Welcome to the First Day Nursery Ilford

First Day Nursery Ilford was established in August 2016 making it our very first nursery in the First Day Nursery group!

At First Day Nursery our passion is rooted in the belief that each child is a unique individual, brimming with potential and curiosity. 

Our practices are grounded by the Curiosity Approach, with unwavering dedication, we stand together, united in our passion for cultivating lifelong learners who approach the world with wonder, empathy, and a thirst for knowledge.

Let us take this voyage together, hand in hand with the children we serve, as we embark on a path of boundless exploration, discovery, and growth.

Our Pedagogy

The curiosity approach is a child-led approach based on child-led learning. Therefore, within our continuous provision, children make their own choices, and practitioners follow children's interests to plan their learning, which leads to enhanced confidence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills within our children.

We aim to create 'thinkers & doers' by putting the child at the centre of their own development. Although a routine helps our children feel settled and secure, they lead the flow of play and learning.

At First Day Nursery, our children have free-flow access to our garden and outdoor spaces. As part of the Curiosity Approach, we believe that the opportunities presented by undertaking outings offer an additional element to Outdoor Learning. Through outings, our children are able to gain a deeper understanding of the natural world and have multiple opportunities for learning and development. A central principle of this pedagogy is to instil in children a respect for their outside world.

At First Day Nursery we strive to provide real experiences and multi-sensory opportunities for our children to access throughout the day.

 Where appropriate we avoid traditional shop-bought toys and use real objects and open-ended resources to extend children’s thinking and creativity. We understand the importance of independence and support our children to make their own choices as well as encouraging them to care for our resources and environments. We strongly believe in sustainability and re-use and recycle resources where possible.

What our families say

Partnership Working - Key Person system

Essential to our success is the relationship between the nursery, parents and carers. This relationship is crucial to the wellbeing, development and progress of your child.

During your time here at the nursery, we will encourage and promote a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise. The more we learn about each other, including your child, the more successful we will be in creating a fully supportive partnership.

There is a considerable amount of information that needs to be acquired, documented and reviewed, and we will try to make this process as simple as possible. So how will we pass on and exchange this information with you?

Our nursery is dedicated to providing individual care for the children. We operate a key person system where each child has an allocated key person and buddy. The key person is a named practitioner who has responsibilities for a small group of children, they are there to help the child feel safe and secure. This role is important for both children and parents/carers and it is an approach set out in the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage). Your child’s key person will contribute towards your child’s ‘Learning Journey’ which is a scrap book documenting their journey at First Day Nursery with photographs and milestones. This is eventually handed over to families as a wonderful keepsake as they take their next step to Primary School.

Safety and Security

The welfare of our children is absolutely paramount. We therefore take every possible measure to ensure their safety while at our day nursery.

We ensure parents feel confident about leaving their children with us: not only do we have a high ratio of quality Early Years childcare specialists, but we also have a number of security features built into our nursery.

• CCTV system, which is recording 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure your child's safety. Each room, excluding the toilets, has CCTV recordings.

• Video entry system. Our entrance gate is secured with a video intercom and buzzer system. This enables staff to see and hear who is at the entrance, thereby ensuring that only authorised persons gain entry to the premises.

• Fire alarm. We have installed a sophisticated burglar and smoke alarm system that is serviced twice a year and is monitored 24 hours a day.

• Risk Assessments. We have a robust structure of risk assessments that have been completed for all areas of our nursery from the premises right down to the little chairs our children sit on. Staff complete daily risk assessments on all equipment and areas to ensure safety.

• Fully enclosed outdoor spaces. Our outdoor spaces are surrounded by decorative security wrought-iron railings and six-foot fences.

• Biometric fingerprint recognition technology has been installed for extra security – only authorised persons are able to access the nursery using this technology.

• A high adult to child ratio in all areas

Ofsted Report April 2022

Please see link for most recent Ofsted inspection. see here.

Apply

To apply for a place at First Day Nursery Ilford, please email info@firstdaynursery.com. 

How to find us

(Approximately a five-minute walk from Seven Kings Station)