Ladybird

About Us

Our Nursery – is a small, child-centred, friendly setting with qualified, experienced and caring staff! We are close to the heart of Oldham centre and we cater for the individual needs of children from 0 – 5 years, with a focus on developmentally appropriate learning, enjoyment and active play.
We have a large nature area with a jungle path, a sensory garden, a wildflower patch, a vegetable and fruit patch, a pond and areas for the children to plant seeds.
We are here because we love what we do and we love the children we care for!
Our team includes an experienced manager, Simone, who is also our SENDco and studying for a degree and Amanda, our deputy manager and Safeguarding Lead. We have 2 team members who are Level 5, 2 other staff studying for Level 5 and other members are qualified to minimum level 3 qualification in childcare. All staff have awards in Paediatric First Aid, asthma and behaviour management as well as the obvious qualifications in childcare but more importantly, they are experienced and dedicated and love having fun! All our staff have a DBS.

Our cook, Carla is a lunchtime legend! She is a City & Guilds experienced cook and has achieved 5 stars for the ‘Stars on the Doors’ award for hygiene and cleanliness! Thanks to Carla we also have Awards in ‘Healthy Eating’, ‘Safer Foods, Better Business’ and ‘Teeth Hygiene’.
All lunches are 2-course meals which are cooked on the premises and there is a vegetarian option available. All dietary requirements are catered for. All baby meals are cooked and blended by Carla and afternoon teas vary from of jacket potatoes, pasta, soup or sandwiches followed by fruit. Healthy snacks are available as and when needed in the baby room, while a snack of fruit and milk is given each morning and afternoon to older children. Water is available all day and children are encouraged to develop an awareness of how to be healthy by eating well, exercising and developing good hygiene practices.
Opening times:
• We are open between the hours of 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.
• Morning sessions are available and end at 12:30pm
• Afternoon sessions are available and starts at 1:00 pm
• We also offer a ‘short day’ which finishes at 3:30pm
• Funded morning sessions are from 9:00am-12:00pm and funded afternoon sessions are from
1:00pm-4:00pm.
• We close for Christmas and at Bank Holidays
The baby room is the place for children from 0-2. Even our smallest babies get messy and explore the world through malleable play, although we do 'scrub' them before they go home!
In this room, the focus is very much based on the child’s developmental needs and much of the day is spent cuddling, snuggling and exploring when they are very little.
As they grow, so does the need to discover and the environment is designed to encourage confidence and independence, with resources available to promote a desire to explore and investigate. Sensory play is a large focus in the baby room with musical instruments, fabrics and heuristic items around the environment.
Practitioners encourage the babies to become involved in new experiences and to gain skills ready for the move to the main nursery.
Small babies sleep when they need to and feed when they want and the ‘routine’ is centred around the individual child. As they grow, the routine becomes slightly more structured, and breakfast, lunch and tea are now served together to encourage social skills and shared experiences!
Nappies, creams and sun-cream need to be provided by the parent as does formula milk. Cow’s milk is provided for children over the age of 1.

The Toddler Room:
When children reach 2, they move to the toddler room, an open plan area with direct access to the playground. They do spend a lot of their day outdoors…waterproofs are available at the nursery but wellies, hats, gloves and sun-cream are a must have!
Funded 15 hours per week places for 2 and 3-year-olds are available, and for parents who work, there is 30-hour funding for 3-year-olds, so please ask a member of staff about them.
At this age, children develop wider interests and the environment is set up to provide for their new interests, with resources available to access each of the 7 areas of the EYFS. Roleplay, mark-making, creativity, problem-solving and imaginative play are positively encouraged and practitioners keep thorough records of each child’s development and plan experiences to enhance this.
Staff support children in their learning and experiences and encourage friendships and positive behaviour – but learning includes getting messy and making mistakes and we understand this!
Children can become involved yoga and swimming lessons when they reach 3 years old.
Singing and playing sessions become ‘Circle Time’ as children move up to the preschool stage. Learning does gain more structure and focus after they have reached three, but we are not a ‘sit them down, make them write’ nursery. Learning at Ladybirds is fun, involved and active!