Dickory Docks Educational Day Nursery had an OFSTED inspection in June 2023, and was rated "Good". We are an Ofsted registered full day care multicultural care facility for children from the ages of three months to five years. We were rated Outstanding in 2015. We are set in the spacious grounds of Kings Academy Prospect, Cockney Hill, Reading, RG30 4EX. We provide a safe and healthy environment for pre-school learning, perfectly located for the West Reading, Calcot & Burghfield areas. We also care for children outside the area when convenient for parents.

The Nursery is divided into different Rooms; Babies: Red Room (0 to 2 years). Toddlers: Green Room and Orange Room (2-3 years) are cared for in the D-Block which is attached to the school premises. The Pre School children in Yellow and Blue Rooms (3 - 5 years) benefit from a dedicated building which is a Log Cabin, with separate gardens. The main Garden has a soft rubber outside flooring with some grass areas.

We offer term time only (38 weeks) options for funded for 2 year old's, and 3-4 year olds. Currently, the 2 year olds receive a maximum of 15 hours free childcare, and 3-4 years old all receive 15 hours free funding. Working parents may qualify for 30 hours funding. We are open for 51 weeks of the year, but fees for non grant parents are charged over 52 weeks. 

Our Early Start of 7.00am opening has been suspended at present. Our standard opening is from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. We are open 51 weeks of the year.

Parents are asked to minimise risk of infection by optionally wearing a mask. A mask must be worn, parents have any symptoms, such as a cough. Children are advised to be kept of nursery for 5 days if they are unwell or have any symptoms.

Updated - January 2024

When children start at the setting they are allocated a key person. The key person will then monitor the child’s progress and plan for the child’s individual needs. They can then identify children with additional needs or SEND from a variety of ways 

• Initial Observations
• Daily Observations
• Parent meetings and Parent concerns
• Progress reports/two year checks/Progress tracker
• Language monitoring Tool
• Reports from other professionals i.e. health visitor, GP, Portage Workers etc

At the nursery this will be done through regular

• Parent meetings
• Summary Reports
• IEP’s
• TAC meetings
• Parent boards
• Tapestry Observations

Your child’s key person and SENCO will meet with you regularly to discuss your child’s progress and next steps. We have an open door policy so parents are able to discuss their child at any time. 

Our SENCO will meet with the child’s parents and key person and together will write an individual educational plan with achievable targets and activities for the child. All children are observed and their development monitored. Safeguarding is paramount and all staff are trained in safetguarding. All staff are Enhanced DBS checked and hold Paediatric First Aid Certificates.

Regular reviews are conducted on progress

Every child is allocated a key person who will ensure that all your child’s needs are met.

At the setting we have a variety of learning tools for the children e.g. visual time tables, flash cards, staff trained in Makaton. We also have a smartboard that all children enjoy and can interact with.

We also work with outside agencies e.g. Portage workers, speech and language, Educational psychologist who can support us.

We regularly send our staff on training to help them support children with additional needs.

The nursery will work closely with the child and their family and when possible, or where funding has been agreed, children with additional needs or learning difficulties will be supported on a 1:1 basis.

• staff take on extra training
• supported on a 1:1 (Where funded has been agreed)
• adapt resources to help them meet their targets.

We invite other professionals working with the child into the setting with parental agreement. To ensure we discuss and agree on the best targets for the child. Also this helps outside professionals to see the child in different environments. E.g. Speech and Language, Portage Workers, Community nurses.

At the setting when children start we begin their learning Journey. Parents are given ‘All about me forms’ to complete. These ask the parents to fill it out with their child's interests and needs together with the key person. As a setting we then build the child’s journey by observing, parent meetings, 6 week plans, Individual next steps.

When a child starts at the setting, staff will observe and have discussions with parents/carers about the child’s development for the first month. This gives us evidence and information of the child’s starting point with regards to their learning and development. We use Tapestry to record and measure their child's learning journey according to the EYFS. The parent can also contribute to the Tapestry Learning journal through home activities.

The key person then starts the child’s first 6 week plan which they will discuss with the parent/carer, with next steps and activities to help the child progress. After six weeks the key person will evaluate the 6 week plan and follow with a new plan adding in new next steps and changes to any activities. Parents are asked to add any interest, observations or next steps into these plans that they feel will help their child.

Each child’s next steps and activities is put into the rooms weekly plan so that every child is involved in the activities and that they are working towards their next steps.

We have parents evenings twice a year for parents to come along and talk about their child and their development. The staff will also talk to the parents at end of days at the beginning and end of each 6 week plan. 

• Activities and trips can be adapted so that they meet every child’s needs.
• We ensure that there is a range of activities out each day for the children.
• Staff are sat around the room in different areas to help support group play and ensure all children can be involved in any activities that are out.
• Risk assessments on all activities, areas in the rooms and trips daily to ensure all children, staff and parents are safe and can access them.

Our setting is accessible as we have

• Buildings on one level
• Wide corridors and doorways
• Disabled toilets
• Ramps to access doors for easy access. 

Our Transition Coordinator helps children with transition to each of our rooms and also supports staff with key children moving to different settings or Schools.

• We have visited many of the schools in the area and taken photos to build a transition book.
• We use story times to discuss change and new schools/settings
• group sessions
• Lending library with books about new settings
• Communication with new setting
• Teachers/Key people are invited in to the setting with parental permission to meet the child and key person. 

We regularly send out parental questionnaire's. With the feedback we action plan and display this on our questionnaire board to inform parents of changes we are making and things that we are doing well.

Contact Detail’s:

Telephone: 01189598252 or 01189500915

Email addresses:

Narinder: narinder@dickorydocksdaynursery.co.uk

Admin: admin@dickorydocksdaynursery.co.uk

Bob: bob@dickorydocksdaynursery.co.uk

We have an open and honest approach to feedback and work hard to address and resolve any complaints. It is most important for us to win your trust in all that we do. We have a comprehensive complaints policy that is part of the policies that are read by parents when their child starts with us. The following are some of the ways you can communicate with us:

• Email
• Comments & Suggestion Boxes
• Open door policy
• Parents Evenings
• Parents Questionnaires