• PARENT INFORMATION •
Starting Your Journey
Starting nursery is a big milestone for both children and parents. Our settling-in sessions are tailored to your child's individual needs, helping them build confidence, familiarity, and secure relationships before their official start date.
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We work closely with families to ensure the transition is gentle, positive, and at a pace that feels right for your child.
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We also provide transition visits when children move between rooms, helping them become familiar with their new environment, Key Person, and routine while ensuring continuity in their care and learning journey.
Every child is assigned a dedicated Key Person who will get to know them, support their development, and build a strong partnership with your family.
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Your child's Key Person will help them feel safe, secure, and valued, while keeping you informed about their progress, interests, and achievements. This approach supports strong attachments and helps children develop confidence and emotional wellbeing.
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As children move through the nursery, we carefully plan transitions between rooms. Existing and new Key Persons work closely together, sharing information about your child's routines, interests, and development. We also ensure children have opportunities to spend time with their new Key Person while maintaining familiar relationships, helping them feel confident and secure throughout the transition.
We believe strong parent partnerships are at the heart of every child's success.
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Using the Famly app, you'll receive daily updates about meals, sleep, nappy changes, activities, observations, and special moments from your child's day.
You'll also be able to message the nursery directly and stay connected to your child's learning journey.
We offer a range of government-funded childcare places, including eligible 15-hour and 30-hour funding schemes.
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Our fee structure is designed to be clear and transparent, with meals, snacks, nappies, wipes, and extracurricular activities included.
For full details of our fees and funding options, please visit our Fees & Funding page or speak to a member of our team.
To help your child feel comfortable throughout the day, please bring:
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• Spare clothes suitable for messy play and everyday adventures
• Several sets of spare clothes if your child is toilet training
• A cot-sized sheet and blanket for sleep and rest times
• A weather-appropriate coat and outdoor clothing/footwear
• A named sun hat, suncream and weather-appropriate clothing during warmer months
• Any prescribed medication, together with completed medication forms
Daily Life at Little Apples
We believe healthy eating plays an important role in children's wellbeing and development. Our on-site chef prepares fresh, balanced meals and snacks each day, helping children develop healthy eating habits from an early age.
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As part of our commitment to children's health and wellbeing, we follow the Healthy Early Years London programme and are proud to hold a 5-star Food Hygiene Rating from the Food Standards Agency.
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We cater for allergies, dietary requirements, and cultural preferences wherever possible. Menus are carefully planned and shared with families through the Famly app.
Rating held since 2012.
Every child has their own individual routine, and we work closely with families to ensure these routines are followed and supported at nursery.
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Children are provided with a calm, comfortable environment for rest and sleep, helping them feel secure, settled, and ready to learn and play.
We believe children learn best through play, exploration, and meaningful experiences. By following children's interests and providing carefully planned learning opportunities, we nurture confidence, communication, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning.
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Our EYFS curriculum supports every child to develop the skills, knowledge, and independence they need to thrive both now and in the future.
We believe outdoor experiences are an essential part of childhood. Children enjoy daily access to outdoor play, where they can explore, take managed risks, develop physical skills, and build a connection with the natural world.
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Inspired by Forest School principles, our Woodland Sessions promote confidence, resilience, independence, and a love of nature. Through child-led exploration and hands-on experiences, children develop problem-solving skills, creativity, teamwork, and an understanding of how to care for the world around them.
In addition to our EYFS curriculum, children enjoy a variety of enriching extracurricular experiences, including Spanish, Bazumba, Dough Gym, Makaton, Baby Sensory Sessions and Woodland Sessions.
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These sessions provide opportunities to develop new skills, build confidence, and explore new interests. As part of our commitment to providing exceptional value for families, these experiences are included at no additional cost.
Supporting Your Child's Development
Children's ability to communicate is at the heart of everything we do. Through conversations, stories, songs, role play, and everyday interactions, we help children develop confidence in expressing themselves and understanding others.
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We also use Makaton signs throughout the nursery to support communication, encourage inclusion, and help children develop language skills in a fun and engaging way.
At Little Apples, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every child feels valued and supported. We recognise that each child is unique and work closely with families to understand and meet individual needs.
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We use Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to set personalised targets and regularly review progress. Through ongoing self-evaluation, we continually reflect on and strengthen our inclusive practice.
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We work in partnership with local authorities and external agencies to access specialist support when needed, ensuring the best outcomes for every child. Our environment is adapted with appropriate resources and equipment to remove barriers and promote confidence, independence and development.
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Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, supporting every child on their own learning journey.
Our SENCO Leads:
Sarah
Vicky
Starting solids is an exciting milestone, and we work closely with families to ensure a consistent approach between home and nursery.
