A Sample Day
At OBVNS we believe the day should be filled with as much opportunity for play as possible. We do not plan unnecessary or unnatural breaks into our nursery day. Aside from our additional activities (including Wildchild, Singers & Shakers, Mindfulness, Write Dance and Active Owls) our children spend most of their days accessing the learning environment freely, with increasing independence and under close supervision of our dedicated teaching team. The wonderful thing about Early Years is that no day is ever the same. However, here is an idea of what your child can expect from an average day with us:
08.15
Early Bird Club
Our little ones start their day in our Owlets room where they can access role play, the cosy corner, construction, small world and the creative station. During early bird session, we provide children with a drink of milk or water and a breakfast top-up snack such as a cereal bar or a piece of fruit. Early bird club finishes at 9.00 when children go to their usual rooms; Owlets or Little Owls and the rest of the nursery school opens for the day ahead.
09.00
Opening
For the majority of our children our nursery school day starts at 9am. On arrival, children are encouraged to remove their outdoor shoes, hang up their coat and bag and enter the setting. Most children are confident to do this independently by the end of their settling in period - in some cases, this can take a little longer and we encourage parents to work with our team to ease settling in each morning for children. Our practitioners spend the start of the day settling children in, engaging them in learning provocations and giving plenty of reassurance to those who may be feeling a little sad saying goodbye.
10.00
Snack Cafe
Snack cafe is a social opportunity as well as an ideal way to encourage children to be more independent in their health and self care. When the cafe sign is green, the children know to look for an empty chair. The children continue to play until a chair becomes available. When they see a space, they wash their hands, pour a measure of milk or water and select a combination of fruit and dry snack (such as a cracker or rice cake). Once they have finished, children wash up their own cup and return to play.
10.45
Free Flow
When the green sign is on the doors, the children know that they can choose to play outside. Children don their appropriate outdoor clothing, move their picture to be next to the tree (to show they are outside) and are able to head to the garden (with the support of an adult). We use walkie-talkies to communicate between staff so that toileting and ratios can be managed more easily. For those children who may be a little reluctant to play outside, we encourage them to choose outdoor play as an option and ensure that our continuous provision meets their needs both inside and outside.
11.45
Storytime
Each day before lunch, we share a story together on the mat; testing out our rhyming skills, joining in with refrains and laughing at the various voices our teachers use to bring the characters to life. We may also use this time to reinforce our Makaton through our sign of the week.​
12.00
Lunchtime
Once our midday leavers have gone home, we wash our hands and head to our lunch room for a family meal. At this time practitioners and children sit at small tables and share a delicious two course meal prepared by our nursery caterer. Our children take an active role in clearing their plates after lunch and enjoy a cube of cheese at the end of the meal which helps to neutralise the acid left by their dinner.
12.45
Afternoon
We give our children space and time to eat their dinner. Once they have finished, they wash their hands and return to the Little Owls room to play. By 13.30 free-flow to the garden is re-opened, giving the children the choice to go back outside if they wish to. At this time, practitioners continue to support children in their learning as they had been during the morning session. Sometimes, we use this afternoon session to go for a local walk or do some cooking.
14.45
Hometime
At the end of the day we gather in the smaller room for a song, a game or a story. Parents are asked to collect at 14.30 or 14.45.
Our setting closes at 14.45 and children must be collected by this time.