Little Cubs Day Nursery, Crofton

Sometimes settling into nursery takes time, and that is part of the process we plan for. Each child at Little Cubs Crofton has a key person who takes the time to learn their routines, their interests and the small things that help them feel ready for the day.

Settling-in sessions give families a chance to spend time at the nursery before the first full day, so children arrive to a place and people they already recognise.

A day at Little Cubs Crofton leaves room for different moods. Children can be active outside, find a quieter corner indoors, or sit down together for meals and conversation. Families stay close to what their child is experiencing through conversations at drop-offs and pick-ups, and through daily updates on the GrandirUK App.  

Days at Little Cubs Crofton are varied and fun, giving children lots of opportunity to explore, make choices, and build confidence at their own pace. The team shapes the week around sensory play, storytime sessions, creative activities, music and movement, outdoor play, and quieter moments for rest and conversation. Children have time to try things out, revisit what they enjoy, and discover something new alongside the people who are getting to know them.

Across the GrandirUK network, children can also take part in five bespoke educational programmes: Move & Groove, Health & Self, Innovate & Investigate, Make & Bake and Sow & Grow. These give children more ways to build practical skills, explore what interests them, and grow in confidence.

Little Cubs Crofton arranges its indoor space around the needs of children at different stages. Bright, well-resourced rooms give children places to play, rest, eat and spend time with friends, with resources that match the age and interests of the children using each room.

Outdoor space is part of every GrandirUK nursery, and Little Cubs Crofton has a garden the team uses across the year for play, movement and exploration. There is room for the kind of outdoor learning that works best for young children, from active play to quieter moments spent noticing what changes with the seasons. A visit is the easiest way to see which room your child would start in and how the indoor and outdoor spaces are used across the day.

Each child at Little Cubs Crofton has a key person, who gets to know them and their family and becomes the first point of contact for day-to-day questions. A buddy arrangement means there is always a familiar second person on hand when the key person is away, so children keep a connection they recognise.

Short conversations at drop-offs and pick-ups add context the team would not otherwise see, from a disturbed night to a new favourite story. The GrandirUK App carries daily updates through to families during the day, so the thread between home and nursery stays unbroken.

Care and learning go hand in hand at Little Cubs Crofton. A game outside can turn into a question about why worms live in soil, or a shared story can set off a week of creative work. The team plans around what children are drawn to, observes how they respond, and shares what they notice with families.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sits underneath the whole approach, setting the standards for learning, development and care in England. Across GrandirUK, teams work to a simple four-step rhythm: observe, understand, support, celebrate. Progress is a story each child writes for themselves, not a comparison with anyone else.

Children arrive with ideas of their own, and nursery works best when those ideas are taken seriously. Families know the child more deeply than anyone else, and what they share about home routines, favourite stories and small frustrations becomes part of how the team supports them.

We listen carefully to what captures a child's attention, what gives them confidence and where they may need more time and support. A patch of weather, a question at the mealtable or a half-built den can grow into something larger if the child is given time with it. The Little Cubs Crofton team can show you what that looks like when you visit.

Families with more than one child in early years can keep drop-offs and pick-ups to a single location at Little Cubs Crofton. With 94 places across rooms for different age groups (0 to 2, 2 to 3 and 3 to 5), each child spends their day in a space arranged for their stage, with the people best placed to support them.

A 10% sibling discount applies to the oldest child when siblings attend. Availability depends on the rooms you need and the days you want. The team can talk you through the options for your family and the paperwork for the discount.

The team at Little Cubs Crofton will be the people your child sees every day, so meeting them matters. Practitioners work with specific age groups, and each child has a key person who gets to know them well. Like every GrandirUK nursery, Little Cubs Crofton has a dedicated SENCo supporting children with additional needs.

A visit is a good time to ask how the team shares updates through the GrandirUK App, how they handle the move between rooms as children grow, and what the first few weeks tend to look like for a new starter.