Our team supports children as they explore new tastes, textures, and self-feeding skills, helping to build confidence and encourage positive relationships with food at their own pace.Every child reaches this milestone in their own time. We work in partnership with families to provide a consistent and supportive approach, helping children develop confidence and independence throughout their toilet training journey.
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We recommend beginning toilet training when your child is showing signs of readiness and can pull their own trousers up and down independently.
To help support your child, please provide:
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Around 10 pairs of pants/knickers
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Several spare pairs of trousers or leggings
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Easy-to-manage clothing that promotes independence
At nursery, children use toilets rather than potties to help build confidence and independence. However, we understand that every child is different and are happy to work closely with families to ensure a consistent approach between home and nursery.
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School readiness is about much more than letters and numbers. We help children develop the confidence, independence, communication skills, resilience, and curiosity they need for a successful transition to school.
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Through play-based learning and meaningful experiences, children are supported to become capable, confident learners who are ready for their next adventure.
We focus on developing:
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Independence in self-care, dressing, toileting, and everyday routines
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Communication, listening, and language skills
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Early literacy and mathematical understanding
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Confidence, resilience, and positive attitudes towards learning
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Social skills, friendships, and working collaboratively with others
We work closely with families and local schools to support a smooth transition, helping children feel excited, confident, and prepared for their next stage of learning.
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We believe strong partnerships between nursery and home help children thrive. Once each term, families are invited to meet with their child's Key Person to talk about their development, progress, interests, and achievements.
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Together, we review your child's learning and development across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), celebrate their progress, and identify areas where we can continue to support and extend their learning.
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We also discuss next steps for the coming term, working together to build on your child's strengths, interests, confidence, and independence. Families are encouraged to share what they are seeing at home, ask questions, and discuss ways we can provide consistency between home and nursery.
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These regular conversations help us maintain a strong two-way partnership with families and ensure that your child's individual needs, development, and next steps remain at the heart of their learning journey.
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Health, Safety & Wellbeing
Safeguarding children is our highest priority. We have robust policies, procedures, and staff training in place to ensure every child is cared for in a safe, secure, and nurturing environment.
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All team members receive regular safeguarding training and are committed to promoting children's welfare, recognising concerns, and responding appropriately. We also maintain secure entry systems, visitor procedures, and thorough risk assessments throughout the nursery.
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To learn more about our quality standards, accreditations, and commitment to excellence, please visit our Quality Standards & Accreditations page.
Our Safeguarding Leads:
Alex
Jodie
We work closely with families to support children with medical conditions, allergies, and individual healthcare needs.
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Prescribed medication can be administered by trained staff with the appropriate consent forms in place. Individual care plans are created where required, ensuring children receive safe, consistent, and personalised support throughout their time at nursery.
Please speak to a member of the team if your child has any medical or dietary requirements.
To help keep all children and staff healthy, we ask that children who are unwell remain at home until they are well enough to return.
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We follow Public Health guidance regarding exclusion periods for common childhood illnesses and will always communicate with families if there is an outbreak of illness within the nursery.
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All illnesses, absences, and holidays should be reported through the Famly app. When reporting an absence, please provide as much detail as possible about your child's symptoms, illness, or travel plans. This helps us monitor children's wellbeing, identify illnesses that may be circulating within the nursery, maintain accurate records, and fulfil our safeguarding responsibilities.
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If you are unsure whether your child should attend, please contact the nursery for advice.
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Alternatively please review the Public Health Agencies Guidance.
Children's emotional wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. We build warm, nurturing relationships that help children feel safe, secure, and confident in their environment.
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Our team supports children to understand and manage their emotions through positive role modelling, consistent boundaries, and age-appropriate guidance. We focus on developing confidence, resilience, kindness, and respect while celebrating each child's individuality.
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Across the nursery, we use our Colour Monster project to help children recognise, understand, and express their feelings in a fun and engaging way.
Through stories, emotion resources, sensory experiences, and group discussions, children are encouraged to develop emotional vocabulary, build confidence in self-expression, and develop empathy and understanding towards others.
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By helping children identify and talk about their emotions, we support positive relationships, emotional wellbeing, and the foundations for future learning and school readiness.
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We believe healthy habits start early. Through nutritious meals, active play, outdoor learning, and good hygiene practices, we help children develop positive habits that support their health and wellbeing.
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As part of our commitment to promoting oral health, Little Apples participates in the NHS-funded Supervised Toothbrushing Scheme (STB). Children are supported to brush their teeth daily using age-appropriate techniques, helping to build healthy habits and confident smiles for life.
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By working in partnership with families, we encourage children to understand the importance of looking after their bodies, teeth, and overall wellbeing.
