Appledore Moorside

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Welcome to Appledore Forest School, Moorside

Appledore Nursery and forest school is a small home from home, rural environment that is set back from the hustle and bustle of the main roads with spectacular views of the open countryside. Here at Appledore Nursery and Forest School individual care and attention is made possible by high standard of qualified staff. The focus of our nursery is to have fun and be safe in a happy, stimulating environment with a homely feel and caring, professional staff. Children enjoy home cooked meals throughout the day helping to give them a home from home experience.

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Green Flag Eco-Schools Award

The Eco-Schools programme provides a unique opportunity that empowers children to lead change within their setting and have a positive impact in their wider community. Eco-Schools empower children, raise environmental awareness, improve the settings environment and also create financial savings for schools. It engages the wider local community, links to the curriculum and can help deliver Ofsted requirements.

In order to Achieve Eco Schools Bronze award. The setting should choose a variety or environmental topics to work on to help improve their setting. Once these topics are chosen an action plan will be carried out and display board should be created. An Eco Committee team will be made within the setting to ensure the topics are achieved and we make improvements as a team.

In order to Achieve Eco Schools Silver award. The setting should engage in regular Eco Meetings and record them. They should also update the eco board with activities from their action plan. The children should also voice their opinions and thoughts on the project and continue to carry out activities that help the environment.

The green flag award completes this project and shows the challenges and targets the Eco Committee have set for themselves and completed. The children will review each activity they have done and will discuss how the setting has improved and become better. An environmental review will be carried out and the project will be finalised.

When asked what their favourite thing about nursery is some of the children responded with; “Messy play” (Gracie) “Using the saws in the forest” (James), “Dinosaurs” (Paige) and “I like to sing” (Liam).

“Along with milk and vegetables, children need a steady diet of rocks and worms.
Rocks need skipping.
Holes need digging.
Water needs splashing.
Bugs, frogs and slimy stuff need finding.”

The ‘wild’, and yet controlled, safe environment of Forest school ensures that children taking part naturally learn to assess and risk and are encouraged to make sensible and informed decisions about how to deal with unfamiliar and unpredictable situations. Much of the learning for a child comes because of the opportunities they have for testing their own abilities in a real-life context.

Our Routine

7:30am Nursery Opens
Children begin to arrive at nursery and are offered breakfast.
8:45am Breakfast Finishes
Breakfast finishes and is tidied away, children help to tidy away their toys ready for circle time.
9:00am Circle Time
Children sit in a circle and sing the good morning song, learning and remembering each other’s names. We then sing the Days of the week song, children learn their days of the week and try to remember what day it is today. Children then choose what snack they would like that day and put it on the board.
9:10am Group Activities And Free Play
Children will engage in group activities with their key worker and have access to a range of resources in free play both indoor and outdoor. Children have free flow and are encouraged to play outdoors as much as possible.
9:45am Snack
Children are offered snack at the snack table, they are encouraged to wash their hands and sit at the table where they will self serve their own snack. Snacks are available until 10:30am.
10:15am Nappies
Children who are in nappies are changed and those who are toilet trained are encouraged to use the toilet before going outside.
11:15am Come Inside/Circle Time
Children tidy up outside and will come inside to get ready for dinner. We will sing or read a story before washing hands ready for dinner.
11:30am Dinner Time
Once hands are washed children will get their own plates, cutlery and cups and will find their place mat at the table. Children self-serve their own dinner.
12:00pm Nap Time/ Free Play
Children who have a nap will go to sleep and other children will have free play time.
2:00pm Children Wake Up/ Circle Time
Children wake up and do the afternoon circle time. We welcome the afternoon session children by singing the good afternoon song, sing the days of the week song and remember what day it is.
2:15pm Group Activities And Free Play
Children engage in group activities with their key worker and have access to a range of resources in free play both indoor and outdoor.
3:15pm Tea Time
Children will tidy up and get ready for tea. They will wash their hands and sit down at the table with their mats. Children then self-serve their tea.
3:45pm Outdoor Play
Children will have access to a range of resources outdoors.
5:00pm Story Time/ Quiet Play
Children come into nursery and engage in quiet wind down time. We will either read a story or play a game in the carpet area.
6:00pm Nursery Closes
Nursery closes.
Ofsted Report
Healthy Menu
Our Policies

A day in the life…

The children are invited into a warm, homely environment where a selection of breakfast options are available. The day then continues with a group circle time welcoming each child into nursery, this involves song and rhyme time as well as group discussions about the day ahead. During this time the children learn about the days of the week, the weather and are encouraged to vote on what snack they would like, promoting democracy and resilience.  Each key worker plans exciting and challenging activities suited to each child’s individual needs and interests following the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. As a nursery we follow the Reggio Emilia approach, meaning all resources are readily accessible for children throughout the day. With large patio doors open children can decide where they would like to play, promoting self-care and independence. We believe that children should experience risky outdoor play regularly, this includes twice weekly forest school sessions where the children are taught life skills; assessing their own risks and learning how to keep themselves safe in the woodland environment. Their chosen snack is provided free-flow throughout the morning for the children to access when they please. Lunches are warm, healthy, home cooked meals, which the children are encouraged to be independent and self serve. The children are changed by their key worker for their first couple of weeks, this helps to develop bonds and routine. Those who can attend the toilet themselves are encouraged to use the bathroom regularly and are assisted with their self-care needs if required. As some of the children sleep we turn our cosy corner into a sleep room where delicate lullabies play to help the children in getting to sleep. The area is enclosed with soft curtains, giving the sleeping children privacy. The other children then participate in quiet indoor activities or outdoor activities, weather dependant. Once everyone is awake children will have a group circle time, welcoming any children who have arrived in the afternoon. A light tea is served at around 3:00pm where children are again encouraged to self-serve their tea. After this the children play outside and engage in outdoor activities such as messy play, role playing on the “bus” and cooking in the mud kitchen. Children will then have wind down and quiet time at 5:00pm before ending their nursery day and going home. 

Talk to us today to find out more

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Appledore Oldham

11 Rock Street
Town Centre
Oldham
OL1 3US

Appledore Moorside

130 Haven Lane
Moorside
Oldam
OL4 2QQ

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