WELCOME TO TOTS ACADEMY
Tots Academy has the reputation of being a happy and friendly environment in which young children can thrive. We offer a wide range of activities to allow children the best possible start to their pre-school years by striking the right balance between care, learning and play. In this way, the children are able to build their confidence and self-esteem in a secure and happy atmosphere.
We work in partnership with parents to ensure that children have a happy and successful time at Nursery. This prospectus will give you a glimpse of nursery life; a personal visit will enable you to see and experience far more.
We look forward to welcoming you to our nursery.
FIRM FOUNDATIONS
Nursery education offers a wide variety of benefits while strengthening the foundations on which all future learning is built. Through our early learning curriculum, the children are provided with opportunities that help each individual child to grow emotionally, socially, physically and intellectually.
We recognise that nursery age children, given the opportunity, are capable and able to begin the journey towards reading, writing and numeracy skills, going beyond the standard early years curriculum to cover concepts such as addition, subtraction, place value, order and sequence.
Our curriculum reinforces our strong and longheld conviction that the earlier children begin basic skills learning, the easier they find it. Recent research indicates that children not receiving quality early years education before starting school at 4+ can find themselves over a year behind children who have, particularly in reading and numeracy.
HAPPY AND FULFILLED
Tots Academy is built for the comfort, safety and enjoyment of the children. Classrooms have access to a secure garden and play area, which have soft surfaces for safe play and separate areas for different activities.
Our Nursery sessions provide children with the opportunity to become creative with paint and glue as well as exploring playdough, sensory activities, sand and water. Other activities include imaginative play, construction and manipulative toys and the opportunity to work with computers.
All meals and snacks are carefully planned to meet healthy, balanced nutritional requirements and food is freshly prepared each day using the highest quality ingredients. The Morning session includes – a fruit snack and a hot midday meal.
A HEALTHY CURRICULUM
Health and fitness are an important element of the Nursery curriculum. Children also enjoy music and movement sessions and have fun with beanbags, hoops and sponge balls. The events are aimed at improving their physical skills and co-ordination. These are also good opportunities for getting in shape for the annual Sports Day!
Held in the Summer Term, Sports Day is always a big attraction, with each child getting to take part in at least two races. Events include a running race, the baby and buggy push, the beanbag and hoop race and of course the ever popular – egg and spoon race.
As well as developing the children’s gross motor skills, we also provide daily activities that develop fine motor skills. These activities help to improve pencil control, enabling them to hold a pencil correctly and to use the correct pressure when writing, therefore improving handwriting.
SMALL CLASSES
Each class has a qualified nursery teacher and a fully trained nursery assistant. For work and play activities the children are split into a variety of smaller groups so that they get the focussed help and attention they need. Staff realise that consistency and continuity are essential for a child’s progress and security and children therefore remain in the same class throughout their time at nursery.
All children will have the opportunity to work on a one-to-one basis tackling targets which include learning colours, shapes, letter sounds and numbers, as well as mastering pencil control and writing their name.
The Nursery works together with the Parents and through regular consultation evenings, we ensure that the same teaching techniques can be used at home.
READY FOR SCHOOL
Children are introduced to schemes of work appropriate to their own abilities in preparation for the next stage of their education ‘Reception’ at the age of 4+.
Throughout their time in nursery children are regularly observed and assessed which is shared with parents using our online learning journal.
We realise that learning opportunities and new experiences happen both at home and at nursery and therefore encourage parents and carers to contribute to their child’s learning journal.
Termly Parents’ Evenings are also arranged so that parents can get first hand feedback on their child’s development. We aim to ensure that when children do start full time schooling at age 4+ they are well ahead of the academic expectations for their age and will continue to forge ahead as they get older. 
