Our Story

Hillsides Secret Garden Day Nursery is a family run, enchanted childcare provider in Staple Hill, Bristol. It was originally established in May 1998 as Hillside Day Nursery then in April 2013 the nursery changed to Hillside Secret Garden to celebrate new ownership.

Set in a large converted 1930’s house and boasting large outdoor areas the nursery is now managed and owned by three of the original staff. The current owners are two sisters and their mum who have worked and managed the nursery together for many years.

The Nurseries team is made up of passionate staff that have an excellent range of qualifications and experience in childcare. We have eleven members of staff including the management and cook. We have two extra team members so offer uniquely high staff to child ratio as we believe in personalised, tailored care for each child. Each team member offers something unique to ensure we provide the best possible care and education for each individual child.

Each child will be allocated a key worker to work closely with them and their family.

We value our parent/carers as first educators and welcome their involvement in our nursery, Your knowledge, experience and ideas are always welcome. We encourage families to come in for stay and plays or to share their skills, professions and hobbies.

There is plenty of time at drop off and pick up times for information to be shared about each individual child. We hold parent evenings twice a year for parents to track their child’s development and work closely with us to encourage their child’s progress.

Each child is allocated a ‘key person’ to ensure their learning is tailored to meet the child’s individual needs. Together we track your child’s development and work closely with you when planning their next steps to promote and expand their progress. The key person will be the families main contact.

The nurseries Facebook page and tapestry will keep everyone up to date on latest news and events.

Our Local Offer

Local Offer

A local offer is designed to enable parents and carers to see clearly what services are available for children with SEND in their area and how to access them.

How does Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have a special educational need or a disability?
All staff hold or are training towards appropriate childcare qualifications to ensure they have a good knowledge of child development. We will allocate a Key Person who will build a good, trusting relationship with you and your child and will be your point of contact at nursery. We use an online Learning Diary system to observe, track, summaries and collate evidence about your child, through this system the team are able to identify your child’s interests, needs and next steps. You are able to view this dairy at any time and contribute to it. We have a nursery Special Educational Needs coordinator who is available for the team to go to for help and advice.
Should you have any concerns regarding your child’s development you can discuss these with your child’s Key Person and/or the setting SENCO

How will Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery support my child?
Your child’s Key Person, supported by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) will work closely with you to ensure that your child’s needs are being fully met. Your child will have their own SEN Support Plan (SSP) or an Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), depending on their specific needs. Regular progress meetings and transition meetings will be held to review your child’s progress and next steps are discussed with parents, Key Person and SENCO. We are able to receive support from South Glos early years team who are available for guidance and advice and work alongside other professionals and jointly agree targets for the SSP.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
We treat every child as an individual. Using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum we plan for each child’s individual needs. Any targets we set for a child need to be enjoyable and achievable. We will identify and provide additional resources and support for individual children where needed.
If your child has attended or is in attendance at another setting we will work with the other setting to ensure consistency in support for your child.

How will both Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery and I know how my child is doing and will you help me to support my child’s learning?
We have assessment processes in place such as the Two Year Old Progress check and termly Summative Assessments. All children’s next steps are linked to the EYFS ages and stages of development.
We may sometimes ask you to help us at home with some of the activities that we do at nursery, to support your child’s learning. Outside professionals also provide relevant resources for us to work with in nursery and will provide a second copy for you and your child to use at home. Verbal contact takes place on a daily basis with your Key Person. You will also receive regular reports on your child’s progress and two parents evenings each year. Additional meetings are always available by request.
We have a good rapport with our local Children’s Centre and ‘What’s On’ is displayed on our Children’s Centre notice board. We use Makaton with children throughout the nursery as an additional means of communication.

What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
All staff are welcoming and friendly and are trained Early Years Practitioners. We strive to provide warm, caring and nurturing child care, in a stimulating learning environment. All our staff are paediatric first aid trained. Should a child require any specialist medication, the relevant staff would attend training, to ensure appropriate support.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery?
Our SENCO’s attend regular training sessions to ensure their knowledge is always up to date and current. All of our staff team are Makaton trained at 1,2,3 and 4. We have good links with the Early Years Team at South Gloucestershire Council and our local Children’s Centre. These professionals can visit the nursery and are able to advise us in supporting children and their families with SEND. We have access to a full range of Local Authority specialist services.

What training are the staff supporting children with SEND, had or are having?
Our SENCO’s attend relevant training on a regular basis to update their knowledge. Staff attend any relevant training to support their role as a Key Person. They share this information with the rest of the staff team on their return. Some staff have Makaton training and are using this with all the children at nursery

How will my child be included in activities outside Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery including trips?
A risk assessment will be carried out prior to any trip.
All visits and trips will be planned to ensure we are able to include all children. We will liaise with parents during the planning of the visit to ensure we have identified and met your child’s need prior to the trip/visit taking place.
Any medication your child may require will be taken with us on the trip.
We have large outside spaces that we can use for outdoor learning and play.

How accessible is Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery’s environment (Indoors and Outdoors)?
The nursery building is a converted house set over two floors. There is a set of stairs with a hand rail between the floors. We have two children’s bathroom and separate nappy changing facilities.
Our large outside spaces are set over two levels with steps and hand rails.
All furniture and equipment is at child level. Toys and resources are easily accessible to all of our children. We have clearly labelled boxes using photos and text.

How will Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery prepare and support my child to join the nursery/transfer to a new setting/school?
We offer initial settling in sessions prior to a child starting nursery. These sessions give us the opportunity to get to know you and your family. You can share with us details of your child’s needs and if any other agencies or professionals are currently involved. This ensures a consistent approach to your child’s care and education.
When moving rooms within the setting, children will attend short settling in sessions in their new room, these will be increased overtime on an individual bases.
When a child transfer’s to another setting or goes to school we will send the new setting a copy of the child’s latest summative assessment and their Learning Diary– ideally we will meet with them to discuss the child’s needs and current strategies and interventions that may be in place.
If EIO’s have been involved they will assist us with a child’s transition to a new setting/school.

How are Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
We will where possible match resources with a child’s individual needs. We encourage all children to join in and have a sense of achievement.
Where specialist equipment is required we can apply for additional funding. The professionals that work alongside the nursery can often supply additional specialist resources for us and our families to use.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
We will arrange a meeting with you where we will discuss the needs of your child with you in confidence. If parents are in agreement, the SENCO will complete relevant forms to request a referral to the relevant service.
Staff meetings within the setting will ensure the staff are all aware of your child’s strength’s and needs and the plans in place to support them.

How are parents involved in Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery? How can I be involved?
We operate an open door policy. All members of our staff are always available for meetings or informal chats. We encourage our parents to complete “parent voices” at home, and to be involved their child’s online Learning Diary. We hold Family days and parents are always welcome come in for a stay and play and see how your child is developing within the setting. Two parents evenings a year allow you to meet with your child’s Key Person and discuss their progress on a more formal level.

Who can I contact for further information?
If you would like any further information about Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery please telephone Amy or Lisa on 0117 9047106 or email hillsidessecretgarden@live.co.uk
Your child’s Key Person or the nursery SENCO is available if you would like to discuss your child’s needs. We are also able to offer advice about other professionals who may be able to support you child such as Speech and Language Therapist, Health Visitor, Local Children’s Centre or Access and Response.

Further information about the Local Offer can be found on South Gloucestershire Council’s website.

Ofsted

We are registered and inspected by:

OFSTED
National Business Unit
Picadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

0300 123 1231

Our registration number is: 136004
We will let you know when we have our latest inspection!