Stratford

Our Stratford Nursery has three bright learning rooms specially designed 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 our Milky Way Room designated for babies and toddlers aged 6 months onwards. We have created a tranquil area for them to settle and develop providing a safe and caring play area which is bright and spacious allowing them to move around in a clean and caring environment with stimulating resources to encourage their natural curiosity. We have incorporated a separate sleep area which is furnished with cots and dream coracles so all our babies can rest. The Room also features its own Milk Kitchen which allows the staff to make the babies milk without leaving the room. We aim to ensure your baby’s homecare routines are mirrored, by their Key Person, including feeding, nappy changes and sleep routines. Alternatively their Key Person can support and structure your baby’s routine to merge with the Nursery routine.

  Our passionate and caring staff provide an array of activities. Through the use of movement, sound, colour and touch the babies are encouraged to explore, develop, make independent choices and above all feel settled and secure. Practitioners within this room understand sensitive caregiving, which is needed to support babies’ early development and emotional needs.

  This helps build attachments which is vital for a sense of belonging.  All children are offered opportunities to participate in activities such as music and singing, creative and craft play such as painting, sticking and cooking. We also provide opportunities for exploring the outdoors with free-flow access to the outdoor play area and regular walks around the Garden Square.

  Providing high-quality planned experiences for children’s play is an important way to support children’s learning that is both enjoyable and challenging. Free flow outside play forms a large part of their day where a wide range of  play equipment is available helping develop their balance, co-ordination and physical strength. At this age, children begin to take in interest in books and we have a designated cosy corner to encourage this. Group activities are gradually introduced to develop the babies’ concentration and language, such as via a bespoke ‘Baby Sensory’ session, enabling your baby to experience a wide range of new emotions.

• Orion: Under 2-3¼ years old

  The Orion Room welcomes our newly transitioned children from the Milky Way room. Here your child will be assigned a new Key Person who will support them through the transition period and continue their learning journey with them. This room is dedicated to promoting independence with accessible toilets and coat pegs and will allow the children to grow in preparation for the Supernova pre-school room.

  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 are encouraged and supported to dress themselves, wash their hands before meals, learn to self-serve their meals and eat using a knife and fork at mealtimes. When your child is ready, their Key Person will support them with the transition from nappies to toileting. Your child’s Key Person will continue to assess their development by using the 7 Areas of Learning taken from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Each child will have a formal ‘Two-Year-Old Development Check’ to monitor and promote development at the expected developmental rate and to ensure the child’s is meeting their full potential.

  Orion Room is split into two halves. In one half is the home corner and cosy group area, where there is an abundance of natural light. In this area children are encouraged to spend time independently looking at a wide range of media and reading. 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. The other area is open and spacious allowing children the freedom to construct, build and enjoy creative play. Our Orion Room also offers unique access to a free-flow outdoor area. Primarily, the children have free choice as to what to explore, however, we encourage active times for exercise and quiet times for calmer, structured activities.

  Staff actively lead group activities to further develop comprehension and language. As well as participating in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, the children also take part in weekly Science and Botany and learn about Geography and Culture, both forming part of the BLS Learning Programme.

• Supernova Room: Over 3+ years

  The Supernova Room welcomes our pre-school children. This room has accessible toilets, coat pegs and personal trays. Our aim within the Supernova Room is to ensure that your child is ready and eager to start mainstream school.  The Supernova room has been specifically designed to ensure that children can access a structured programme of learning to prepare them for their move to ‘Big School.’ This room also has unique access to the specially designed outdoor play area.

  Supernova encompasses “School Hours” within the nursery day. This room benefits from a qualified teacher who supports and leads her team in delivering large group ‘teaching’ sessions, adult-led small group activities and child-initiated learning. We encourage children to make their own choices and use their own initiative; this allows them to channel their creativity. We have a wide range of materials which can be accessed freely, presenting children with the artistic licence to design, create and build their own artefacts. This gives children pride and ownership in their work.

  The children are taught how to keep themselves safe by completing risk assessments and learning to solve simple problems; in small, supervised groups children are encouraged to partake in Healthy Risk Taking and Challenging Play. We continue to support and encourage good table manners, children confidently self-serve their meals and snacks, as well as using a knife and fork at mealtimes. Mealtimes are promoted to be a social time where children are encouraged to talk about their cultures and home experiences. Children are confident to dress themselves and attend to their toileting needs in preparation for school.

  To assist children in their personal, social and emotional development BLS offers unique mindfulness sessions, which helps children to be self-aware and provides coping strategies in difficult situations.

  With all the above in mind and in order to access the learning provided in our pre school room we  have room entry requirements which will be discussed with you prior to your child’s admission into Supernova.

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, Stratford 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.

• Registration, Offers/Discounts and Additional Charges

  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.

We are pleased following our first Ofsted Inspection to have been graded ‘GOOD’ in all areas at our Stratford Nursery.

You are welcome to download a copy of our Ofsted Inspection Report.

Key Highlights:

“Children are relaxed and happy in this welcoming nursery. They develop good bonds with staff. Children generally behave well and like to do things for themselves, often demonstrating a can-do attitude.”

“Babies demonstrate a strong exploratory impulse. For instance, they interact with a sensory board and giggle with delight when they touch and feel the different materials and objects displayed.”

“Toddlers explore their curiosity. They enjoy using their senses to smell, squeeze and describe the texture of lemon and mint. Staff provide language such as ‘squeeze’, ‘juicy’ and ‘tangy’.”

“Children are excited to use plastic knives to cut different fruits and vegetables in the home corner. This helps to develop their fine motor skills and independence skills.”

“Children’s language is developing well. Staff introduce children to new vocabulary and sing ‘we are painting’ when encouraging children to use a brush to paint their own hand. They provide language, such as naming the colours, and ask children questions to check their understanding.”

“Staff place a focus on children’s mathematical development. Older children use mathematical language, such as ‘smaller’, ‘bigger’, ‘taller’ and ‘shorter’, to compare the height of different flowers.”

“Some staff have high expectations of children’s behaviour and remind children to pick up toys and coats from the floor.”

“The manager supports staff to develop their knowledge of child development and the early years foundation stage.”

“The nursery has a nutritionist who creates the menu, which changes seasonally to ensure that all children have access to healthy and nutritious lunches.”

“Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. The nursery’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents and staff.”