Smallville Nursery, Snodland is set in the grounds of a beautiful, historic building, beside a wonderful cricket meadow. Being surrounded by nature, we have been inspired by and utilised natural, ecological and sustainable resources wherever possible. Our nursery was set up by a qualified teacher, and all staff strive to ensure children feel valued, understood and find pleasure in learning. We understand that children learn best when they are happy and are playing but should your child require additional support we have access to our own Smallville Occupational Therapist. We follow the interests of the children and respond to learning in the moment to ensure we capture those ‘wow’ moments. Children are instinctively curious so we provide opportunities that nurture their interests and provoke thinking. The children have access to a range of loose parts, real and authentic resources and plenty of freedom to be creative. When your child is the focus child the learning environment for that week will be enhanced to meet their specific needs and interests. When it isn’t their week we still of course support their learning, capturing ‘WOW’ moments to share with you in our journals. Our fantastic outdoor spaces allow children to enjoy and develop a love for nature in our mud garden and growing areas, and provide opportunities to take sensible risks, strengthening their core muscles in our grassed area. We also make good use of the adjoining cricket ground and play fields where the children can enjoy a larger outside space too. We believe in creating a calm but stimulating learning environment where children can explore and discover a range of open-ended and natural resources. Designed as a small setting we can provide a highly personal and individualised approached to children’s education but this inevitably means we have a high demand for our places. We offer places from 24 months but to manage admissions fairly we operate a Waiting List which you can join at any time. Email or call to reserve your space. Staying in Touch – 1. Personal learning journals 2. ‘Focus child’ sessions 3. Biannual developmental reviews 4. Appointments to talk to your key person 5. Informal chats with staff at drop off 6. Parents evenings Before your child starts at Smallville Nursery they will be allocated a Key Person and an introductory session will be booked to help them famailirise themselves with the setting and staff. We provide healthy snacks, and encourage children to be independent with feeding and food preparations by… 1. Allowing them to pour drinks, spread butter and cut foods 2. Encouraging them to try new foods 3. Promoting good personal hygiene We suggest wearing the complimentary nursery uniform: a Smallville t-shirt with comfortable dark bottoms as your child will be involved in messy activities! We also recommend you provide an all-weather suit and wellies each day. We visit our local community care homes and get involved in community projects to help make a difference to our village. We promote mindfulness and use our outdoors spaces in all weathers. We love to explore our surroundings, inspiring a love and respect for nature in Early Years. Your child should not come to nursery if they are suffering from an illness or have taken ‘calpol’ on the day of attendance. Children should not return to nursery for 48 hours of last sickness. No refund will be given for absences due to illness. If your child has a non-infectious illness or an allergy, we will endeavour to accommodate any special requirements they may have. Should the nursery be unable to open due planned maintenance parents will be refunded for a chargeable session or have it discounted from their next invoice. Should closure need to take place part way through a session, a refund will not be given. Should the nursery be unable to provide a service due to other circumstances beyond its control (including but not limited to utility issues, premises issues and inclement weather) full charges remain payable. Our alternative settings can also be offered when feasible. Should a child not be collected on time, a late collection fee of £1 per minute is chargeable. Fees are to be paid within 10 working days of the invoice date. If you are experiencing financial hardship please speak, in confidence, to the manager so that alternative payment arrangements can be made. If, without negotiation, fees are not settled we are left with no alternative but to withdraw your child’s place in line with our Bad Debt Procedure. Children in receipt of FEE will only be able to access their funded hours. All invoices must be settled before a child's last day at the setting.
Smallville Nursery
Childcare from 2 yearsWhere children are explorers and learning is an adventure!
Idyllic Settings
Our West Malling setting is equally rural, set next to wide expanses of open land and play areas.
Smallville Pedagogy
Owls & Squirrels
Owl Rooms are for our children who are 3 and 4 years old. The learning environment provides lots of opportunities for learning through play and encourages the exploration and growth of creative ideas.
Squirrel Rooms are for our 2 year old children and have been carefully designed so that all the resources are easily accessible. The children are provided with lots of opportunities to mark make in different ways, develop their gross and fine motor muscles and to think critically and problem solve.
Registrations and Admissions
Parent partnerships are key to our service.
FREE UNIFORMS
We love our village
Growing healthy bodies & healthy minds
We regularly participate in local health and wellbeing initiatives.
General Terms & Conditions
Illness
Closures
Late Pick Up
Late Payments
