Peace of mind & environment

The first thought on every parent’s mind when choosing a trusted early years environment for their child is often ‘safety and security’.

Whilst Keele University Day Nursery fosters the need for children to play freely and to enjoy and explore their surroundings, the health, safety and welfare of our children are of paramount importance to all the staff here.

Every member of staff has a clear understanding of the policies and procedures in place for the effective safeguarding of all our children such as, no staff access to mobile phones permitted in the nursery, stringent staffing ratios at all times, fire safety, first aid and the signing in and out of all children throughout the day.  We also engage our children in activities surrounding topics such as road safety, fire evacuation and ‘stranger danger’.

Our nursery staff are fully qualified and experienced in their profession, they are all CRB approved and have a shared vision with management and parents on the quality of the early years provision they deliver.  They develop warm and caring relationships with the children ensuring that they meet the individual needs of every child and are committed to making sure that each child in their care feels happy and part of a trusted community.

My children’s development has come on leaps and bounds at the Nursery. It’s just like a second home to them
Fiona, Mum of Harriet, 4, and James, 18 months

Keele University is committed to developing a campus which is environmentally sustainable and as a brand new building the Nursery facility has been designed and constructed with consideration to the best environmental options available.

The building comprises three blocks which are linked by a wide corridor that wraps around an internal courtyard space (our “outdoor classroom”). All rooms and facilities are directly accessible from this circulation spine, providing views to the outdoor classroom and bringing light into the heart of the building. Creating a sense of wellbeing has been key to the design process and the building incorporates as much natural light as possible whilst ensuring that high levels of thermal comfort are achieved. The building is ventilated naturally in most areas, with a “climate control” system to minimise unnecessary heat loss or energy waste.

Our children are encouraged to consider the environment as they go about their daily activities. We are fortunate to operate in a clean, non-polluted environment with plenty of green spaces to enjoy. Outdoor activity is given a high priority including the opportunity for older children to grow flowers and vegetables in the Nursery’s allotment.   

Children find out about and identify features in the place they live and the natural world. They enjoy outings to places of interest, on and off the university campus. This includes walks to the local lakes to notice the changing seasons and talk about the shapes, colours, numbers and letters which they see on the way.
Ofsted: July 2012