Ruddington Day Nursery, Nottingham

Wellbeing at Ruddington is supported by plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors. Children regularly explore the garden, paddock and field, while our youngest children have their own balcony play area for outdoor experiences close to their playroom.

Our countryside setting gives children space to move, investigate the natural world and take on new challenges through outdoor play and Forest School experiences.

We keep communication with families open through regular updates, meetings and events. The GrandirUK App keeps families connected with updates about their child’s day, photos and developmental milestones, while our lending library, Stay and Play sessions, open days and family information evenings offer different ways to be involved in nursery life.

Children at Ruddington enjoy a varied mix of experiences, including Boogie Mites, Sing and Sign, Make and Bake, Forest School, Letters and Sounds, cooking and construction, with plenty of opportunities to get involved, explore and learn through doing.

Experiences extend into the local community too, with visits to a nearby nursing home and our own pumpkin patch at the local allotment, where children can get involved in pumpkin picking. A festive trip to the pantomime each December is another part of the nursery year.

Ruddington Day Nursery has four spacious, light-filled playrooms, complemented by a dedicated sand room, lending library and outdoor playroom. Each room is equipped with age-appropriate resources and designed to give children plenty of space to play, explore and follow their interests.

• Bear Cubs: Our room for the youngest children.
  
  
• Tigers: Our room for growing toddlers.
  
  
• Lions: Our room for older toddlers, with opportunities to develop growing independence.
  
  
• Jungle: Our preschool room, where children continue to build confidence, independence and early skills as they prepare for school.

Children move into their next room when they are developmentally and emotionally ready, rather than simply when they reach a particular age.

Our nursery minibus also takes children out into the local community throughout the year, extending their experiences beyond the nursery grounds.

Outdoor space

Outdoor space is a big part of life at Ruddington. Our garden includes a vegetable patch, a paddock with toys and equipment, a dedicated outdoor playroom and a balcony play area for our youngest children.

Our large field provides further space for Forest School experiences, while children can explore the mud kitchen, hammocks, dens, slackline and loose parts. At our woodland Forest School site, experiences include den building, nature crafts and opportunities to learn about fire lighting as part of their outdoor learning.

With so many different spaces to discover, children have plenty of opportunities to follow their curiosity, take on new challenges and explore the natural environment around them.

Continuity of care is an important part of life at Ruddington. Children spend their nursery days with familiar, experienced team members who take time to understand their routines, interests and individual needs.

Transitions into the next room are shaped around each child’s development and emotional readiness, rather than simply their age. This gives children time to progress through the nursery at a pace that is right for them.

Our curriculum at Ruddington brings together different approaches to create varied opportunities for children to learn through play, exploration and their own interests.

Forest School takes learning into the natural environment, while the Curiosity Approach uses open-ended resources and loose parts to encourage children to explore ideas, make choices and find different ways to use the materials around them. Elements of the Reggio Emilia approach place further emphasis on children’s ideas, interests and agency, recognising them as active participants in their own learning.

We believe children learn through doing, exploring and following their own ideas. At Ruddington, loose parts play and the Curiosity Approach help shape our playrooms, giving children open-ended resources they can investigate and use in different ways.

Forest School takes this hands-on learning into our field, while elements of the Reggio Emilia approach place further emphasis on children’s ideas, choices and agency. Our green belt setting gives children plenty of space to take their learning beyond the playroom and explore the natural environment around them.

For families with more than one child, having siblings at Ruddington means one drop-off and pick-up, while each child has a playroom suited to their own age and stage.

With Bear Cubs, Tigers, Lions and Jungle all under one roof, and shared spaces including the garden, sand room and lending library, brothers and sisters have opportunities to see each other and share parts of their nursery day.

Sibling places are subject to availability, but where we have space in the appropriate room, we will always look at the options for welcoming brothers and sisters together.

Led by Nursery Manager Michelle, our experienced team bring a broad range of Early Years knowledge to Ruddington, with many long-standing team members providing familiar faces for children and families.

Across the team, their qualifications and training include Forest School leadership, Level 3 SENCo qualifications, Designated Safeguarding Leads and paediatric first aid. This breadth of knowledge sits alongside the individual understanding that comes from getting to know each child, their needs and their interests.