About The Croft
Our small family of nurseries are set-up to be aspirational yet accessible and fully inclusive to help the communities we serve.
Menu
Our small family of nurseries are set-up to be aspirational yet accessible and fully inclusive to help the communities we serve.
At the Croft our mission is to nurture and encourage each child to learn and progress within a supportive environment. Dedicated practitioners working together to provide a joyful, stimulating safe world for children to explore and be themselves.
Our aim is to provide a range of fun and challenging indoor and outdoor activities to assist the children in their development in a warm and welcoming environment.
We always strive to excel and adhere to best practice.
While children are taught by all educators in a room, Each child has a key carer who is the main person responsible for their personal development, well-being and progress. A learning journey is sent to parents at the end of each week…to give you a snapshot of what your child has learning during the week and how that relates to the curriculum and EYFS milestones.
“The Croft is a truly amazing nursery. My daughter attended several nurseries in the area. However, we have found the best one now! She has been the happiest and learnt the most here.”
-Krisztina E.
Within our settings a The Croft, we base our curriculum around the children’s developmental needs depending on their personal rate of development. We use both the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Birth to 5 Matters non-statutory guidance to help our practitioners to plan stimulating learning experiences based on a children’s individual next steps.
The foundation stage recognises that children need to be able to use concrete experiences to provide the building blocks for their learning. The Croft offers a broad and balanced curriculum, based on the early years stage compiled by EYFS, utilising play: modelling; painting; investigating; cooking and circle-time discussions as mediums for learning.
Skills designed to develop their confidence guiding the children to make sense of the physical world and their community. Observe and find out about people, places, technology and their environment.
For the younger children (0-3) most of their activities are through Play. Play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills. Play is meaningful, joyful, engaging, interactive and socially interactive.
For the pre-schooler’s activities become more “adult led” as their focus increases on literacy and maths and leaning programmes such as letters and Sounds. It will still all be full of fun, praise, fostering both motivation and a love for learning
Our younger groups emphasise developing their Prime areas of development: their physical, communication and language development and early social skills through play. When your child reaches the age of 2, our knowledgeable and experienced, early years staff will complete a formal progress report which will be shared with your child’s health visitor as part of our collaborative 2-year check. These Prime areas of development will provide the building blocks needed to support your child to move forward into the specific areas of learning which are introduced within our curriculum for children over 2 years.
For our preschool-aged children, greater emphasis is laid on preparation for school with self-help and promoting independence at the forefront of their learning journey. We aim to help children learn through various structured activities and work towards the identifiable Early Learning Goals highlighted within the Foundation Stage by the end of respective. Resources chosen for these early learning skills are planned to enable children to be instrumental in their own learning – and of course, help make learning fun.
There is also an emphasis on free play, quiet play, outdoor play and rest periods. All aspects are essential to the overall development of a child and will allow them free expression. We have well-equipped outdoor spaces that the children have access to daily as they enjoy planned and spontaneous learning experiences alongside close adult supervision. Find out more https://birthto5matters.org.uk
The Croft encourage the children to eat well and learn about food, setting foundations for their future health and wellbeing. It is a social time with adults and children eating together and we encourage good behaviour and excellent table manners. Staff are aware of and respect all allergies, medical and cultural differences in eating habits.
We are fortunate in that we have a dedicated team who love to provide innovative and healthy menu options for the children, which are regularly updated.
The Croft is currently participating in the Healthy Early Years London awards scheme.
Hygiene and safe practice are very important at The Croft and our settings all have 5-star Food Hygiene Ratings.
In addtion to this, all staff will obtain a food hygiene certificate when they start with us.
We observe a strict approach to managing and controlling allergens. So that children do not feel different from their friends, we always produce meal variants to allow for their various allergen needs while still enjoying the same meal.
The nursery runs ‘Super-Food of the Week’ competitions which the children participate in. This promotes their understanding of healthy food and a healthy balanced diet.
The curriculum includes cooking activities for the children as a fun and educational introduction…which they can also enjoy afterwards!
We regularly have ‘foods from around the world’ weeks to introduce different flavours from different cultures.
The Croft is currently participating in the Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) awards scheme which supports a healthy start in life. Further information is available here:
We take pride in our relationship with our parents. So, what they have to say means a lot to us and it enables us to shape the future together. This partnership ensures that the we understand parents requirements and this mutual cooperation drives all that we do.
