• An enchanting and enabling environment, designed with our little learners in mind. From our multi-sensory baby spaces, our toddler dens, outdoor classrooms, and our extensive outdoor play areas; each and every aspect of the nursery has been considered and will have a positive impact on your child’s experience.
• Safety is our number one priority. Your little one is as precious to us as they are to you and we take nothing for granted in their care. The health and safety and security protocols in the building and gardens, and in our care, are second to none; when you child is in our hands you will know that they are safe.
• Relationships are at the heart of it all. We could have the best building in the land, but that is not the thing that will have the greatest impact for your child day to day. It is the love and nurture provided by the adults that care for them and the quality of the interactions that they have through each and every day that is key. We are committed to ensuring an outstanding team of staff are employed at Little Grange and that they are supported with the very best of professional development support.
• The magic of our 90 acre classroom! Our Little Grangers will enjoy their free-flow access to their gardens and play areas, but the Bilton Grange site offers far more than that. Daily access to woodlands, parkland, our Wild Gardens Forest School, the chickens and Organic Garden to name but a few; our children thrive in the outdoors – wellies and all-weather gear will be a must at Little Grange! Think of the adventures they will have!
• At Little Grange we offer an all-inclusive, bespoke ‘family-first’ package. Your fee covers all bases and we will work with you to ensure that we are able to meet your expectations, whether it be matching the baby formula you use at home, to coordinating with your sleep and feeding routines where possible, to offering some outstanding specialist provision, there are no unexpected extras.
• Whatever journey you decide is right for your family as they move on from Little Grange, we aim to ensure they will step forwards with a confident head start.

Every stage in the Little Grange Journey is underpinned by five themes which ensure we focus on supporting, developing and meeting the needs of the ‘whole child’.   From our Curious Cubs Baby Room to our Rangers Pre-Schoolers, our provision understands that a child’s development is a lot like a jigsaw; every little piece needs to be shaped and moulded to form the complete picture.

Our five themes underpin all that we do:

• Me, We and Us – A Little Grange Learner has a confident understanding of who they are. They are happy in their own skin with self-confidence, self-esteem and a sense of growing independence. They are beginning to understand and appreciate their feelings and emotions and can use them to manage their behaviour and interactions. A Little Grange Learner enjoys positive relationships with those around them; these relationships ensure a sense of security and happiness within their setting. They are learning to communicate effectively and how to collaborate successfully and with enjoyment.
• Me in my World – A Little Grange Learner is starting to understand their value as a member of a bigger society; their class, the Nursery, our local community and beyond. Little Grange learners love trips and visits to explore the world beyond our gates; visiting the Church, buying bread from the bakery, eating lunch in an Indian restaurant, or choosing a book from the library. Real experiences are a wonderful way to learn. They understand our planet is amazing and as a nursery we celebrate ways to look after it. This theme also seeks to begin to explore the use of technology; and it is never too early to start developing these skills safely. The children love how technology is used to enhance learning in all areas.
• My Enquiring Mind – A Little Grange Learner is an adventurous explorer. From the very earliest stages in our Curious Cubs baby room, our provision is child-centred, and encourages play based enquiry and exploration. We know that the best way to learn is to do. Little Grange Learners love being outdoors. We relish time spend in the woods and parkland of Bilton Grange, playing in the mud, collecting eggs from the chickens, planting and harvesting vegetables in the Organic Garden and picking apples from the orchard to cook over the camp fire. STEM activities encourage a growth mindset and our little learners are not afraid to discover and explore new ideas.
• Positively Active – Little Grange Learners love being active and are beginning to understand the benefits of an active lifestyle. We are active in our actions and healthy in our intake; our menus are carefully planned to meet the nutritional needs of every child’s developmental stage. Our age-appropriate play equipment, our wonderful free-flow outdoor areas and our 90 acres of space all encourage a love of getting physical and we gradually seek to stretch our children’s physical boundaries; we don’t bubble wrap our children and love that they will be supported to judge the risks they take. Did you hear we have the ‘Best Climbing Tree’ in all the land?!
• Creatively confident – Little Grange Learners have creative minds; we build, we role play, we dress up, we pretend, we sing, we tell stories, we create, we dance, we design, we do, we explore, we craft, we customise, we imagine, we play and we learn.

Early Years education should just not be about safe supervision; it is far, far more important than that. Evidence now overwhelmingly agrees that in order to genuinely impact on children’s long term life chances we need to start younger. Over the past decade or so, there has been an enormous increase in scientific knowledge and understanding of the extent to which the experiences of the very early years – particularly from pregnancy to age three – not only influence, but significantly determine a range of outcomes that potentially affect the course of people’s lives: our health, our behaviours, our education and our social and economic wellbeing. In particular, far more is known about the development of the infant brain, and the crucial importance of the relationship with the infant’s primary carers. Whilst the Parents remain the most important influences on a child’s life, the role of the Nursery provider in that development is crucial.

Fundamentally, we know what it takes for a child to flourish and we will dedicate ourselves every single day to ensuring that your child does exactly that…flourishes!

Did you know?

• a child’s brain doubles in size in the first year and by age three it will have reached 80 per cent of its adult volume
• cognitive skills (memory, problem solving and reasoning) develop more in the early years than at any other time in our lives
• research has found that children with strong cognitive skills, measured through things such as drawing and vocabulary, had higher incomes at age 30 than children with lower cognitive scores
• the early years are also important for the development of non-cognitive skills such as application, self-regulation and empathy – which are emotional and social capabilities that enable children to make and sustain positive relationships and succeed both at school and in later life

Little Grange is sited right in the heart of the Bilton Grange estate with its 90 acres of parkland and woodlands. As well as accessing their own free-flow, secure play areas, our Little Grange is able to access the Bilton Grange grounds every day. There are so many adventures to be had, from visiting the Wild Gardens where we can light campfires and build dens, to feeding the chickens and spotting the tadpoles in the science pond.

Forest School is on offer, led by qualified Forest School practitioners, giving children opportunities to explore and play in our woods, developing their confidence, social skills, communication and their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

Employment opportunities with Little Grange Nursery, and the Rugby School Group, can be found here.