Teddy Bears Nursery School in Portchester provides high quality child care for parents of children aged 3 months to 5 years old in Portsmouth

Teddy Bears Nursery - High quality child care in Portsmouth.

ABOUT US

The ultimate in care and education for your little ones.

Providing the perfect start in life for your children.

The sky’s the limit
for your child's education.

OUR VISION

Everything your child could need

Teddy Bears Nursery School, is the trading name of R & J Care Ltd. Our aim is to offer a value for money service at a very high standard in care and education that gives an excellent start in life for your little treasures and also provides a great service to all mums and dads! Our vision is to provide high quality care and education that will differentiate us and enable us to become the childcare provider of choice to parents in Portsmouth and surrounding areas.

Teddy Bears provides the ultimate care and education for your little ones, offering full and part time places. We promote an anti-discriminatory environment where every child is special and treated fairly with respect, love and careful attention to their health and safety.

We promote the fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths or beliefs. These are interpreted for our youngest children as learning right from wrong; learning to take turns and share; and challenging negative views and stereotypes. ‘We do not promote views and theories that are contrary to established scientific or historical evidence and explanations.’

We are open from 8 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday except Bank holidays and one week between Christmas and New Year. We do not charge for Bank holidays or the week between Christmas and New Year. We also look after children from 7.30 am at the request from parents.

The Nursery has an excellent security system with access through a locked door. All doors are connected to a fire alarm, giving additional security in case of a fire. At Teddy Bears we have a variety of play areas for babies, toddlers and pre-school children, all equipped with fantastic facilities and equipment.

We are OFSTED registered and are inspected under the Children's Act. We also receive regular visits to ensure our practices and procedures are in accordance with the National Day Care Standards.

VALUES

We are committed to delivering exceptional standards of care and education.

• An uncompromising approach to quality

• OFSTED approved

• Safe, secure access

• In-house NVQ training facilities, verifiers and assessors

• Excellent service to Mums and Dads

Parent Involvement

At Teddy Bears we endeavour to involve parents in their child’s experiences at nursery and have an
‘Open Door’ policy where parents are welcomed into nursery to discuss any matters arising.

We organise parents’ workshops to inform parents on how they can support their children in their development. Subjects such as healthy eating and outdoor play are promoted and we explain how we are encompassing this in our daily routine.

For our pre-school group, we have Parents Evenings where children’s progress and future needs are discussed as well as advice provided for the transition to infant school.

We organise events such as Christmas Play and Summer Concert for parents to attend. In addition parents are encouraged to support the nursery with topics applying their own experiences, such as ‘People who help us’, celebrating a festival or speaking a different language.

Parent’s support is encouraged when we send resources home with their children. Sharing ‘Story Sacks’ with your child promotes strong home links and in the pre-school group we also provide a digital camera to record events at home.

We have four groups within the nursery. This allows the children to interact with peers of approximately their own age.

GROUP

Panda Bears

Sunshine Bears

Koala Bears

Polar Bears

AGE

Under 2 years

2-3 years

3-4 yrs

4-5 years

STAFF RATIO

1:3

1:4

1:8

These ages are all approximate as we look at children’s individual ability when transferring them onto the next group and not their age. Parents are involved in this process and are closely informed of their child’s progression.

OUR STANDARDS

Creating a safe & secure environment

A safe, secure environment is obviously of great importance to any parent leaving their child in a Nursery setting. Our Admissions policy is meticulous and at the time of booking your child's place you will be asked to complete an 'Authorised Persons to Collect your child' form and only these people will be allowed to collect your child. Your child will be signed in on the Base Room register each time they attend Nursery and signed out when they are collected and parents/carers must sign child in/ out on main register in parents’ information area.

Any visitors or contractors must produce a form of ID before they gain access to the Nursery and they are required to sign a visitors/contractors book; which is monitored regularly to ensure that relevant procedures are being followed. Additionally you will be asked to provide a ‘Password’ that can be used to verify the person picking up your child knows you. This is especially important in an emergency when staff have never seen the person at the nursery before.

Health and Safety also plays an important part in Nursery life. We ensure that our Nursery provides a safe environment for all children, parents and staff. Our Nursery staff receive regular training and updates on Health and Safety issues.

