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Bertie's Nursery


Bertie's Nursery is an Ofsted 'outstanding' independent pre-school nursery situated in the grounds of Davington Primary School in Faversham. We welcome all families from the surrounding local community. At Bertie's we believe in a child-centred approach where childhood is celebrated and cherished, and every child is valued as unique. We offer a nurturing, fun and challenging learning environment and we love being outside every day. 

Who to contact

Contact Name
Claire Akhurst
Contact Position
Nursery owner and leader
Telephone
01795 228005
Website
bertiesnursery.co.uk

Where to go

Address
Davington Primary School
Priory Row
Faversham
Kent
Postcode
ME13 7EQ

When is it on?

When is childcare available
Term Time Only
Carescheme Age Range:
2 year(s), 6 month(s) to 5 year(s), 0 month(s)
Opening Times
Opening Times
DayOpening TimeClosing Time
Monday 8.30 15:00
Tuesday 8.30 15:00
Wednesday 8.30 15:00
Thursday 8.30 15:00
Friday 8.30 15:00

Other Details

ECD Type
Preschool
Offers pickups
No
Cost details
Contact the provider for cost details
3-4 Year Old Funding?
Yes
2 Year Old Funding?
Yes
Total vacancies
0
Vacancies Details
please contact the pre-school for information about the waiting list
Immediate vacancies?
No
Vacancy Information Last updated Date
10/03/2022
Notes

We are experienced in a range of additional and special needs and work with a variety of other professionals to support the individual needs of every child.

Languages Spoken:
English
Wheelchair Access
Yes

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
EY487378
Link to latest ofsted inspection report 

30 Hours Extended Entitlement

Registered to provide up to 30 hours entitlement
Yes
30 Hours Partner Details (These are details of any other childcare provider(s) that this provider will work with to offer the 30 hours entitlement)

If eligible, your up to 30 hours entitlement can be used between the hours of 9am and 3pm (not for our early drop-off option).

Service status

Status
Open

Local Offer

Description

We are a highly qualified staff team experienced with a wide range of developmental needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Speech and Language difficulties and physical/medical conditions.

Special Needs Support

When your child starts with us you will be asked by their keyperson to complete a ‘Creating My Bertie’s Story’ form which gives us a chance to get to know your child and their interests, strengths and any concerns you might have.

Your child’s keyperson will be the practitioner that knows your child really well – they will build relationships with you and your child, and observe and plan for your child’s ‘next steps’ in their learning and development in partnership with you. They will be available daily and at parents meetings to discuss your child’s progress and, due to their sound knowledge and understanding of child development, are best placed to identify whether a child requires extra support in a particular aspect of their development. We use Tapestry online learning journals for all our children that are easily accessible to all parents so that you are able to track your child’s development.

Any concerns are brought promptly to the attention of Bertie’s’ Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), who is Claire Akhurst. She has 30 years experience and regularly updates and attends relevant training to this role. The SENCo can guide on managing behaviour or refer to other professionals if necessary such as for Speech and Language therapy or the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service. Families will be involved and guided sensitively through all aspects of this process.  

Your child’s keyperson will be available for daily informal contact such as at the beginning and end of sessions, and for more formal opportunities such as parents meetings. Your knowledge of your child as their parent is invaluable to us and will be genuinely sought and respected.

The SENCo will also be actively involved in discussing with you ways in which your child is being supported. This might involve talking about what strategies are being put in place to support your child, discussing specific targets for your child or arranging for referrals to other professionals if necessary.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is an educational framework which guides us in our work and provides the framework for us to plan learning and development opportunities for every child – it also describes every child as ‘unique’ so our planning is tailored to every child’s individual needs, including those with additional needs or SEND.

We will adapt experiences to meet the needs of every child, for example by simplifying language or using Makaton for those with communication and language difficulties or supporting interactions in small groups for a child that might find social interactions in a large group overwhelming.

