Willows - 2 Year Old Provision
Willows is a purpose-built provision for our two year olds.; we offer sessions for families who are eligible for both targetted funding and working parent funding. It is self-contained and designed to meet the needs of our smallest children. We offer both 15 hours and 30 hours sessions, depending on eligibility and availablity.
The hours for Willows children is 9.00am-12.00pm if your child has a morning place or 12.45pm-3.45pm if your child has an afternoon place. For children who are eligible for 30 hours the timings are 9.00am-3.45pm Monday-Thursday and 9.00am-12.00pm on a Friday.
We know that children learn best when they feel safe and are having fun, so this purpose built classroom is ideal to ensure that our youngest children make excellent progress. Adults support the children to have lots of fun whilst they explore the nursery environment safely and with increasing independence. We have two outdoors spaces that are accessible directly from the classrooms. We follow the themes across the whole nursery and plan exciting and inspiring activities from the children.
A typical session begins with time for the children to settle into their classroom before a short group time that inspires the learning in the room. There are then many opportunities for the children to explore role-play, small world play, sand/water, playdough, art activities, musical instruments, mark making and mathematical activities. They also have access to outdoor space where they can ride tricyles, explore sand/water, dig and grow, hunt for mini-beasts and develop their physical skills. We also work hard to develop the children's personal skills such as using the toilet/potty and starting to dress themselves. Another big focus is developing their social skills, with a heavy focus on sharing and turn taking, which can be tricky for two year olds!
Children will have fruit and toast as a snack and milk is provided every day. We encourage all children to bring in a water bottle so that they can access water throughout the day. For children who do 30 hours you will need to bring in a packed lunchbox. We have a dedicated area for the children to have a nap after lunch.
When the children are 3 they have the option of transferring into the Nursery School, once places are available.