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Little Birches Nursery and Preschool


Little Birches Nursery & Preschool brings children closer to nature and immerses them in a diverse and exciting learning programme, all of which takes place within a beautiful setting, by the most devoted team, and is the reason why Little Birches is special.

We strongly believe that the formative years of a child’s life have such a profound impact in shaping who they become as a person. The environment at a Little Birches Nursery & Preschool is aided by the high teacher ratios that allow your child to get the one-to-one care they deserve.

Our goal is to ensure that each child laughs and smiles every day and becomes an important personality within the Little Birches community. We want to foster your child’s talents and nurture their growth through tailored and broad experiences that lead to a love of learning and playing with their friends. We believe that a child can only thrive if they absolutely love their time with us, so our primary concern will always be a child’s self-esteem and emotional wellbeing.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Stewart Weston
Contact Position
Head of People and Operations
Telephone
01892862943
E-mail
langtongreen@littlebirchesnursery.co.uk
Website
https://littlebirchesnursery.co.uk/.../tunbridge-wells

Where to go

Address
Langton Green Village Hall
Winstone Scott Avenue
Langton Green
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
Postcode
TN3 0JJ

When is it on?

When is childcare available
Open All Year
Carescheme Age Range:
2 year(s), month(s) to 4 year(s), month(s)
Opening Times
Opening Times
DayOpening TimeClosing Time
Monday 07:30 17:30
Tuesday 07:30 17:30
Wednesday 07:30 17:30
Thursday 07:30 17:30
Friday 07:30 17:30

Other Details

ECD Type
Private Nursery School
Cost details
Little Birches takes pride in looking after children aged from 24 to 60 months. Children can start at Little Birches on or after their second birthday. Little Birches is open 7:30am until 5:30pm
Monday to Friday
throughout the year with a small closure between Christmas Day and New Year. We offer a variety of sessions as shown below;


Full day: 7:30am – 5:30pm
Morning session: 7:30am – 12:30pm
Afternoon session: 12:30pm – 5:30pm
3-4 Year Old Funding?
Yes
2 Year Old Funding?
Yes
Total vacancies
0
Vacancies Details
Little Birches like to welcome all new parent enquires into the setting via booking a show round through our website Little Birches Nursery & Preschool, Tunbridge Wells. On the website, you will find a big green button stating ‘Book a visit’.
Contact Provider for Vacancy Details?
Yes
Vacancy Information Last updated Date
22/03/2023
Facilities
Car Parking, Nursery, Kitchen, Garden, Walks
Wheelchair Access
Yes

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
EY479815
Link to latest ofsted inspection report 

30 Hours Extended Entitlement

Registered to provide up to 30 hours entitlement
Yes

Service status

Status
Open

Local Offer

Special Needs Support

On admission, parents/carers are asked to complete an ‘All About Me’ form, which gives all team members and the child's key person an idea of the child’s interests to help plan for the child, highlighting their strengths and areas that may need additional support. Once their child has settled into the Nursery the key person will assess their starting points in line with a document called Birth to Five Matters.

We also complete a Progress Check at 2 (before their third birthday). The key person would discuss with the Parents/Carers the appropriate next steps and plan additional opportunities for the child to gain further experience in any areas that may show some signs of delay in their development.

A targeted plan would then be written and shared with the Parents/Carers to show how your child would be supported.

Our Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCo) is Claire Wise. She ensures that families have the best support and resources to help with the development of their child and this includes managing behaviour.

On joining Little Birches your child will be supported by a key person who will be involved from the start in building a strong positive relationship with your child and yourself.

There are lots of ways that you can feel involved in how your child is being supported:

  • Daily informal contact during drop off and pick up
  • Opportunities for meetings throughout the years; e.g. parents’ social night, catch up’s at your request
  • Observations and assessments on your child will be made through an Online Journal (eyLog) which you will be able to contribute to and see how your child is progressing throughout their time with us.
  • An invitation to parents’ consultation at the beginning of each year
  • Collaboration with you on any extra planning we put in place e.g. a targeted plan

Children's needs are met by us working with outside agencies, these could include; Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Early Years Specialist Teacher, Inclusion and Equality Team to ensure the environment and layout of the setting is accessible for the individual needs and adaptions are made where possible to meet the needs of the child/family. 
We also use environment toolkits i.e. ECERS and MOVERS to ensure we are covering all areas of developmental needs. We adjust the environment to reduce the sensory impact of children's noise, colour and lighting. 

We provide a language-rich environment for all children using signing and visual aids alongside the spoken word. We also have access to other resources such as the Early Talk Boost Programme and liaise with Speech and Language Therapists when needed.
We provide our parents with recommendations from speech and language therapists, and parents/carers are advised on ways to help support their child at home.
Children have free-flow access to the outside area throughout the whole day and have a variety of resources available to use inside and out. 
A variety of adult-led and child-led group times are incorporated into our daily routine which enables children time and space to develop and learn.

Our setting is bright and spacious, painted in neutral colours with calm areas. Our reading corner has soft furnishings to make it comfortable with minimal noise, making it a nice place to sit and enjoy a little peace and quiet or a story. We also have a unit full of resources to support the child in managing their emotions. Our resources include; stories, flashcards, sensory equipment, emotion games and a basket of sensory resources. We also have moveable furniture and screens to facilitate small group activities and quiet areas. Space is protected through the use of storage areas that are clearly labelled with text and pictures.

