Our approach for children under 2.
Our nursery for babies at Little Downsend Ashtead builds on the exceptional early education already in place for children aged two and above. Our Bright Beginners and Early Learners have a timetable of open-ended play, punctuated by short, focused sessions each day and across the week, such as storytime, nursery rhyme time, a focused sensory exploration activity, number time, language building and physical skills.
The academic curriculum currently in place for our 2-3 year olds is already extremely successful, with our children in First Steps and Rising Reception already achieving far ahead of national averages, so we are taking this approach and cherry-picking the very best elements for our Under 2s.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Prime Areas of Learning:
A day in the life of Bright Beginners and Early Learners
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 07:45 | Early Bird Club – included within your fees, Early Birds welcomes children for time to play, colour and catch up with friends before the day starts |
| 08:30 | The school day begins |
| 09:00-11:30 | Play based learning in classrooms and outdoor areas, with short structured 'teaching' sessions such as story time |
| 12:00 | Lunch followed by outdoor time |
| 13:30 - 14:30 | Sleep time |
| 14:30 - 15:30 | Play based learning with short structured 'teaching' sessions |
| 15:30 - 16:00 | Late Club - included within your fees, children are able to stay for Late Club. |
| 16:00 - 18:00 | Extended Day - at an additional charge, children can stay until 18:00, with tea at 16:30. |
A fun, exciting and playful day.
A day at Little Downsend Ashtead will always be fun, exciting and full of activity.
Our Bright Beginners and Early Learners explore the indoor and outdoor spaces through active physical play that stimulates brain development and supports their ability to complete increasingly complex tasks such as climbing, building and manipulating cups and spoons.
A wide variety of sensory play activities are also skilfully planned and woven into the day. This includes: ‘tummy time’, ‘treasure boxes’, ‘tuft trays’ with natural materials and tactile experiences. We share songs, rhymes and stories which are known to benefit a baby’s brain development, memory, and acquisition of early language. Strong adult and baby relationships enable children to become confident explorers who are also nurtured with gentle and mindful experiences that build confidence, character and curiosity.
As well as plenty of time to play, your little one will be given the chance to discover music, to dance, to enjoy Forest School and to play sports and games.