Early Years Education & Childcare Directory

Stretton Grandison,
Ledbury,HR8 2TS

Not Available

01223670426

Term Time Only

2 years to 4 years, 11 months

*CL - Cognition / Learning
*CI - Communication / Interaction

The Townsend nursery school nestled in the rolling hills of Herefordshire is Herefordshire’s best kept secret; an outstanding nursery, but so easily accessible 8 miles from Hereford, 7 miles from Ledbury and 9 from Bromyard. Set in the purpose-built orangery attached to a grade 2 Queen Anne farmhouse , we accept children the term they turn two years old. We work in a vertical age group (all children in one large space.) We accept Nursery education funding and nursery voucher schemes. The excellent team of staff is led by an Early Years professional and all staff are qualified including holding level 3 paediatric first aid, Food Hygiene and safeguarding training. All staff have access to updated EYFS training and professional development.
The children learn through rich first hand experiences, taking walks through the orchards, listening to the bees pollinating the apple trees, then collecting the honey and making honey biscuits. We have a sheltered walled garden where the children cultivate flowers and vegetables and can pick apricots, raspberries peaches, pears and plums. Or they might be sitting under the shade of an apple tree listening to a story or going on a bear hunt. In the summer term we hold sports day in the walled garden and parents join us for a family picnic. Parents are considered partners in their children’s learning here ,and are included in school trips for example to The Birmingham Sea Life Center or the theatre each year. We have three level 3 trained forest school practitioners who lead an exciting range of activities each Thursday in our dedicated forest; cooking over a fire, using tools and den building to name but a few. This encourages our children to be resilient and manage their own risks. We share information with parents daily, and our activities are posted on our Instagram page and children’s development and learning is recorded securely through an online learning platform. We also hold different parent sessions to speak about transitions and children’s progress. We carry out two year progress reports on our two year old’s linking with our dedicated health visitor and if necessary working closely with other professionals including speech and language, pediatricians and physiotherapists. The manager is a qualified SENCO along with another member of staff.
The Townsend is a language rich nursery where children are encouraged to expand vocabulary and be confident listeners and talkers. We teach phonics and read lots of stories and poetry and share stories through puppet shows. This year we had 10 children’s poems published. Children are encouraged to take books home each day. The stunning orangery is a light filled space that continually changes to reflect different leaning aims of our curriculum.
In a holistic way we encourage early writing by kneading dough and sculpting with clay. We use iPads and computers and an interactive white board to ensure our children embrace technology and science is a very large part of our curriculum, whether it is volcano experiments or examining the properties of floating and sinking and Mr. Archimedes or hatching ducklings or through visits from calves and lambs. Numeracy is taught daily through rhymes and songs and a wide range of games and equipment, so our children really have a thorough understanding of numbers. Children come into the kitchen to cook bread, pancakes or make butter and cheese.
On a Wednesday we have a dedicated French teacher who comes in and leads a session. Other days we may be acting or using musical instruments or dancing and learning yoga moves. We follow a robust and consistent behaviour management policy, shared with parents to resolve any conflict and encourage children to be able to self-regulate. Above all else the Townsend is a place where learning is fun in a warm and friendly environment, where children are nurtured and their talents fostered. We work very closely with all local schools state and independent to create smooth transitions into school.

223603

Outstanding