Welcome to Sunnybank Nursery

A warm, relaxed, and homely environment for your children

Baby Bunnies

We call this "Baby Bunnies" for babies age 3 - 24mths

Toddlers

These are our "Rabbits" (24 - 42mths)

Pre-school

We call this "Hares" for ages 36 - 60mths

About Us

Quality care for your children

Sunnybank was set up in 1993 by the Cannon family with the vision to provide a warm, relaxed and friendly environment in which children can thrive. In short a place we would be happy to let our own children attend. Jo Warrior [nee Cannon] was the driving force at that time, a senior midwife with a strong grasp on the important elements of childcare.

After firmly establishing Sunnybank as a leading Childrens' Nursery in the area, Jo emigrated in 2008. However, the Nursery remained in family ownership with her brother, Peter Cannon and his wife Alison at the helm. Peter is a GP and Alison a School Nurse. They have developed the Nursery whilst keeping Health and Wellbeing at the top of every agenda.

Going forward we believe that the future is bright for children coming through our Nursery.

Latest News - Select an option below

DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES we will be postponing Fete Week.

This will now take place the week commencing 9th July. The theme will still be a Bug's Life and we will still be holding: Baking and Craft Day, Fancy Dress Day, Activity Day, Messy Garden Day and the Hares Graduation followed by a BBQ for all the Nursery on the Friday!

:)

20.06.2018 - We had our annual audit from Derbyshire County Council - and WOW what amazing feedback!
The Early Years inspector commented how rapidly progressing the Nursery is and how well we provide for your children - we have NO recommendations!
I am extremely proud of my staff team and their achievements - as I'm sure so are you!

Some feedback included:
*Throughout our QISP discussion it was clearly evident that the managers are ambitious and have high expectations for all – the pursuit of excellence is clearly demonstrated!
*The views and opinions of all e.g. management, staff, parents and children are clearly taken into account and are included in the setting Self evaluation. This file contains a wealth of evidence e.g. parent questionnaires, room observations, staff meeting details, mock Ofsted’s, various audits, in-house/external/online training, dissemination of training, ‘thank you’ cards etc., brain storming ideas, hotspot observations, evidence of child votes etc. The SEF also contains action plans linked to Ofsted expectations e.g. leadership and management, teaching, learning and assessment etc. ensuring that the nursery are driving the quality of the nursery forwards.
*Management monitor the development of practice through the use of room observations (focus on children being happy & engaged, O.A.P system, the learning environment, adult led/child initiated learning, resources, staff interactions skills etc. This monitoring alongside other systems e.g. modelling practice, supervision/appraisals, better staff/working relationships, strong and clear expectations of management ensures that the quality of teaching is consistently strong.
*Children with identified needs e.g. SEND, EAL identified and targeted early e.g. through initial assessments, CMT/PDMT, identified for additional support from other professionals, receive ETAYS funding etc. Setting have evidence that gaps are closing for these children
* Tracking demonstrates that children are making progress and children are well prepared for school.
*Funding is well spent on allocated children and the setting ensure they include the voices of all involved to help identify spending
* Safeguarding is extremely strong throughout nursery
*Massive impact on the learning environment since last visit, setting have continued to support the development of the nursery both with time and money. The nursery have created a calmer more relaxed and natural environment. They are providing more open ended resources & loose parts. Changes to the environment have enabled children to access resources easily and have promoted independence e.g. self-service lunch & snacks, easy access to coats etc
* Behaviour management is strong and the setting promote positive behaviour management strategies e.g. the use ‘do’s’ rather than ‘don’ts’, implement golden rules consistently, use ‘good’ listening and ‘good’ sitting bears, children behave well throughout. Staff model and demonstrate good behaviour.
* Setting has high attendance records e.g. travellers, 2 yr funded

The full report is available at Nursery to read

Please search 'Sunnybank Nursery (Closed Group) on Facebook and send a request to keep up to date with ongoing learning, changes and events.

Did you know that whenever you buy anything online this Christmas, you could be raising a free donation for Sunnybank Nursery School - Chesterfield? There are nearly 3,000 retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, Aviva, thetrainline and Sainsbury's, who'll give a free donation to Sunnybank Nursery School - Chesterfield, it doesn't cost a penny extra.

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To get it, visit the App Store or Google Play and search for 'easyfundraising' or find out more here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/raise-more/easyfundraising-app
Thanks for your support!

