Charity begins at nursery

When are children old enough to understand the idea of charity? We’d say you can’t start early enough. The concepts of kindness to others, empathy and sharing are embedded in our teaching, so helping our children take part in charitable activities is a natural extension.

As a nursery group we have chosen to support UNICEF the children’s charity that helps uphold the rights of children everywhere. Rights which include a right to education, to play, to a home and to food and fresh water “for every child in danger”. Involving the children in fundraising, such as planting sunflowers and baking for Ukraine, opens conversations about children in other parts of the world who we can help. But the conversations are always kept at a level young children can understand: we help people who don’t have as much as us, for instance. We bring into their world with simple things like our “Code of Kindness” and teaching children to listen to each other, use gentle hands and take turns or share.

Each of our individual nurseries have also chosen charities to support that are close to them through the experiences of their children, families or staff. Snapdragons Weston have selected Jessie May Trust as their charity this year. Jessie May is a local charity that supports families coping with the “fear, challenges and complexities of having a child with a life-limiting condition – from diagnosis, during day-to-day life, times of crisis and through bereavement.” At Christmas, the Weston team decorated their Christmas tree with gift tags listing items needed to bring some fun and enrichment to the children being helped by the trust. They had wonderful response from their generous families and were able to donate bags and boxes full of books and toys. The children loved collecting up the presents and understood that they were helping other children. In the summer, they plan a Summer Festival for Jessie May to raise more funds, so we hope that lots of you can join the fun.

Meanwhile, over at Snapdragons Broadwood, the team are getting behind Springboard Chippenham. This amazing charity, whose motto is “maximising ability, minimising disability”, provides support for pre-school children (aged 0-5) with special needs and their families in North Wiltshire. We have worked closely with Springboard in the care of some of our Snapdragons children so we really value the wonderful work they do. Recently the whole nursery undertook a sponsored walk, managing three laps through snowdrops (and mus) round the school grounds to raise £466 (and rising) towards their £1000 target. Great work everyone!

We’d like to thank all our families, children and staff for their generosity in giving time, money and great ideas to help us help others!

It’s so Good to be at Keynsham!

Snapdragons Keynsham was recently inspected by Ofsted and we’re happy to share that life is “good” there! Two inspectors spent the day meeting staff, children and parents and found that the provision was “Good” in all areas. The report noted that,

“Children are happy and well cared for at this welcoming nursery. They form secure attachments with the staff, who know them well. Leaders create an ambitious curriculum to support children to gain the skills they need for future learning. Children display positive attitudes to learning. They are confident to explore the spacious learning environment, which staff thoughtfully set up to meet their development needs. Babies receive cuddles from the caring staff. This helps them to feel safe and secure.

Staff and leaders place a strong focus on supporting children's emotional wellbeing [and] value children as unique individuals and encourage them to share their cultures and traditions.

Parents' feedback is extremely positive. They highlight staff's dedication and professionalism and value the range of experiences on offer, such as forest school sessions.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and/or in receipt of additional funding make very good progress.”

Manager, Hannah Saunders, was pleased with the result following this, her first Ofsted Inspection: “I was so proud of my team who show-cased our gorgeous setting and the stimulating and caring environment we have created for our children. We’ve recently welcomed a new cohort of apprentices to the team, so an Ofsted inspection so early in their careers was daunting, but they all responded so positively. And I’d like to say a big “thank you” to all our parents who gave us such glowing feedback.”

Manager, Hannah Saunders, says:

“I was so proud of my team who show-cased our gorgeous setting and the stimulating and caring environment we have created for our children.”

Hannah Saunders was pleased with the result following this, her first Ofsted Inspection as Manager: “I was so proud of my team, who show-cased our gorgeous setting and the stimulating and caring environments we have created for our children. We’ve recently welcomed a new cohort of Apprentices to the team, so an Ofsted inspection so early in their careers was daunting, but they all responded so positively. And I’d like to say a huge “thank you” to all our parents who gave us such glowing feedback.”

Read the full report here.

Good on you, Shirehampton!

Congratulations to our Shirehampton team on the publication of their fabulous Ofsted report. The report, recently published after their inspection in July, concluded that Shirehampton is “Good” in all areas and we’re super happy!

