Mill Hill

We have specially designed four bright learning rooms with your child’s best interests at heart, each tailored to one of our particular age groups of babies, toddlers and pre-school complete with carefully selected sophisticated resources, facilities and modern technology suited to encourage children’s exploration for plentiful learning opportunities. Each room has direct access to outdoor space allowing the free flow of learning and playing both indoors and out.

• Milky Way Room: Under 2 years old

  Welcome to the Milky Way Room where we accommodate babies and pre-toddlers. This room has been specially designed for our littlest ones to move around safely in a clean and caring environment. We operate a strict no outdoor shoes policy in this room. To ensure babies are able to get the rest they need, we have designed a separate sleep section for their comfort. The Milky Way Room also features its own milk kitchen and a multi-sensory room to encourage children to use their senses and explore. Your child will be assigned a Key Person and we try to follow any routines you have established at home. We will also complete a daily diary for your child which outlines what your child has been up to during the day.

  Younger children are given plenty of stimulating activities and choice in order for them to get used to the nursery environment, particularly during the settling-in period. We place great importance on providing sensitive care with a variety of experiences to promote your baby’s emotional development and understanding of their environment. Interaction through speech and play is also important to create special attachments with adults and carers and to nurture a sense of security and well-being.

  We like to take part in a variety of activities throughout the day, including walks in the fresh air and playtime in specially designated areas of our gardens. Indoor activities take place in our large, well-equipped room and include creative and craft play such as painting, sticking, cooking, music and singing. We also introduce children to colours, shapes and counting in accordance with the EYFS. All activities are structured around your baby’s individual needs and abilities to support their growth and development.

  The older group have a varied and interesting programme of play and learning. One of the biggest changes is in their physical development.Children progress from crawling to walking and begin to use their new mobility to push and pull toys, dance and climb. Outside play forms a large part of their day and we have a range of toys and play equipment which will develop their balance, co-ordination, physical strength and confidence.

  At this age, children also begin to take an interest in books, nursery rhymes and enjoy experimenting with crayons, drawing and sensory materials. They begin to recognise patterns and shapes and we support their learning by encouraging them to choose activities. We also start to introduce group activities, which improves concentration, language skills and enables your child to experience a wide range of new emotions. Children enjoy learning basic tasks. We begin to teach them to use a spoon and fork to eat and to drink from a cup.

• Galaxy Room: Under 2¼ – 3 ¼ years old

  The Galaxy Room is for our confident walkers and pre-toddlers. When your child joins this room they will be assigned a new Key Person. It is a recognised fact that children of this age develop fully intellectually, emotionally and physically when they are free to move and explore their environment safely. Our carefully planned environment is rich in colour, print and physical experiences for this age group.

  The small group time area and book corner is a comfortable spot for reading and encourages children to read often through choice and access books easily. Our daily story and group times form part of our early active learning routine, enabling children’s concentration levels to grow preparing them for later teaching. Learning and creative materials along with children’s pegs and cubbies are labelled using print and pictures. Seeing print and pictures around them helps children to learn about and prepare for reading. Our visual timetables help children to learn routines and feel safe and secure by knowing what is happening next.

  As Pre-Toddlers explore and use all their senses to learn about the world around them, our learning room offers easily-accessible materials to explore, including role play, creative and mark-making materials, puzzles and shape sorters, sand and water and a fantastic indoor baby gym.

• Orion Room: 2 ¼- 3 ¼ years old

  When your child joins Orion they will be assigned a new Key Person who will ensure that all aspects of your child’s physical and intellectual development are met.

  This is a time of exploration and discovery for your child when we build on their developing physical skills and intellectual abilities. We have active times for exercise and play and quiet times for calmer, academic activities and speech development.

  Language comprehension develops at an increasing rate at this age and we spend time looking at picture books and reading to children to build their vocabulary and a love of books. We also spend more time learning in groups, including pretend play, to better understand other people’s feelings and to continue to learn how to co-operate with others.

  Children develop at different rates and each child’s progress is individual to them. The Key Person’s role is very important to encourage exploration and self-help. Children will be encouraged and supported to put their coats and shoes on when playing in the garden and using a knife and fork at meal times. They will go to the bathroom to wash their hands before meals.

  Adults are important role models in children’s early development and we encourage good table manners and always model polite language which children naturally copy by saying please, thank you and excuse me. Praise is always given for new achievements to build self-esteem and confidence.

