A friendly nursery, where the children come first

The nursery began with equipment donated or loaned by parents or friends, and we have developed into a highly respected group, which offers a safe and caring environment for local children.

North Stainmore Nursery is part of Warcop now, but it was established in 1988 in North Stainmore Village Hall.The nursery began with equipment donated or loaned by parents or friends, and we have developed into a highly respected group, which offers a safe and caring environment for local children.

The nursery relocated to Warcop C of E Primary School in September 2007 where we are currently housed within the school, pending successful funding bids to purchase our own building.

The first impression of North Stainmore Nursery is of a friendly, welcoming environment where the children’s needs come first. The work is characterised by lots of stimulating, interactive activities and a clear, child-friendly structure. The children are encouraged to develop their full potential physically, emotionally and intellectually and are supported in this by a key worker, responsible for guiding and caring for individuals throughout their stay.

Playing and learning

Every day has in-built circle time for stories, discussion, rhymes and sharing as well as sociable meal times with the key workers and physical play, often outside. Many opportunities are given for reading, writing and more practical experiences such as sand, water, Play-Doh, paint and craftwork.

Children are very proud of the work they frequently take home or have displayed at nursery. The nursery has strong home/nursery links and always involves parents in the process of education. Parents say they feel well-informed and fully involved in the lives of their children at the nursery.

One of the great strengths of the nursery is its staffing. Our four members of staff combine professionalism with many years of experience and have been together as a team for ten years. This stability gives the children a strong sense of security and belonging. Parents often comment on how it is difficult to keep their children away! 

Training of staff is ongoing, including regular off-site courses to keep abreast of the latest developments and maintain skills such as first aid. Recent training has been in Cultures and Beliefs and Health and Safety in the Workplace.

Playing outside at Warcop

North Stainmore Nursery offers a rich and varied curriculum with "learning through play" activities planned in every session. Detailed planning covers all areas of the curriculum for both "Birth to Three Matters" and "The Foundation Curriculum", but staff provide a variety of experiences which go far beyond this basic minimum.

All pre-schoolers are accompanied on visits to the primary schools they have chosen, which has proven an invaluable way of helping settle them in. The children also benefit enormously from enrichment activities built into the curriculum such as an annual Fun Day, nativity plays and a Brazilian carnival to celebrate other cultures.

Opportunities

The extra-curricular programme at the nursery is one of its greatest assets; staff and committee have worked hard to produce a very wide range of experiences on and off site, from a walk outside to look at the animals to a visit from a professional puppet theatre.

There are regular visits to local venues, such as railway stations and the library. The mobile library now visits the nursery. Many visitors are invited to talk to the children and recently these have included a road safety officer, health visitor, vet, hairdresser and a local vicar – these events offer important enjoyable and educational opportunities and are especially valuable in a small rural community.

Funds are raised to allow all three- and four-year-olds to attend a course of swimming lessons, which are enjoyable and confidence-boosting, as well as being an important safety aspect. The Music Therapy course is always very successful because of the interactive nature of the sessions and the children are fascinated by the exploration of music from around the world.

The Management Committee is a dedicated and hard-working group of parents who meet regularly to support the working of the nursery and who take seriously our responsibility to ensure the nursery is sustainable, well run and delivering the charitable outcomes for which it has been set up.

Members of the committee contribute to the leadership and direction of the nursery, its policies, practices and activities.

We work together

One of the main functions of the group is to help raise the extra funds required for the many enrichment activities enjoyed by the children. Staff and committee have worked together on many fundraising activities, such as social events, nearly-new sales and sponsored walks and swims. Some of this year’s fundraisers are a Wild West evening, Family Bingo, cake stall and a Grand Raffle.

With further development and investment we feel sure that North Stainmore Nursery will not only maintain its excellent service to the local community but also be able to offer an even wider range of facilities.