Snowy Owls

Welcome to Snowy Owls

Our Snowy Owls room can accommodate 16 children between the age of 3 and 5 years old and our staff:child ratio is 1 to 8 in this room as children are becoming more independent. Children at this age follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles and participate in activities that will gently prepare them for the transition to school. Our team maintains a flexible routine to allow them to meet each child’s individual needs during this important stage of development.

Children in our Snowy Owls room have access to so many wonderful facilities and resources including an adventurous outdoor play space, including a Forest School for all our outside learning elements and an enchanted meadow with hidden gems. Children have an array of fun activities at their fingertips including dedicated messy play areas, sand and water play, cosy corners and an allotment where children learn to grow their own vegetables.

We aim to provide many different opportunities for the children to develop and experience their environment both indoors and outdoors. Healthy, physically active children are more likely to be academically motivated, and physical competence builds self-esteem at every age. We have regular gym time sessions where the children learn listening skills and team work as they join in with group games.

Your child’s imagination and curiosity will be piqued all day long.

Developing Independence

At this age we focus on building the childrens' independence.The children have formed a council which gives them a voice on what resources they would like to see in the room and what activities they would like to do.

Developing independence is a vital factor in a child's development, and supports preschool children in becoming school ready. The Early Years Foundation Stage supports independence stating that every child should learn resilience, confidence and self-assurance. Childrens' confidence grows as they learn how to become independent. As they begin to master new skills, they see themselves as being capable.

Meal Times

Meal times provide another opportunity for social interaction and independence. We encourage all Snowy Owl children to self-serve their own meals under close adult supervision. We aim to give the children as much choice as possible at snack time. Our caring team is always close by to lend a hand and encourage good manners.

School Ready

Every day the children practice phonics (phase 1 & 2) using fun and interactive games and activities. We want to instil in our Snowy Owls a lifelong love of reading so children have access to a library where they are encouraged to choose a book once a week to take home and share with parents.

Child Progress

Each child will be allocated a keyworker who they will build a close rapport with. The keyworker will provide daily written feedback on the child’s progress. Staff will provide verbal feedback to parents at the end of the day and will discuss your child’s progress each day. We foster an open and cooperative relationship with all parents to ensure we can nurture the needs of each and every Snowy Owl.

What is Provided?

Included within your daily childcare fee is breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea. We ask parents to provide a change of clothes (weather appropriate), and if required please provide nappies and wipes.

Child development

Staff will provide verbal feedback to parents at the end of the day and will discuss your child’s progress each day. We foster an open and cooperative relationship with all parents to ensure we can nurture the needs to each and every Snowy Owl.

Funding

We accept 15 hour funding if your child attends 5 half days or 2 full days per week. We will allocate all 15 hours towards this cost and you would be required to pay the extra hours, and for food and consumables. We also accept 30 hour funding if your child attends 3 to 5 full days per week. For your ease we issue a new monthly payment that takes into account all of these factors so you will be fully aware of the monthly costs. If you would like funded only sessions we can only provide these if we have availability. In this situation, you may need to cover consumable costs. For this option please contact the office and speak to a member of staff. You will be required to fill in a funded only form and may need to join a waiting list.

Wise Owls staff have been great with my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Always smiling, always communicating with me. Love the outdoor space for the children. Inside is also a lovely space for the children to play in. Very happy child as a result of all the hard work of staff at Wise Owls.

Very friendly and helpful staff looked after our little boy since his second birthday. Since then, he became very independent and gained lots of new skills. Wise Owls at Foxley Nursery is a highly recommended local nursery. Well done Foxley.

My son has been going to Wise Owls at Foxley Nursery for a year and a half now and I can honestly say that he loves his time there. He runs down the lane every morning and can’t wait to get in the door. He enjoys telling me what they’ve done each day and I love hearing what he’s learnt. He’s due to start school in September 2021, so it’s really reassuring that he is being prepared for that in one way or another, even if he doesn’t realise it. The outdoor space is fantastic and my son particularly loves the forest school element. It’s nice to know that he’s getting outside at some point of the day, come rain or shine. The staff are all so lovely, always very friendly, caring and helpful.

My daughter has thrived since going back in September 2020, she absolutely loves going and gets so excited on the days she goes! Her key workers are incredibly helpful and have been really accommodating when we needed to increase my daughter's hours. My little girl comes home happy and full of beans which is all a mum can ask for when picking up their child.

My son attends the nursery and has been very happy. The manager and the team are really accommodating, and the nursery itself has recently undergone refurbishment making it lovely and clean. With great outdoor facilities. When visiting Wise Owls at Foxley (Shurlock Row) I found it had an amazing outdoor space including a forest school, as well as indoor space. It has recently been renovated with added space for children to play and because of this, I would highly recommend this setting. Furthermore, the staff are very welcoming and are more than happy to help in any way they can, they are truly there to provide the best care for your children. They are up to date with all training (Covid included) and take all measures to ensure your children are safe and healthy. Once again I cannot recommend this setting enough.