared for by the baby-trained team in a home-from-home environment which is safe, warm and welcoming.

We love seeing our Mini Monties bloom so we offer lots of variety and stimulation to aid progress. The toys are specially selected to help develop language and motor skills. The children paint, play in sand and water, join in with music and enjoy the outdoor garden and playground, just as the older children do. 

Nutritious food

Healthy food, suited to the age and stage of your child, is served at breakfast, lunch and tea.

Early learning

Our Minis enjoy many of the same activities as the older children, but in a form ideally suited to their tender years.

Exploring their town

The Minis are often taken for walks in the buggies to the beautiful duck pond, down the road from nursery.

Nursery Lewes

Policies and procedures

Safeguarding Children and Child Protection Policy

Safeguarding_What to do if you have concerns about a child's welfare

Drop off and collection of children by parents_policy and procedures_Lewes

Collection of children by authorised adults_policy and procedures

Making a complaint policy and procedures

Parental behaviour_policy and procedu

Behaviour policy and procedures

Allergies and illness policy and procedures

Food allergy and intolerance policy and procedures

Nappy changing, toilet training and beyond_policies and procedures

Health and wellbeing_policy and procedures

Parental involvement policy and procedures

Please view all our policies here.

1.2.1 Child Protection and Safeguarding policy and procedures

(Including managing allegations of abuse against a member of staff)

Key contacts

  • Designated Safeguarding Lead: Laura Pay – Direct message on Famly or call mobile
  • Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Lindy Baldwin - Direct message on Famly or call mobile
  • Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO, Sam Efde and Assistant LADO, Susan Giles):): Consultation via the online portal here
  • Referrals into Early Help and Social Care Single Point of Advice:
  • Emergency Duty Service (after hours, weekends and public holidays): 01273 335906/01273 335905

INTRODUCTION

  • Our whole nursery approach to safeguarding is based upon an understanding of the local context and an attitude of ‘it could happen here’.
  • Our children’s welfare is our paramount concern. The nursery Owners and management team will ensure that our nursery will safeguard and promote the welfare of children and work together with other agencies to ensure that our nursery has robust arrangements to identify, assess and support those children who are experiencing or likely to experience harm.
  • Our nursery is a community and all those directly connected, staff, volunteers, Owners, parents, families and children, have an essential role to play in making it safe and secure.
  • Safeguarding is not an isolated activity which is undertaken by a select few within only certain areas of nursery practice. Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility and everyone at our nursery who has contact with children and families must play an active role in keeping children safe from harm. In that respect we take a whole nursery approach to safeguarding, ensuring that it is at the forefront of all our work, that it underpins all of our policies and processes and that everything we do is always with the best interests of the children at heart.
  • Our nursery will provide a caring, positive and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical, emotional and moral development of the individual child, and where children feel safe.

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1.12.2 How we care for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – Our Offer

  1. How does the nursery know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
  • At School House Nurseries we are committed to the inclusion of all children. All children have the right to be cared for and educated to develop to their full potential alongside each other through positive experiences, to enable them to share opportunities and experiences and develop and learn from each other. We provide a positive and welcoming environment where children are supported according to their individual needs and we work hard to ensure no children are discriminated against or put at a disadvantage as a consequence of their needs.
  • If a Practitioner has any concerns, these observations will be shared with the nursery’s Senco (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) and the Manager.
  • At School House Nurseries we have a Key Person system in place, which means every child has a named individual overseeing the child’s record keeping and care needs. When they are not present a Key Buddy is responsible. The role of the Key Person/Buddy is to develop trusting, sensitive relationship with both the child and the parents/carers to enable respectful sharing of information.
  • If you have any concerns about your child’s development you can ask for time to discuss your concerns in private with your Key Person.
  • If your child’s Key Person has identified a possible individual need they will discuss their concerns with you in private and then a joint plan can be made to support your child’s learning and development.
  • Our trained Senco can offer advice and support to the Key Person and our other childcare practitioners. The Senco will liaise with other professionals to seek advice and support in identifying individual needs if and when necessary. Additional support can also be given by East Sussex’s Early Years Support Team with parent’s/carer’s permission.
  • Reports from health care professionals, such as Health Visitors and Speech and Language therapists, who have been involved in identifying a child’s individual needs are always welcomed. This information can then be used to plan for your child’s care, learning and development requirements.

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