Additional resources and equipment will be purchased to promote the needs of the child as identified by Keyperson/SENCo. The SENCo will work with outside agencies and apply for additional funding to purchase further equipment, team training or additional team members if required.

Team members are trained in early years practice and some have received training in relation to Special Educational Needs. Our SENCo has been trained to support children with supporting children with autism by delivering individualised programmes. Our SENCo has also gained her degree in Education.   
The Best Practice Guidance Document is used to support our teaching setting out strategies that can be used to support our children e.g.: using visual aids and Makaton signing. This document was written by the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service and is divided into Universal, Targeted and Personal Levels to enable us to support children in the four broad areas of need. The areas of need are identified in the SEND Code of Practice and comprise;

Communication and Interaction

Cognition and Learning

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Physical/Sensory Difficulties

 

Our setting uses The Graduated Approach included in our SEND Policy following the process of: Assess, Plan, Review, Do

If your child is making insufficient progress through a targeted plan, which includes small achievable steps to narrow the gaps in their learning the SENCO or Keyperson will discuss with you the need to refer to other outside agencies, such as Speech and Language Therapists or The Specialist Teaching and Learning Service through the Local Inclusion Forum (LIFT) Meetings that are held 6 times a year. However, parental consent is required before we can begin this process. If the referral is accepted, a Specialist Teacher would then visit your child within the setting to provide additional advice and guidance, and may make further referrals to other agencies such as health and would support your child's transition to School.  At all stages you would be consulted and your child would then be moved onto a personalised plan.

All our team members are encouraged to complete training, our SENCo cascades training to other team members and researches information on unfamiliar conditions which is also shared with us all. Health professionals will also lead training on administering certain medications e.g. Epi-pens.

An effective Key Person approach is essential for all children. The Key person is responsible for guiding, monitoring and supporting the physical and emotional development of children in our care. This is especially important when children have special or additional educational needs.

Your child’s online learning journal is accessible at all times for you to monitor and see your child’s progress. Parents are encouraged to speak with their child's key person at any time regarding their progress or to voice a concern. However if an in-depth conversation needs to take place, a mutually convenient time will be arranged to allow team members to be taken out of the ratio during working hours.

We regularly make professional judgements of your child's progress and focus on your child every six weeks, this is called their ‘focus week’. If your child is on a targeted or personalised plan the SENCo and Key person will liaise with you around the times of reviews/requests as well.

When a child transitions to another setting we create a transition report through eyLog which gives your child’s next setting an overall understanding of the child's interests and stages of development, before joining their new setting.

The Progress Check at 2 is very important and would be completed by their third birthday. If your child is delayed in any area of development this will be discussed with you and can also be discussed with your health visitor.

We pride ourselves on our partnership with our parents and value your input into your child's Learning and Development, as you know your child best.

Being committed to inclusive practice enables all children to be included and is the heart of what we do. Your child’s key person will ensure that any planned activities are suitable and adapted to meet your child's needs, this is called differentiation e.g. placing children into smaller groups, lots of repetition and pictures to help their understanding, listening and attention.

For outings risk assessments are undertaken beforehand and those children requiring additional support are allocated a team member (additional team members can be rota’d for planned outings). First Aid kits and any emergency medication needed for a child i.e inhaler, emergency contact numbers, etc are packed into a bag and assigned to a member of staff prior to leaving. Careful planning is created beforehand for an alternative route in case of pathways or the usual route is blocked to ensure all children of different abilities will be able to participate.

Little Birches was purpose-built on one floor and both the indoor environment and outdoor environment have wheelchair access.

Whenever possible we will make any reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of children, parents or team members. We have spaces in the car park for disabled parking and accessible toilets in the main hall for team members and visitors, plus baby changing facilities.
We have been visited by a Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist and to assess our area who came to the conclusion that we do have adequate manoeuvring space for a child in a wheelchair or using a frame.

 

We use lots of strategies at Little Birches to prepare your child for School ensuring we are providing your child opportunities to practice these skills. Here are a few examples:

Photo books of the new setting/school to share with the child

Provide school uniform to dress up in

Visits to new settings/school

Invite the new teacher to our setting to meet your child

Arrange a meeting to liaise with the new teacher to share necessary information on the child including their interests and characteristics of effective learning and development.

A variety of resources/activities, e.g. independence opportunities, books relating to starting school and emotions.

Following ideas and guidance from recommended leaflets and school expectation guidance.  

We are continuously evaluating our SEN provision and do this in a variety of ways. These include:

  • Discussions with parents
  • Our SENCo attends all planned LIFT meetings
  • We review our policies and procedures at least once per year
  • Team meetings
  • Following assess, plan, do and review approach

Little Birches like to welcome all new parent enquires into the setting via booking a show round through our website Little Birches Nursery & Preschool, Tunbridge Wells. On the website, you will find a big green button stating ‘Book a visit’.

We feel this is a very personal touch being welcomed into the Nursery and getting to meet the Lead Mentor and nursery team at Little Birches. This gives the parents an opportunity to ask all the questions they may have and for the team to talk about our education and pedagogy approach.  

Our SEND policy provides the context for supporting children through the recommended graduated approach. Copies of these policies can be found on our website.
Any complaints are taken seriously and the relevant team members are happy to discuss any issues you may have. Parents have the ability to email the Lead Mentor or Head Office at all times.
We celebrate effort and achievement and are always pleased when parents take the time to share positive feedback recognising Little Birches passion and achievements.

 

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