Supporting Children

At Teddy Bears we practice the Key Worker system. When starting at nursery each child is assigned to a Key Worker who will assist your child in a smooth transition to nursery. This person will build a close relationship with the child and parents as well as supporting the child’s progress in all areas of development.

Teddy Bears Nursery - High quality childcare in Portsmouth. When starting at nursery each child is assigned to a Key Worker who will assist your

Daily Routines

At Teddy Bears we offer a structured, stimulating and varied routine to include exciting indoor and outdoor activities. Each age group have their own class room, with appropriate resources for their age. Within their daily routine they experience all the facilities in the nursery, which provides a balance of fun learning activities covering the entire Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. By following this curriculum, we ensure each child is supported individually and receives the best care and education to assist them in reaching their full potential.

Staff regularly sit and eat with the children at meal times to encourage good table manners and appropriate social interaction. We believe that meal times should be happy social occasions where skills can be developed and food enjoyed. We encourage the children’s self-help skills at meal times as they use cutlery independently and pour their own drinks. Older children are encouraged to serve their own food promoting independence and self-confidence. Also they are involved in tidying up, such as collecting cups or spoons and enjoy this responsibility. We encourage children to try foods they are not familiar with, to expand their experiences with food. If a child dislikes the meal they are encouraged to eat at least one mouthful, and this information is passed onto parents. The eating of fruit and vegetables is continuously promoted, so that the children are aware of their importance to good health.

Monitoring Progress

At Teddy Bears Nursery, we ensure we provide parents with verbal feedback concerning their child’s experiences at nursery and the progress they are making. Digital photo frames are placed outside each group’s class room, so parents can view activities their children have been participating in.

Each child has a Personal Learning Journey, which covers all aspects of their development. This contains observations, photos and examples of your child’s creative achievements. In addition a summative assessment sheet tracks your child’s development in the Early Years Foundation Stages and helps the Key Person to plan to support individual abilities and needs. Parents are invited to share this information and discuss their child’s ‘next steps’ on a termly basis. The Learning Journeys are accessible to parents at all times and we encourage parents to take them home.

Parents are also requested to be involved in a 2-3 year old assessment which is a legal requirement for the nursery and takes place at approximately two and a half years. This is where you will be asked as the parent/carer to celebrate what your child can do both at home and nursery. This information will provide us the picture of your child’s achievements in the prime areas of communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development.

Healthy Eating

We believe that mealtimes should be social, happy times where skills can be developed and food is enjoyed. All of our meals are carefully planned to meet the individual needs and requirements of each child. The local authorities regularly inspect us, to ensure we are meeting standards and adhering to the procedures given. For the last three times we have been rated 5* for our hygiene standards.

Our Food: Our cook prepares fresh meals on the premises on a daily basis. All meals are well balanced, with no added salt and a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. We ensure that we offer a fish dish at least once a week so that the children receive the essential Omega 3 vitamin.

Our Menu: A wide variety of meals introduces children to dishes from other cultures, and different tastes. A five week rotation of the weekly menu ensures that a varied diet can be enjoyed whichever day they attend.

Sample Lunch: roast chicken, roast potatoes, vegetables, angel cake and custard

Sample Tea: tomatoes and hot dog pasta bake, various fruits

Drinks: At snack times, during the morning and afternoon session, milk or water are offered to the children.
In each classroom water is available for the children to access throughout the day.

OUR TEAM

The Right People

Your child’s care, education and safety is of the utmost importance to us. Therefore, choosing the perfect staff is a careful procedure. We undertake verification of professional reference and personal identification of all staff joining Teddy Bears. We always maintain a very high ratio of qualified staff at least to NVQ Level 3.

In accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory requirements, all our staff are checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service. Upon commencement of joining the Teddy Bears team, new staff are provided with an Induction Course to educate them on our policies and procedures. These are the underpinning foundations of our approach to education and high quality care.

Staff at Teddy Bears hold a variety of qualifications that are all nationally recognised. We provide ongoing in-house training to update and improve the knowledge of our staff in all matters of childcare. Our staff also attend external training courses to aid their professional development. In addition, we ensure that all staff receive paediatric first aid training, safeguarding, fire training and basic food hygiene skills.

