We like to share some of the things that the children have been doing at nursery in our News and Events pages. We hope that you enjoy reading our stories and looking at the pictures. The children really love seeing their pictures published too!
Our team has been hard at work over the weekend cleaning, scrubbing, gardening, tidying, de-weeding, and generally doing whatever is needed to make the nursery look its best and ready for (hopefully) spring!
After a long, dark, wet winter we have been working hard making the front garden a working space for the children. We now have lots of veggies, potatoes and herbs that the children can watch grow and then use to cook with and eat. We have themed our front garden with the Supertato stories and made the stories come to life!
Thanks to all of the children for their hard gardening work! Everyone can see the changes when they arrive at the nursery!
We are so lucky to have been part of the wonderful local community for 25 years now, and we get out and about whenever we can. We have our own branded high vis jackets and puddlesuits and nursery pushchairs. We stick to a strict staff to child ratio when leaving the nursery to make sure we are all safe and ready to explore!
Inspections are always dauting, but our recent inspection from the Food Standards Agency resulted in a 5 Star rating and a glowing review from the inspector! At Once Upon a Time we serve high quality, nutritionally balanced meals and we are proud to have a 5 Star FSA rating.
We have some big news here at Once Upon a Time. After over 7 years with us and more than 5 years as our manager, Toni is going to be leaving us in the summer. She has decided to take some time away to spend more time at home with Theo and the rest of her family, and after everything she has done for the nursery over the years we think she deserves a break!
This was Toni’s first ever nursery manager role and she has done the most incredible job through some very difficult circumstances including Covid and, of course, the birth of her own child, Theo. The role of manager at Once Upon a Time is like no other job – in one day you can be a cook, a cleaner, a handyman or many, many other things which mean no two days are the same! Toni grasped the opportunity with both hands and has worked wonders. Anyone who knew the nursery 5 years ago will have seen first hand the work that Toni has done. Her passion to make the nursery the best it can be is inspirational. She has built a team of passionate and devoted staff who provide a level of care we are so proud offer to our families. She knows every child and every family and she has built the nursery family into the wonderful community it is today.
How to replace the irreplaceable? Well, we are in luck! I am delighted to announce that Ella Coles, who many of you will already know, is going to take the role of Manager from the start of July onwards. Ella has been with us for six years and has worked in senior positions for the last two. She is currently finishing her level 5 qualification in Nursery Management and has already shown that she has what it takes to continue Toni’s incredible work and push on to put her own stamp on things. We are delighted that Ella has chosen to accept the role and continue her career with us, and we certainly believe the opportunity will help her to fulfill her incredible potential.
As Ella has worked with us for 6 years and already works very closely with Toni, we do not expect any significant changes when Toni leaves at the end of June. The staff remain very supportive and happy that there will be a natural continuation.
Toni is not leaving for a new job, and as a reflection of her dedication to the nursery, she has offered to remain in a support role to help Ella during the early months of her new position. As you can imagine, it may be a daunting prospect both for Ella and for everyone else in the nursery so it is a great comfort that Toni will be present on a part time basis from July onwards until Ella finds her feet.
We appreciate that this is big news for everyone and if anyone has any questions then please get in touch. In the meantime, please join us in congratulating Ella on her new role and in thanking Toni for all of her efforts over the years. We will be in touch closer to the time regarding further details and plans for a send off!
Every year a number of our children move on to start their school lives. Over the years our children have left to go to many schools, especially Elmlea, Henleaze, Westbury on Trym and St Ursula's. We have close links with all of these schools and many others to ensure the transition from our nursery to school is as smooth as possible for the children. We try to stay in touch with as many as possible - some have siblings who remain with us and some live locally and pop in to say hello (some of our first ever children have even returned with children of their own 20 years later!!).
Our staff are experienced in working with preschoolers to ensure they are as ready as they possibly can be for the big day when they put on their uniform and head through the gates!
Every year we hold a graduation ceremony (mortar boards included) for those heading off where children, parents and staff can get together and celebrate their time with us!
Childcare costs can be a significant expense for many families. At Once Upon a Time we are proud to have a diverse range of children, families and staff and we offer as much support to our families as possible. There are many Government schemes to help with the cost of childcare. The internet is full of information and it can be daunting - please get in touch and we can help you to understand what it all means!
We are all delighted to hear the news that two of our longest serving members of staff, Tash and Holly, are both expecting babies later on this year! We already have Holly's daughter Ivy with us at the nursery and she is very excited to become a big sister!
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