• Supernova Room: Over 3 ¼ years

  

  Between the ages of approximately 3¼ and 5, your child’s independence and self-help skills grow and they develop a stronger sense of their own identity and place in the world. The relationships they build with adult carers and, in particular, their Key Person will form the basis of much of their learning at this age.

  Older children have a structured programme of learning, which is based on activities in preparation for their transition from nursery to ‘big’ school. Children participate in a ‘School Day’ within the nursery day. This ‘School Day’ involves two bespoke teaching sessions, a number of adult-led small group sessions and focused child-initiated learning.

  Outside of these times children continue to learn with increased independence and are encouraged to do more for themselves, including choosing and carrying out activities and tasks, with a variety of interesting materials and resources available. They also have opportunities to take part in various extra-curricular activities. The room is set out into different learning areas including: Communication & Language, Physical Development, Personal Social & Emotional Development, Mathematics, Literacy (including phonics, ‘reading’ and mark making/writing), Understanding the World and Expressive Arts & Design.

  Children are encouraged to choose resources from different areas and have continual access to ICT equipment,  sand, water, role-play and books. We also support and encourage children in areas such as eating, dressing and toileting. Helping adults in everyday tasks such as preparing tables at meal times and tidying away afterwards, encourages independence.

  

  We recognise the importance of your child’s all-round development and concentrate on building their social, emotional, intellectual, physical and language skills. Physical sessions are planned each week to develop their strength and co-ordination and several group sessions are integrated into the daily routine to develop social and communications skills. Literacy and numeracy can develop rapidly with the support of a wide range of resources e.g. Numicon. Jolly Phonics and Read Write Inc. are used to support letter recognition and formation.

  Children’s language is now much more complex and we encourage them to join in conversations to learn to use longer sentences and to begin to think about the past, present and future. We also introduce children to the concepts of dangers and safe limits. An increased interest in joint play, such as make-believe, construction and puzzles helps to develop comprehension and planning and reinforces important social skills such as sharing and co-operation.

  With all the above mind and in order to be able to access the learning provided in our pre-school room, we have room entry requirements.

Take a look at around our nursery and see all that we have to offer you and your little one.

At Bright Little Stars Nursery, for your convenience, unlike many other nurseries our fees include an exciting range of extra-curricular clubs, freshly prepared meals and snacks cooked by our on-site chef and milk (excluding formula milk).

We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm, 50 weeks per year excluding Bank Holidays for children aged 6 months to 5 years. Our sessions comprise of a choice between part-time or full-time discounted care. Children can be dropped off and/or picked up anytime within their relevant session time. Fees are charged on a monthly basis.

In the best interests of each child, for private care, we ask you to commit to a minimum of 2 full days per week.  This ensures that each child is well settled and is able to participate fully within the curriculum at Nursery.

For further detailed information about our fees or any discounts we are offering please see below or contact our Nursery Manager who will be more than happy to answer any queries you may have.

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• Registration, Offers/Discounts and Additional Charges

  Application, Registration and Fees

  A signed and fully completed application form and parent contract together with a non-refundable Registration Fee is required prior to confirmation of a place. Registration does not guarantee a place for the start date / sessions required.

  Offers/Discounts

  Siblings Discount

  To reward our loyal parent partners, we are happy to offer a 10% siblings discount to the eldest child of two children, including twins, attending our Nursery at the same time. For three siblings, we are happy to offer the eldest child a 10% siblings discount and the second child a 5% siblings discount when all three children are attending our Nursery at the same time*.

  Additional Charges

  Please note parents are expected to provide nappies, wipes and formula milk.

  Registration Fee:	£75.00 non-refundable
  Deposit:	2 weeks fees refundable subject to Terms and Conditions
  Late Collection Charge:	£10.00 for every 15 minutes
  Nursery Outings:	As and when they take place

• Funding, Tax-Free Childcare and Vouchers

  Government Funding

  The Government funds Local Authorities to offer subsidised early education places in settings inspected by Ofsted. We fully participate in offering your child 15 or 30 hours’ funded childcare per week.
  Currently, this will commence the term after your child becomes eligible for funding. Local Authority conditions apply. Extended funding for eligible parents will be rolled out in phases in line with government criteria:

  From April 2024, working parents of children aged 2 will be able to access 15 hours free childcare.