Meet Our Staff

Vicky Arenesarajah

Position: Team Leader/ Proprietor
Qualifications: Early Years Professional Status (2008). NVQ Level 3 (2007).

Vicky purchased Teddy Bears in September 2006, after working as a Chartered Management Accountant for 25 years and since then has devoted her time to improving the facilities and the standard of care and education provided at the nursery. She is a hands on owner involved in the daily running of the nursery. Vicky is in charge of all administration and is always available to deal with queries or offer support.

Sam Parker

Position: Manager
Qualifications: BTEC Diploma in nursery nursing. Foundation degree in care and education. B.A Hons in Education and Training

Sam has over 30 years experience in the childcare field and has been at Teddy Bears since it opened in 2003. Whilst being responsible for maintaining the high standards of the nursery, Sam also ensures that each member of staff adheres to the policies and procedures creating a safe, stimulating environment for all the children who attend.

Sam supervises the nursery curriculum and implementation of the EYFS, providing support and training to staff. She encourages close partnerships between staff and parents, striving for Teddy Bears to be the best!

In addition Sam is our Lead Safeguarding officer.

Helen Montague
Position: Deputy Manager/ Room Leader
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Helen came to Teddy Bears in May 2016 and is in charge of the Polar Bears where she leads the preschool team to create a smooth transition to school for all children. Helen ensures within the daily routine all the educational foundation stones and necessary experiences are included to create confident happy individuals to go off to school. In the absence of Sam in her role as Deputy Manager Helen is in charge of the day to day running of the nursery.

In addition Helen is our SENCO and a Safe Guarding officer.

Jessica Powlesland
Position: Room Leader
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Jessica joined us in May 2012. Jessica is in charge of running Koala Bears room and ensures these children are prepared with the skills needed, such as listening and concentration, before they join the pre-school group.

In addition Jessica is a joint Fire officer and Health & Safety officer.

Emma Archdale
Position: Room Leader
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Emma joined us in November 2017. Emma is in charge of running Panda Bears room ensuring a safe happy environment where little ones are welcomed to nursery and provided with an abundance of care and attention. Emma is a mum of 3 herself and has lots of experience with little ones.

Kay Fitzjohn
Position: Room Leader
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Kay joined us in January 2019. Kay is in charge of running Sunshine Bears room where she ensures exciting activities to encourage investigation and communication skills.

Katie Leggett
Position: Senior Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Katie joined us in 2009 after having her children, she works for 3 days/ week. Katie is an experienced nursery and in her role as senior nursery nurse will be in charge in the absence of the manager or deputy. In addition Katie is joint fire officer

Stacey Noyce
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Stacey joined us in 2010 she is an experienced nursery nurse who works 3 days a week often covering staff time off in all the groups.

Michelle O’Hara
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Michelle joined us in November2011 and works hard in the preschool group encouraging reading and maths skills.

Sophie Piper
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Sophie joined Teddy Bears in February 2016 as a trainee and after taking a break to have her child she came back and successfully completed her NVQ Level 3. She works hard to ensure all little ones are welcomed to Teddy Bears and have a smooth transition.

Emma Hughes
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: B Tec National Diploma

Emma joined us in August 2016 and work as a floater on hand to assist with covering staff holidays, sickness and to help out in all rooms.

Rebecca Austin
Position: Nursery Assistant
Qualification: NVQ Level 2

Rebecca joined Teddy Bears in January 2018 as a trainee and successfully gained her NVQ 2 and continuing with her NVQ 3.

Katie Campbell
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Katie joined Teddy Bears in April 2018 as a trainee and successfully completed her NVQ Level 3.

Emma Chandler
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Emma joined Teddy Bears in September 2019. Emma is currently training to be a fire officer

Maigan Thompson
Position: Nursery Nurse
Qualification: NVQ Level 3

Maigan joined Teddy Bears in March 2020.

Katherine Myles
Position: Cook
Qualification: NVQ Level 3 - Pastry/ Catering

Kat joined our team in 2009 and ensures our menu has a variety of healthy meals. She provides the children with delicious daily hot lunches and teas. She also assists with serving the children at lunchtime.

Rebecca Morgan
Position: Cleaner

Rebecca joined us in November 2019 and is in charge of keeping our nursery clean and maintain it to a high standard.