About us
The Cedars Neighbourhood Nursery provides full day care and sessional care for 46 children per day/session. The nursery is open from 7.30am-6.00pm 52 weeks per year. The morning session runs from 7.30am until 1pm and includes breakfast, morning snack and cooked lunch, the afternoon session runs from 1.00 until 6pm, and includes afternoon tea.
All fees are inclusive of nappies, lunch and snacks. Our nursery practitioners are highly qualified and experienced, the national standards for day care expect that staff should be 50% qualified however we exceed this. Practitioners have a range of qualifications; BA Honor's in Early years (level 6), Foundation Degree in Early Years Level 5, NVQ Childcare Learning and development Level 4 and BTEC National Diplomas at Level 3.
Practitioners are encouraged to develop professionally, a member of the team is completing a BA honours degree in Early Years and the Early Years Professional Status. We employ 2 modern apprentices as Nursery Assistants who
attend Exeter College one day per week to working towards Child Care, Learning and Development level 2/3. We have a very good relationship with Exeter College, the nursery was Employer of the year 2006 and Highly commended small business of the South west in 2008.
The nursery has the experience and expertise of a full time Early Years Professional (Level 6) and Qualified Teacher part time who work with nursery practitioners to ensure that planning for the Early Years Foundation Stage is of a high standard,
The staff to child ratios are as follows under 2’s 1:3, 2-3 years 1:4 and 3-5years 1:8, early years professional/qualified teacher 1:13. The nursery employs at least three members of staff over the national ratios and the Nursery Manager is also supernumary. The Nursery is part of the Exeter Sure Start Children Centre's, based in Beacon Heath and is managed by the Children’s Charity Action for Children; http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Our overall aim is to create a warm, homely environment that offers flexibility, so that we can use the space in different ways according to the ages and needs of the children who attend. We have furniture and storage that will enable children to access equipment and materials, so they can choose resources that will allow them to follow their interests. Our baby room (Saplings) is a quiet space, a base for the non mobile babies, however all ages of children can use the room. The room includes an enclosed sleep area. We have sofas for “snuggling up” and enjoying cosy times, there are also areas where children are safe to explore and younger babies are able to pull themselves to standing, walk around furniture and climb in and out of play cubes. There is an emphasis on every day objects rather than toys so that open ended/exploratory play can take place.
The larger room (Woodlands) is divided into three areas – one area for creative activities e.g. water, sand, mark making and painting which also doubles up as our dinning area, were all age groups eat their snacks and main meal of the day. The second area is for small world play including the home corner/domestic play and the final area is for construction and mathematical play, including block play.
We have an additional group room upstairs for older children aged between 3-5 years, (Treetops) for more focused activities with the older children. Generally this is staffed on a 1:4 ratio to enhance the experience for the children using this room. We see the garden as an extension of the nursery which the children have open access (when possible) to enable them to extend all activities outside as well as supporting large physical play e.g. running, jumping or moving around on the bikes on the paths that circle the garden, climbing and balancing on the logs, tyres and balancing beams in the obstacle area or sliding and climbing on the slide on the hill, which also has various tubes for rolling and posting things including small balls or cars. In addition to this, the nursery garden has a large built in sand pit, a covered area and a large deck that is used in all weather conditions.
At the Cedars Nursery we balance care and education to enable children to feel involved and have a high sense of well being. We believe that when children are intensely involved in what they are doing a high level of learning will take place. Equally we know that if children are closely observed and understood, then the practitioners can plan and meet their individual needs, which will enable them to feel secure and safe and happy.
We offer a wide range of experiences at the Cedars that enables all children to explore and follow their interests, practitioners observe children regularly to build and support their learning. We believe children learn best through doing and that the journey is more important than the end result because each child is unique.
We encourage all children to explore in every area of the nursery and follow their particular interests/schemas with adults supporting them. However, although most of the activities are planned to build on these interests we do have adult initiated activities and themes to introduce particular ideas and concepts which balances the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.
All fees are inclusive of nappies, lunch and snacks. Our nursery practitioners are highly qualified and experienced, the national standards for day care expect that staff should be 50% qualified however we exceed this. Practitioners have a range of qualifications; BA Honor's in Early years (level 6), Foundation Degree in Early Years Level 5, NVQ Childcare Learning and development Level 4 and BTEC National Diplomas at Level 3.
Practitioners are encouraged to develop professionally, a member of the team is completing a BA honours degree in Early Years and the Early Years Professional Status. We employ 2 modern apprentices as Nursery Assistants who
attend Exeter College one day per week to working towards Child Care, Learning and Development level 2/3. We have a very good relationship with Exeter College, the nursery was Employer of the year 2006 and Highly commended small business of the South west in 2008.
The nursery has the experience and expertise of a full time Early Years Professional (Level 6) and Qualified Teacher part time who work with nursery practitioners to ensure that planning for the Early Years Foundation Stage is of a high standard,
The staff to child ratios are as follows under 2’s 1:3, 2-3 years 1:4 and 3-5years 1:8, early years professional/qualified teacher 1:13. The nursery employs at least three members of staff over the national ratios and the Nursery Manager is also supernumary. The Nursery is part of the Exeter Sure Start Children Centre's, based in Beacon Heath and is managed by the Children’s Charity Action for Children; http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Our overall aim is to create a warm, homely environment that offers flexibility, so that we can use the space in different ways according to the ages and needs of the children who attend. We have furniture and storage that will enable children to access equipment and materials, so they can choose resources that will allow them to follow their interests. Our baby room (Saplings) is a quiet space, a base for the non mobile babies, however all ages of children can use the room. The room includes an enclosed sleep area. We have sofas for “snuggling up” and enjoying cosy times, there are also areas where children are safe to explore and younger babies are able to pull themselves to standing, walk around furniture and climb in and out of play cubes. There is an emphasis on every day objects rather than toys so that open ended/exploratory play can take place.
The larger room (Woodlands) is divided into three areas – one area for creative activities e.g. water, sand, mark making and painting which also doubles up as our dinning area, were all age groups eat their snacks and main meal of the day. The second area is for small world play including the home corner/domestic play and the final area is for construction and mathematical play, including block play.
We have an additional group room upstairs for older children aged between 3-5 years, (Treetops) for more focused activities with the older children. Generally this is staffed on a 1:4 ratio to enhance the experience for the children using this room. We see the garden as an extension of the nursery which the children have open access (when possible) to enable them to extend all activities outside as well as supporting large physical play e.g. running, jumping or moving around on the bikes on the paths that circle the garden, climbing and balancing on the logs, tyres and balancing beams in the obstacle area or sliding and climbing on the slide on the hill, which also has various tubes for rolling and posting things including small balls or cars. In addition to this, the nursery garden has a large built in sand pit, a covered area and a large deck that is used in all weather conditions.
At the Cedars Nursery we balance care and education to enable children to feel involved and have a high sense of well being. We believe that when children are intensely involved in what they are doing a high level of learning will take place. Equally we know that if children are closely observed and understood, then the practitioners can plan and meet their individual needs, which will enable them to feel secure and safe and happy.
We offer a wide range of experiences at the Cedars that enables all children to explore and follow their interests, practitioners observe children regularly to build and support their learning. We believe children learn best through doing and that the journey is more important than the end result because each child is unique.
We encourage all children to explore in every area of the nursery and follow their particular interests/schemas with adults supporting them. However, although most of the activities are planned to build on these interests we do have adult initiated activities and themes to introduce particular ideas and concepts which balances the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.