Who?

 

We have six teaching staff, all of whom are very experienced and highly qualified. They draw on experience as primary school teachers, specialist special educational needs teachers and early years professionals. We are a well-established team and work to very high ratios of staff to children.

 

What?

 

Facilities

 

We have a large playroom set up like a little house with a playdough kitchen, a sitting room with furniture full of curiosities, and a rest area with cushions, throws, dressing up clothes and books. Next door to the playroom is a separate community room where the children come together for snack time, lunch, singing and dancing.

 

We are very much an outdoor nursery school and have a large outdoor play space with a huge sandpit, mud and sand kitchens, a gravel pit, den building, water investigation area, and lots of equipment for climbing and balancing. We also offer sensory play as well as fun with water, paint and arts and crafts, drawing on an exciting collection of natural resources and play equipment.

 

Children are taught traditional skills of cooking, woodworking and gardening and really enjoy taking home their creations. We have a separate child-friendly kitchen garden, woodworking workshop and a set of cooking equipment for each child.

 

Resources

 

We have a ‘just bring your child’ approach so, other than a packed lunch, we provide everything your child will need for their time with us. We provide:

 

● All snacks and drinks throughout sessions.

● Nappies, pull-ups and Sudocrem.

● Change of clothes.

● A full set of waterproofs including a fleece-lined coat and trousers.

● All footwear including wellies for outside and crocs for inside and summer play.

● Woolly hats and mittens.

● Sun hats and factor 50 sun cream.

● A beautiful handwritten 'Learning Journey', full of photos and observations of your child

● All resources for woodworking, gardening, cooking and crafts.

● Seasonal gifts for the children including Easter, Christmas and leavers presents.

 

Where?

 

We are located in the rural village of Kirk Hammerton, just off the A59 midway between York and Harrogate and close to Hammerton rail station. We have our own facilities, grounds and car park at the Playing Fields. Our base not only provides access to this large open space but also provides the opportunity for nature walks and visits to the allotments.

 

When?

 

We open five days a week for 38 weeks in the year, closing during local school holidays. We offer the following sessions:

 

9am to 12.15pm (3¼ hours with snack provided).

9am to 1pm (4 hours with packed lunch brought from home).

9am to 3pm (6 hours).

 

Children start with a minimum of two mornings.

 

How much?

 

Fees are £6 per hour (dropping to £1.20 per hour for working families receiving two, three and four-year-old funding). We accept government funding for two, three and four-year-olds (15 hours and 30 hours). We also accept vouchers and tax-free childcare payments.

Bills are issued for every half term.

 

We are a ‘not for profit’ charity run by trustees which allows us to keep our fees low and affordable for the whole community. If costs are a concern then please talk to us.

If you would like more information online about help with childcare costs and funding and to check your eligibility then please follow this link https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk