Greyfriars Day Nursery is affiliated to Greyfriars church and sustains a Christian ethos in line with the church's values.

We aim to provide a balance of care and learning to all children.

We are situated in the heart of Reading's town centre. Our detached house and garden, formerly the vicarage, offers an attractive and homely environment for children aged 3 months to 5 years.

The nursery is open from 8.00am until 6.00pm from Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays.

Our enthusiastic, caring staff are keen to work closely with parents in order to provide the very best for each child and their unique development.

Last user update: August 2022

Our experience of supporting many children with a range of special and/or medical needs means that we are very skilled in meeting the individual needs of all the children.

We place great importance on identifying Special Educational Needs early so that we can begin the process of assessing and providing required provision for the children as quickly as possible.

We have a named SENDCO for the nursery who works very closely with all staff, parents/carers and outside professionals to support all children and their needs.

Staff work in partnership with parents/carers and outside professionals, where required,  to draw up Individual Education Plans that are tailored and unique to each child needs.

Parents will be invited to discuss their child's plan regularly, Parents/carers are welcome to discuss any individual plans made at anytime as an informal chat or can set up a meeting with the childs key person and/or SENDCO if they would prefer. Parents will be invited to attend feedback, if required, for any visits from an outside agencies that may be involved with their child.

Termly reports are sent home for all children that cover their progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum; there is also space for parents to comment on their child's report if they wish to do so. All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child's learning journey from a home perspective.

All planning is done effectively to meet childrens individual needs and interests, all activities are inclusive and available to all children.

Activities will usually be planned and based on a child's current developmental stage, all children are encouraged to take part in the activities and staff encourage older and more able children to scaffold parts of the activity for the younger children to help progress and extend their development, adapting activities where necessary to meet individual needs if required.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers the period of children's development from birth to Five years. This provides a framework for us to use so that we can ensure your children are receiving rich and stimulating  learning experiences.

Your child's Key person will plan their activities based on their knowledge of each child's individual interests and their next steps in their development . Assessment is an ongoing feature of the EYFS and is done through a cycle of observations and monitoring the children's progress.

Depending on the individual needs of the child, support can be offered in the form of equipment to help them communicate, understand or take part in the daily routine or if needed the setting can seek outside agencies and additional funding to help meet the child's needs, depending on the severity.

The setting SENDCO and your child's keyworker will regularly review assess your child's progress and review their individual learning plan at 6 week intervals. They will evaluate any progress made and extend your child's targets if required.

Your child's keyworker will share your child's Individual Learning Plan with you and ask you to sign it to confirm you agree with the strategies we are putting in place to help your child in nursery, will would be happy to give you a copy if you should require one.

Each child's individual learning plan has a place for both yours and your child's aspirations , where applicable, and at each review you will be asked if there is anything you would like to add or any progress you feel your child has made that can be noted as part of their development since the last review to their learning plan.

All Children are supported to ensure they are involved in all activities and outings, any additional support that they would need would be tailored to their unique needs to ensure they are able to fully access any resources and experiences the setting can provide.

The ground level is accessible for children with mobility difficulties and wheelchair users via the pre-school door that backs on to the garden, the garden itself is accessible through a set of double wooden gates that attach to the car park.

Once you have been allocated a school place for your child, your childs key person will arrange a date for you and the school to meet. The meeting will follow a set format of descibing yours childs strenghts and achievements, their difficulties and their needs along with the strategies needed to ensure a comfortable and smooth transition. Parents are central to these meetings and they provide a good opportunity for you to raise any concerns that you have about your child starting school.

Parents/Carers are given regular opportunity to give feedback via feedback forms, their child’s report and during Individual Learning Planning. All policies and procedures are reviewed annually or more often as needed.

Please come along to the setting any time from 8-6 Monday to Friday or by telephone where the manager or deputy will be happy to answer any questions that you may have

Parents/Carers are given regular opportunity to give feedback via feedback forms and their child’s report. A record is kept of all complaint and compliments.