Meet the Staff

Christine

Manager

Alice

Deputy Manager

Gemma

Officer in Charge

Sarah

Acting Team Leader

Claire

Acting Team Leader

Rebecca

SENDCo

Jennifer

Early Years Practitioner

Kellie

Early Years Practitioner

Larissa

Early Years Practitioner

Lucy

Early Years Practitioner

Dianne

Cook

Reasons to choose Sunnybank

Sunnybank Nursery provides a warm, relaxed, inclusive and most importantly a homely environment, in which children can flourish to the best of their capabilities. We provide fun, educational activities and experiences to aid development in all areas and to encourage confidence and independence. We pride ourselves in our standards of care and positive relationships with children, parents and carers respecting diversity and cultural beliefs. We have an open door policy where parents and carers can telephone or call in for a chat and a cup of coffee.

All the staff at Sunnybank hold a minimum Level 3 Qualification in Child Care and Development, with our Manager Christine being Level 3 qualified and holding an award in Team Leadership and Management. All the staff also take on extra curricular courses in order to develop their personal performances. All staff are trained in 1st Aid, Health and Safety, Food Safety, Fire Safety, Additional Needs and Equal Opportunities. The staff work in a manner which is open and honest. We understand that the relationships which children establish with adults and other children are of central importance in their development. We understand that children need time and space to produce work of quality and depth and they learn most effectively when they are actively involved and interested. Each member of staff through their appearance, manner and general approach to colleagues, parents and visitors will be able to reflect the high professional standards of the Nursery.

The nursery offers both full and part-time placements as well as a flexible system. For 'settling-in' purposes and continuity of care, we recommend a minimum of two sessions per week. However, we are happy to discuss individual requirements. The nursery prides itself on our ability to be flexible with all our families offering the best service possible. We endeavour to ensure all our families’ needs are taken into consideration and individual requirements are met.

Full/Part time
These placements are fixed and involve you choosing specific sessions and having those sessions each week. Once they are agreed, they are secured. However, should you need to alter a session then provided we have a minimum of one weeks’ notice and availability, you are welcome to change. We always endeavour to try to accommodate parents at short notice.

Flexible
These placements are designed primarily for parents who work shifts and rarely have two weeks the same. They are limited and work on a first come, first served basis. These sessions are only secured once booked and hence advance booking is essential to ensure reliability.

The nursery is located in the small village of Calow that has a school, community centre and is very close to the town centre with numerous local schools. Our location within the village is on the main A632 road through Calow, but with ample farmlands and rural areas surrounding us providing an excellent short nature walk which the children frequently enjoy. We are also very close to the nearby village of Arkwright that has a small school with which we hold a strong relationship. Access is good from Chesterfield, Bolsover and the M1 Motorway. We have adequate car parking facilities to the rear of the premises.

We believe parents/carers are the most important educators for their children and that by working in partnership with you we can encourage each child to develop and progress. Therefore, from your first tour of the Nursery, we will assign you with a key person who is responsible for your child's well being, learning and development. Your key person will be able to support you with learning at home including toileting etc, discuss building relationships and confidence, prepare you child ready for school when necessary and much more whilst ensuring they are happy and motivated to learn.

At Sunnybank we are committed to promoting British Values. We value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all our children and families and celebrate a variety of events and occasions. We promote values in many ways; by teaching children right from wrong at an early age, by teaching and encouraging decision making and democracy, by teaching respect for each others views and values, talking about our feelings and learning about sharing and taking turns during play.

The Nursery is focused on our Mission Statement and feel this reflects British Values.

Since the start of the food hygiene rating system was introduced, we have received the 5 star food hygiene rating awarded by the North East Derbyshire Environmental Health Authority. Our menus are carefully designed and can be viewed on this website.

Our latest inspection is dated 30th May 2017 and graded 5 stars!

We currently have weekly Spanish lessons for the children in the pre-school room. This is a fantastic opportunity for our older children to gain knowledge and awareness through an alternative language as well as to explore cultural differences. The 20 minute lessons run on Tuesday mornings between 9:30am - 10am and are taken by a qualified Spanish Teacher. The children explore stories, songs and rhymes as well as looking at colours, numbers and shapes in the Spanish Language. If you are interested in your child taking up this additional activity, then please speak to a member of the staff team.

Find out more at:
https://www.lajolieronde.co.uk/schools-and-nurseries

What our customers have to say about Sunnybank

"To all the staff at Sunnybnk.

Thankyou all so much for the care you have given Alfie over the past 3 1/2 years. He has come on so much since starting at Sunnybank!

I know he will miss you all SO much :( !

Lot's of love,
Sadie, David, Aaliyah and Alfie xxx"

SEPTEMBER 2018 Sadie Sellars

"To all the staff at Sunnybank

We can't believe our time at Sunnybank ha come to an end!
Thank you so much for taking such good care or our precious daughter Maisie Moo!
You all hold a very special place in our hearts for the kindness, love and support you have given us.
You have given Maisie the best start and experience we could have wished for!
We will miss you all, our Sunnybank Family,
Lot's of love,
Claire, Steve and Maisie Moo!