The inspectors were impressed with the progress children make at the nursery and how quickly new children settle in and thrive due to the close partnerships with parents that are formed from the outset. They were also full of praise for the team’s skills at supporting children’s communication, saying, “Staff model speech so children hear the correct pronunciations. They wait patiently for children to respond, either verbally, with gestures or signs. Children are learning that communication is a two-way process and that their voices are important.”

The fact that the nursery is very much a part of the community shone out to the inspectors who noted the close links with other providers, local schools and the wider community, including the regular food bank donations the nursery makes with the help of donations from parents and staff.

“We would like to thank all of the parents for their support during our Ofsted inspection. The comments from the parents were so wonderful to receive and passing them on to the team was a highlight of my day!"

Jenna Schroeder, Nursery Manager

Jenna Schroeder, the Nursery Manager, was delighted with the feedback, “We would like to thank all of the parents for their support during our Ofsted inspection. The comments from the parents were so wonderful to receive and passing them on to the team was a highlight of my day. It was a busy Thursday, but the team did what they do day in and day out, and this was recognised with the wonderful feedback from the inspectors about the secure attachments and lovely provision that was set out in the nursery. It was my first “learning walk” - the manager’s chance to show inspectors round the setting and explain the curriculum, provision and intended outcomes for children - and my first inspection as manager, and it was so inspiring walking around the nursery and showcasing our setting. We are so proud of our result and have already put actions in place to support the small recommendations. We are excited to see what the next couple of years will bring.” 

In this lovely report, Shirehampton was recognised as a supportive, caring and happy place to be, which is exactly what we know it to be. Well done team and thank you to all the parents who spoke so highly of the nursery to Ofsted. You can read and enjoy the full report here.

Goodbye to our 2023 Pre-School Leavers!

We’ve had a summer of celebrations for our Pre-School leavers with certificates, picnic feasts, games and songs as we mark the end of an era for our 2023 cohort, but now, it’s time to say goodbye.

Our Pre-Schoolers aren’t exactly graduates, but, given that we learn half of everything we’re ever going to know before we’re five, perhaps this is an even more significant event than a university graduation. The Early Years are the foundations of future learning and what a privilege it is to be able to share these precious opportunities with so many wonderful and unique children. We know that our Snapdragons children are going to school ready to learn and to make friends, equipped with the skills they need to succeed. We’re so proud of them and will miss them all!

So, goodbye, Pre-School 2023! Have fun, learn lots, make friends and seize every opportunity - you’re going to be amazing. Thank you for being part of the Snapdragons family!

Snapdragons celebrates 25 amazing years!

We celebrated Snapdragons’ 25th anniversary this year with a fabulous weekend festival on the outskirts of Bath. The festival was laid on as a huge “thank you” for the whole staff team, who enjoyed a laid-back weekend of food, drink, friends, games and entertainment at Field Good Bar.

Snapdragons Nursery was started in 1998 by Rosemary and Paul Collard from their farmhouse home in Atworth, Wiltshire, and, 25 years later, they are still very much involved in the business. The success of the Atworth nursery inspired them to expand and offer their brand of education and care to more children and families.

Rosemary says she had no plan to grow the company: “When we started, I never dreamt that 25 years later we’d be where we are. I was teaching in Melksham and Paul’s job with British Airways involved a lot of travel. With four young children, the logistics were daunting to say the least. Full daycare was relatively new and there was little provision to help working families, so the seed of an idea formed and we opened our Atworth nursery in our own home. The first two children to test it were my youngest daughter Izzy and her cousin! Some of our staff are still with us from those early days, so it really does feel like a family. The festival was a chance to show our amazing teams how much we value their work.”

Forward to 2023 and there are now ten Snapdragons nurseries from Atworth and Corsham in Wiltshire, through Bath and Keynsham and into Bristol with 450 employees and close to 1,500 places for children. The Collards’ children, now adults of course, have joined the company and have key roles in Finance, IT and Education, while the four grandchildren have all attended the nurseries. A truly family affair!

Snapdragons is an Ofsted outstanding provider and has been recognised in the nursery sector with multiple awards. They have also established a reputation for their approach to healthy, ethical food and have held a Food For Life Gold Food Served Here Award from the Soil Association since 2012.

So, it may not have been a grand plan when the first nursery was opened in an Atworth family home in 1998, but Snapdragons has grown and we can all be proud of being part of it. Congratulations to Rosemary, Paul, James, Jen, Sophie and Izzy , and to all of our original and current staff, and all of our children and families past and present for 25 glorious years of Snapdragons. Here’s to another quarter century!!