Bertie’s’ environment is carefully planned to ensure that it is naturally light and not visually over-stimulating. Softness and cosy, smaller and quieter areas are provided for children so that there are a variety of spaces to ‘be themselves’ in; we also spend a lot of time outside where there is space and a natural feel to the surroundings. Visual strategies such as pictures, signs and symbols, and Makaton are used to support children’s understanding of routines, expectations and aid communication in general. The whole staff team has had Makaton training.

As a staff team we are trained to work with a range of additional needs and learning difficulties. We have attended training in relation to Makaton, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, Selective Mutism amongst others and are experienced in supporting children with a wide range of medical conditions and/or physical disabilities. We are also extremely experienced in supporting children with language and communication difficulties.

We use Kent’s Best Practice Guidance document to support our teaching and the introduction of more specific strategies for individual children. This document guides us through supporting children in the four broad areas of need that are identified in the SEND Code of Practice:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social, emotional and mental health
  • Physical/sensory difficulties

Our Equal Opportunities policy sets out the graduated approach we use to support children. If your child is continuing to experience difficulties after certain strategies have been introduced, the SENCo may discuss with you the need to refer to other services. If required, your consent would be sought to refer to the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS) through the Local Inclusion Team Forum (LIFT) meeting which is held six times per year. If the referral is accepted, a specialist teacher would then visit to provide additional advice and guidance and would support your child’s transition to school in partnership with us. At all stages you will be consulted and involved.

Where we are unfamiliar with a child’s condition, the SENCo researches and actively seeks training and/or guidance for further support – this information is then cascaded to the whole staff team.

Your child’s keyperson will is responsible for guiding and planning for your child’s individual learning and development needs; this is overseen by Claire Akhurst who is the setting leader and SENCo. At Bertie’s we use Tapestry online learning journals which you will have easy access to and can contribute to. Your child’s keyperson will be available informally daily to talk about your child’s interests and progress. There are also two more formal parents meetings, generally in Oct/Nov and June; individual appointments can also be made if you cannot make the dates and you can always request a meeting at any mutually convenient time.

We make an overall assessment of your child’s progress three times a year – for our younger children this will include the statutory Progress Check at Age two.

All staff ensure that all experiences can be adapted to meet the needs of every child – this is called differentiation and is part of our daily work. For example, a child that finds it too challenging to join the whole group storytime will have an adult supporting their involvement or sharing songs/rhymes/a simple picture book in a quieter area.

Any trips generally involve the local area and are planned (including risk-assessed) in accordance with the needs of the children are attending that session. Adult to child ratios are always high and we often ask parents to accompany us.

Bertie’s Nursery building and approach/entrance are fully accessible to wheelchair users and there is a disabled-access toilet and changing area.

Most schools arrange visits to them in the summer terms and school staff are very welcome to come and meet a child at Bertie’s to get to know them in their nursery environment. In addition to this, specific transition meetings are planned for the parents, SENCo and any other professionals involved, along with the receiving school staff for any children with SEND. You will also be invited to contribute to your child’s ‘Completing my Bertie’s Story’ – their transition to school assessment – which, with your signed consent, will be passed onto the new setting or school.

We regularly attend training, LIFT and SENCo forum meetings alongside other SENCos to ensure the overall continued effectiveness of our SEND provision. For parents there are opportunities to evaluate our provision through our annual questionnaire and/or direct discussion with your child’s keyperson and/or setting leader.

You should contact Claire Akhurst, who is Bertie’s owner, leader and SENCO; she also leads on behaviour management.

Our Equal Opportunities policy provides the context for supporting children through the graduated approach; copies of this and all our policies can be found in the cloakroom area or can be emailed.

We have an ‘open door’ policy so that parents feel welcome at all times, including having the opportunity to give feedback, make suggestions or discuss concerns. We also circulate an annual questionnaire, the feedback from which is circulated to all parents. All constructive feedback where suggestions are offered for possible improvement are reflected upon and responded to.

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