Our Childcare Approach
A Space to Grow
At Ivy House Nursery we appreciate that each and every child is different, which is of course what makes them so special.
Some children take time to adjust to their new environment while others are confident to jump straight in. We work with you to ensure your child is settled and ready for any transition with us.
Whether that be when they first join us here at Ivy House or when it is time to move onto their next part of their learning journey within the nursery.
Each room allows children to develop, learn and play at a pace that is just right for them. There is no one shoe fits all approach because as we all know, each child is individual.
We will take your child’s lead and look for those vital signs that tell us they are ready to explore a new space.
This process is managed with love and care from our team, consulting with you and ensuring we are all working together.
We understand the importance of a fresh, stimulating, and exciting learning environment and that is why we invest time into each space.
Our resources are regularly updated, swapped, and built upon which means children remain engaged and ready to progress towards that next step in their learning journey.
Our Curriculum
At Ivy House, our curriculum is carefully designed to guide and support each child’s learning and development as they grow. We provide rich and varied learning experiences that encourage children to engage across all areas of learning in a meaningful and purposeful way. Our teams plan thoughtfully to meet each child’s individual developmental needs, using observation and understanding to create clear next steps that support progress and confidence. Through this responsive approach, we help children build the skills, independence, and curiosity they need to thrive. The ultimate goal of our Ivy House curriculum is to ensure every child is school ready. Confident, capable, and excited for the next stage of their learning journey.
The Curiosity Approach
At Ivy House Nurseries, we are inspired by The Curiosity Approach.
A beautiful way to create Awe and Wonder in Early Childhood.
Children are at the centre of every decision we make which in turn ensures that they are confident and happy to play and explore during their time with us.
The Curiosity Approach explores the great pioneers of Early Years; Rudolph Steiner, Loris Malaguzzi and Te Whariki. This combines a magical mixture of ingredients to create a very special pedagogy.
We believe this way of learning allows us to offer strong foundations, supporting children to become confident communicators, who are resilient and excited to explore and learn through a broad range of open-ended play opportunities.
We provide a wide range of natural and open ended materials, promoting curiosity, imagination and creativity. At Ivy House we offer a calm and neutral environment, with limited plastic and bright colours. This provides a blank canvas which therefore ensures each child can express themselves freely.
Mealtimes
At Ivy House, mealtimes are a valued part of the day and an important opportunity for learning, independence, and social development. We encourage children to build confidence through positive mealtime routines, including using cutlery, sitting together, and developing independence in a calm, supportive environment. We gently introduce conversations around healthy eating in an age-appropriate way, encouraging children to explore a variety of foods, flavours, and textures at their own pace. This helps children develop a positive and balanced relationship with food from an early age. Safety is a key focus throughout mealtimes. We support children in learning to chew food carefully, sit safely at the table, and understand simple mealtime expectations. Staff are always present to supervise and guide children, ensuring mealtimes are safe, relaxed, and enjoyable. We also have robust policies and procedures in place to support allergy awareness and management. Individual dietary needs are carefully followed, and we work closely with families to ensure every child is fully supported and safe at all times.
We want our children to enjoy mealtimes, eating well and feeling energised for their day with us. We have explored several menus across the years so feel more confident than ever we know how to ensure all of our little tummies are happy. If your little one has one of those days where they maybe aren’t too hungry and haven’t eaten as much as we’d feel suitable for a day at nursery, we will always offer toast, crackers, fruit and more. We will communicate this with you so we are able to work in partnership. We encourage children to be involved at mealtimes, building confidence around trying new foods, exploring textures and taste and seeing this time of day as being fun and enjoyable.
We offer breakfast for those children joining us in the morning, snack time mid morning, lunch between 11:30-12:00 (age dependent) snack mid afternoon followed by tea which is near to 16:00.
