Set within the beautiful Cornish landscape, Naturally Learning – with its five nurseries and Forest School– offers an early years experience with the magic of childhood at its heart.
Integral to the group’s ethos is the importance of nurturing each child as a whole, where the positive development of children’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual wellbeing is encouraged.
Naturally Learning’s indoor environments provide spaces of calm where children can access a wide range of stimulating learning experiences and resources. There are quiet places to rest and reflect, communication-friendly spaces to talk with friends, areas to spark creativity and imagination, things to question and count, sensory experiences to explore and places to read and write.
Outdoor learning is also integral to the group’s ethos. Children have the opportunity to spend much of their time outside in outdoor classrooms and gardens. They also attend Forest and Beach School sessions.
The nurseries are overseen and supported by a senior team who each have their own expertise, covering finance, operations, personnel, pedagogy, ethos, learning and development and SEND. They are passionate about professional development, with the managing director, pedagogical lead and training manager all educated to Master’s level in early years, and the operations director is an Early Years Teacher. Care is taken to invest in the whole staff team and promote professional development to ensure the group’s ethos is embedded.
Managers visit each nursery in rotation every Monday morning for ‘the senior shuffle’ to provide focus on their field of expertise and offer praise, support and guidance. Every Friday there is a managers’ online catch-up meeting, and they also meet in person termly for a full day’s meeting focusing on aspects to develop across the group.
Naturally Learning is working towards becoming a ‘real living wage employer’.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Kirktonholme Childcare – Glasgow
What makes Kirktonholme special is its dedication to children, families and teams to provide safe, happy and quality environments to flourish within. This family-owned and operated group has grown naturally during the past 30 years and now operates ten nurseries throughout central Scotland, with plans to continue gradual expansion.
It recently acquired the SQA accredited training provider Experiential Play, enabling it to provide Modern Apprentices with a higher-quality learning experience and also offering the service to its network of nurseries throughout Scotland.
FINALISTS
• Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries – West London and Buckinghamshire
• Little Adventures Nursery Group
CRITERION
Open to UK nursery groups with three or more settings.