SEPTEMBER 2018 Claire Taylor

SUNNYBANK NURSERY

You welcomed me with a friendly smile when I was only '1'
You took my hand and cuddled me until I got used to everyone
Your reassured, encouraged me, watched that I didn't fall
You saw me grow in confidence and joined in with my play
You talked to me about the world and heard what I had to say
You helped me build first friendships to take turns and learn to share
You showed me the importance of trying to be fair
You laughed with me and shared my joy and joined me in a smile
You comforted me and listened if I was sad for a while
You taught me many of life's lessons amongst the paint and dough
You have been the best Nursery teachers and I do thank you so!

Thanking you all for looking after me and helping me grow - I will miss you all!
Maisie xx

SEPTEMBER 2018 Claire Taylor

Just a little card to say a BIG thankyou for all the fun and care you've given Theo over the last year and a bit!
I'm sure he will remember his time with you fondly and has learned and grown no end!

Many thanks
Tamara, Jon and Theo

:)

SEPTEMBER 2018 Tamara Smart

To all the staff at Sunnybank
Thankyou for helping me shine!
This greeting comes to bring many thanks for everything!
Lots of love and snuggles,

Teddy T xx

SEPTEMBER 2018 Katie Thornley

Sunnybank you are .... RAWRSOME!

To everyone at Sunnybank

We just wanted to thank each and everyone of you for being such a big part of Zachary's life over the past few years!

Thankyou for helping him grow, for all the support and encouragement you have given him and for all the love and care you have shown him.

He has absolutely loved his time at Sunnybank, he speaks about you all all the time and he honestly thinks the world of you!

It's been like home from home, we couldn't have wished for a better place, or better people, to have helped him develop and grow in his early years!

I know he is going to miss you all so much!

Thankyou!

Lot's of love
Becky, Daniel, Zachary and Sebastian xxxx

SEPTEMBER 2018 Rebecca Bite

Thank you for helping me grow ... Into who I am today!!

Thankyou for all the fun, learning and happy times, I have enjoyed and loved it all through my time at Sunnybank,

Love Summer xx Emma Harper

To all the lovely staff at Sunnybank

Thank you so much for looking after Toby so well and for giving him such a happy and fun time. There will always be such lovely memories!

Thank you for your kindness and for always being so friendly, warm and helpful and for putting a big smile on our little man's face!!

We feel so lucky that Toby had so much time at Sunnybank and such a positive and happy experience and we are so thankful to you all!

With love, Hannah and Chris xx

SEPTEMBER 2018 Hannah Alcock

"We moved our daughter to Sunnybank recently after a bad experience elsewhere and we absolutely love it! The staff are all so committed and caring it astounds us. They have gone above and beyond to support our little girl and are always tailoring her learning/play to what she is interested in at the time (which changes nearly every day!) She has transformed from a shy, nervous little girl who wouldn't communicate with others to a confident and clever individual! We could not be happier with the care provided and would recommend to everyone!" E.Knight - May 2017

"I had to find a new nursery at very short notice for my son and Sunnybank have been very accommodating. Although we still have a few tears at drop off time, the staff have been very supportive, finding ways to help settle my son, and put me at ease ( a stressing mum!!) and when it's time to pick him up he's always having lots of fun!" T.Smart - June 2017

"i just want to say thank you so much for all the staff team do...not least when we had forgotten ** bag of spare pants this week and Amber had to put him in girls' pants..when ** undressed him that night, he danced around singing 'ooh la la' and they fell about giggling..a happy moment! " R.Rice - Jan 2018

Snow day 2018

"Thanks for everything today. It was much appreciated. I don't know what I'd have done without the help. It was horrid and you all have to be commended for staying out in the cold to help. Well done!" L.Hawkins

"Well done everyone you’ve all done amazing! Thank you so much for staying open when you could and keeping everyone safe!" S.Watkinson

""Please can I thank the staff for last week when it was snowing. It was really helpful of you to bring the children out to us and Gemma in particular was doing a sterling job of shovelling the snow in the bitter cold! She just mucks right in! She even stopped the traffic for me bless her. I hope you all managed to get home ok that day!" L.Hopcroft

"Thank you so much to all the amazing staff. You have all been fantastic and we are lucky as parents to be able to send our children to such a lovely nursery with such committed and lovely staff. I know Toby loves you all. Hopefully he will be back in next week. Thank you x" H.Alcock

"Definitely agree with the stars of the week! I’m sure I speak for all the parents/carers and children when I say, your super efforts are very much appreciated :)" T.Smart

Louise Hawkins

We are so grateful for the families we meet through our setting, many of whom become lifelong friends!

Today we have received this lovely gift and card addressed to 'My Nursery Mommies' on Mothers Day - it's real reminder of how lucky we are to have the job that we do! Mothers Day