Some of our most common questions answered for your here. Should you have any questions not covers here, please don’t hesitate to ask. Click here to contact us.
Generally because we are a small nursery we only offer the specified days on the fee schedule but please talk to us about your needs.
As all meals are prepared freshly on the premises all dietary requirements are catered for. The Dietary Requirement List is prominently displayed and checked at every meal. Should any reaction occur all staff are trained in both first aid and the use of an epi-pen.
In baby nursery a communication book records your baby’s day in detail including all activities, outings, nappy changes, food, drinks, bottles and how much they slept.
Once they move to the nursery school this is replaced by a weekly update. This report contains a comments on aspects of your child’s development and activities they have participated in during the week.
Children are automatically moved up to the next class when it is appropriate. Parents do not need to reapply (they should however be mindful that a clear term’s notice is required if they want to withdraw their child).
No, you must fill in application form for each child. Siblings are however given a priority in our waiting list.
Your first point of contact should always be your child’s teacher. You can send them an email or please feel free to stop and have a chat at the morning drop off.
We understand that these things can happen and try to accommodate for such instances. Contact the office as soon as possible if you will be late. There is a charge for being late, this fee is stipulated in the terms and conditions.
Depending on staff availability it may be possible to accommodate your child for additional ad-hoc hours. These additional hours are charged in line with our normal fee schedule. Please contact the office to discuss your needs.
Some teachers provide babysitting outside of hours and this should be discussed with them directly. We may be able to advise you as to which teachers you should speak to. This is a private arrangement for which the school accepts no responsibility.
If your child is in baby nursery their communication book will always state what and how much they ate. All ages in school house can receive a food slip that indicates how well your child ate. Please notify the office if you require one.
We operate an ‘open-door’ policy which means you can discuss your child’s progress with their keyworker at anytime. In addition to this we operate 2 parents evenings a year so that you can have the opportunity to view the children’s work and discuss their progress with their teacher. During the term you are also welcome to arrange a meeting with your teacher if it is required. You can also email your teacher.
You will be greeted at the front door by a member of the team. Parents will be asked to hand over any information about their child, who will then be taken to their room and all information passed onto their key person.
You should proceed to the waiting area where you child will be brought to you.
Its very upsetting when your child is distressed at drop off but we find that they settle very quickly and happily when their parent has left. It is best to keep your good-bye as brief as you feel comfortable with and remain as positive and upbeat as you can. Please discuss any concerns you have with your child’s teacher.
Each child will have a settling in process. This differs by age. You and your child will gradually increase, over the course of a week, the time your child is at the nursery without you. This process will be worked out with your key worker on an individual basis.
All minor bumps, scrapes and grazes are treated with tlc and first aid as appropriate and then noted in the accident book. You will be required to sign this entry at the end of the day. An ambulance will be called for anything that requires a hospital visit and a parent or guardian will notified immediately.
You will be contact immediately if your child is ill and you will be required to collect them as soon as possible.
We encourage our children to eat as healthy as possible and provide every child with a healthy balanced diet each day. Visit our Food & Menu’s page for more information.
Our days are 8 am to 6 pm, although you are welcome to drop off later and collect earlier if arranged beforehand with the staff. However, the full days’ fees will be charged.
No, it is free to register your child.
Yes, a month’s fee is required as your deposit which will be deduced from your final month’s bill when your child leaves. This deposit must be paid within a week of accepting the place for your child’s nursery space to be guaranteed.
To enquiry for a place at the nursery, you need to complete an enquiry form via the nursery website. You will then be contacted by either e-mail or phone call to discuss your childcare needs. This will then be followed up by an
email, which includes, Price List, Prospectus and an Application Form. We will also include details on how to visit the Croft with your family. Once your application form is returned, we will arrange a visit to the nursery with your child. Once you have visited the Croft, we will confirm availability and you can confirm if you wish to proceed with booking a place. The application will then be passed on to admissions to process your booking.
We do have a waiting list for parents who would like a space which is on a first come, first serve bases. Spaces are allocated depending on the parents’ requirements and the age of the child. Parents with siblings already at the setting are a priority, as well as children already in attendance who need to increase their booking. Due to the high demand at our settings and structure of room movements, we are most limited on space in our Pre-School room, with our baby room offering the most space.
Our friendly team are ready to help you book a visit, apply for a place or answer any questions you may have. Just tap the button below and get in touch.