  From September 2024, working parents of children aged 9 months and above will be able to access 15 hours free childcare.

  From September 2025, working parents of children aged 9 months and above will be entitled to 30 hours free childcare per week.

  Funded Early Education entitlement commences the term after they become eligible for funding and are entitled to 570 hours of childcare which is 15 hours per week for 52 weeks a year.  In addition, 3 and 4 year olds of eligible, working parents may also be able to access a further 570 hours of funded childcare; this means 3 and 4 year olds could receive a total of 30 hours funded childcare per week over for 38 weeks a year, providing they meet the government eligibility.

  Bright Little Stars stretches this funding entitlement over the year and adds the cost of providing the many additional services that BLS prides itself on providing for our privately funded sessions. This includes nutritionally balanced meals designed by a qualified nutritionist, extra-curricular clubs, ParentCam, digital access to your child’s online learning journals with real time updates, a home learning platform, qualified teachers leading our pre-school, regular nursery events for children and parents, parent educational workshops with an extensive database of recordings, individualised support for school applications and many other additional services.

  To qualify for the 9 months plus Funding each parent (or the sole parent in a lone parent family) will need to earn, on average, at least the equivalent of 16 hours on the national minimum wage per week and no more than £100,000 per year.  Self- employed parents and parents on zero-hours contracts will be eligible if they meet the average earnings criteria. Families where one parent is not in paid employment (or neither parent works) will usually not be eligible for the additional 15 hours. There are exceptions for parents who are on parental, maternity, paternity, adoption or sick leave. Parents who are studying or in training will not be eligible unless this is combined with paid work which meets the minimum average earnings threshold.

  To find out more please visit the Childcare Choices website.

  Please note:  Whilst we participate in 15 and 30 hours funded entitlement to Early Years Education this does not guarantee the availability of a place.

  Tax-Free Childcare

  All BLS Nurseries are registered and accept payments from Tax-Free Childcare accounts.  Tax-Free Childcare is a more accessible alternative to the Employer Childcare Voucher scheme offering tax efficient savings when paying for your nursery fees. Tax-Free Childcare will be open to all qualifying parents, unlike childcare vouchers which can only be bought by people whose employer offers the scheme.  It is a scheme by which the government will top up a designated childcare bank account by 20p for every 80p deposited, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child per year.  It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure the Tax-Free Childcare payments are set up in line with the terms of the Bright Little Stars Contract.

  Tax-Free Childcare can be used alongside the 15 and 30 hours funded entitlement to Early Years Education and will support families with their childcare costs.

  To find out if you are eligible or for more detailed information and how to register, please visit the Government Childcare Service website.  Please also see the Frequently Asked Questions in our Parent Information for further terms and conditions.

  Childcare Vouchers

  We accept Childcare Vouchers from employers who offer this benefit to their eligible employees as an e-voucher. Vouchers are non-taxable and exempt from NI contributions for employees, whilst offering NI savings for employers. Both parents are eligible to claim as long as they are both in employment.

Our Mill Hill Nursery was graded ‘OUTSTANDING’ in all areas by Ofsted in 2017. You are welcome to download a copy of this Report.

In 2023, Ofsted graded us ‘GOOD’ in all areas. We are pleased to also share this most recent Ofsted Inspection Report with you and some key highlights below.

Key Highlights:

“Leaders have developed a curriculum that is highly ambitious and carefully sequenced.”

“Children demonstrate high levels of engagement and excellent listening and attention skills.”

“Children become increasingly independent in their self-care skills as they move through the nursery.”

“Staff have worked hard to embed routines and boundaries. Children understand what is expected of them and generally behave well.”

“Leaders have developed highly inviting outside areas, which promote children to be active and physical in their play.”

“Staff are skilled at delivering engaging activities with a clear learning intent”.

“Staff’s interactions with children are consistently warm and supportive.”

“The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is highly knowledgeable and passionate about her role.”

“Leaders work hard to build positive relationships with parents.”

“Leaders prioritise staff’s well-being of staff. They have a wealth of initiatives and benefits in place to ensure that staff feel supported and valued.”

“Leaders are highly reflective about the nursery. There is a supportive and highly experienced senior leadership team, who monitors practice and ensures that policies and procedures are consistently adhered to.”