Day Nurseries - Orchard Day Nursery - General Information

A good day nursery can care for your child all day, either full time or part time. Day Nurseries usually open from about 8am to 6pm and provides both care and education for your child in suitable surroundings. Orchard Day Nursery is open from 8 am to 6 pm and also provides After School Care for 5 to 8 year olds, with collection from 6 local schools, and Holiday Care during holidays, half terms or any other time the school is closed such as inset days or when the pipes freeze!

How regulated are Day Nurseries - Orchard Day Nursery in particular?

Orchard Day Nursery is registered with the Government regulatory body Ofsted and is inspected every three to four years year. Regulations state at least half the staff at Day Nurseries must be qualified in early years. The Orchard Day Nursery has 90% of its staff qualified. The owner and manager of Orchard Day Nursery is a level 6 Early Years Professional and sessional lecturer for post graduate Early Years Students at Reading University. One of the Deputy Managers is a profile moderator for the local education department and the setting was recently selected as one of 5 "best practice" case studies for the Department of Children Schools and Families.

Though day nurseries vary in size, Orchard Day Nursery takes up to 44 children whom are usually grouped according to age and follow a Government approved early years curriculum.

Day Nurseries are split into different types of day nursery, including:

Private day nursery- independent businesses providing full professional daycare. (Orchard is a private day nursery).
Community day nursery - provide full daycare and are run on a not-for-profit basis for local families, so fees are generally lower than private nurseries. Some may operate a sliding scale fee scheme, where parents pay different rates according to their circumstances.
Local authority day nursery- mainly cater for families who need support. Places may be free. They're usually open from 9am to 3pm.

Ages Covered

Children up to five years of age although by special arrangement we will take children up to eight. Orchard Day Nursery also takes children from 12 months of age, but others start at different ages.

The child/staff ratios at Orchard Day Nursery for different age groups are as follows:

children under two: 3:1. 
two-year-olds: 4:1
three- to seven-year-olds: 8:1

Orchard Day Nursery:
Orchard Day nursery is Ofsted registered and inspected regularly
We are set up for the safety, care and education of young children
We will probably fit in well with your work hours as we have a very flexible range of sessions
We're open all year round
Your child will be cared for by experienced carers
Your child will have an appropriate and structured learning programme
Your child will be among children of her own age, learning valuable socialising skills
The Orchard has large grounds offering lots of opportunity for outside activities fresh air and excercise.

Each child belongs to a family group or Co-caring group where three members of staff led by a level 3 (supervisor) Key carer. Shift rotas and annual leave are arranged to ensures there is always a key carer available for every child at all times.

You may be eligible for support to pay fees through the Working Tax Credit, depending on your income - and you may be eligible for a free part-time place if your child is three or four years old
Waiting lists can be long, so ensure your child is placed on our waiting lists early.