At Acorns Nursery, we are fortunate to offer a rich and dynamic environment designed to nurture every child’s development. With two bespoke classrooms and an expansive outdoor learning space, our nursery is a place where children can grow, explore, and thrive.

Our thoughtfully organised learning environment invites children to engage in a wide range of activities, each carefully planned to promote purposeful play. Every area is designed to ignite curiosity and support the development of key skills, ensuring that children’s interests and passions are at the heart of everything we do.

A Stimulating Learning Environment

The continuous provision in our nursery is enhanced to support the weekly topics we explore. The learning spaces are carefully designed to reflect children’s current interests and fascinations, giving them opportunities to take risks and explore new ideas. Our classrooms are stocked with high-quality resources and designed to inspire children’s imaginations, creating an environment that supports active, hands-on learning.

We use high-quality, core texts that connect to our learning topics, enriching the children’s experiences. These stories help to develop imagination and stimulate connections across different areas of learning. Through role play, modelling, and mark making, children are encouraged to explore, create, and make meaningful links between their ideas and the world around them. Story time is a special part of our day, fostering a love of reading and helping to develop excellent early literacy skills.

Encouraging Independence and Exploration

At Acorns, we teach children the importance of independence. We encourage them to confidently use resources, knowing where to find them and how to return them independently. Our classrooms and outdoor areas offer a wide range of materials that are always available for children to choose from. Some resources are familiar, while others are introduced at various times to keep the environment fresh, engaging, and exciting.

Key Areas of Learning

• Mark Making and Finger Gym: Mark making is the foundation of early writing. Our well-resourced Mark-Making Area and Finger Gym support the development of fine motor skills, enabling children to become confident writers and begin to form letter shapes.

• Role-Play: Our Role-Play Areas invite children to step into different worlds—whether they’re doctors, pirates, or astronauts. These areas encourage children to act out familiar stories and everyday scenarios, helping them understand themselves, each other, and the world around them.

• Mathematical Learning: Through play, children explore mathematical concepts, developing positive attitudes toward problem-solving. A variety of mathematical resources are available to support early mathematical thinking and provide opportunities for hands-on learning.

• Investigation Station: Tapping into children’s natural curiosity, our Investigation Station provides exciting opportunities for children to explore and investigate the world around them, developing their scientific thinking.

• Small World Play: Our Small World Play Areas stimulate independent play and imagination. These scenarios reflect real-life situations and are enhanced to support language development and creative thinking.

• Creative Area: In the Creative Area, children express their thoughts and feelings through art. Emphasising process over product, this area encourages problem-solving, imagination, and the exploration of various materials.

• Malleable and Sensory Materials: Malleable and sensory play fuels curiosity and fosters imagination. Through activities like pinching, pouring, and balancing, children develop both fine and gross motor skills while engaging their senses in creative ways.

Our Outdoor Learning Environment

Acorns Nursery is lucky to have its own bespoke playground, nestled within the wider EYFS playground. This provides our children with access to various outdoor learning zones, including a Sand Kitchen, Construction Area, Story Circle, and Sensory Garden. The outdoor provision supports a wide range of planned learning activities and offers children opportunities for physical play, such as riding, climbing, and balancing.

Our Nursery Playground is also home to water and sand trays, a mud kitchen, wooded areas and a playhouse—exciting areas that encourage imaginative play and creative exploration.

Extended Learning Opportunities

• Mini Musicians:
  Through singing and music-making, our children develop an appreciation for music and its many benefits. Each week, our children enjoy a dedicated music session with our experienced music teacher, where they have the opportunity to explore a variety of musical instruments, develop rhythm, and express themselves through sound. These sessions are designed to enhance children’s listening skills, improve their memory, and encourage creativity.

  Music is a wonderful tool for developing early language skills, as it helps children with phonemic awareness and language development. It also fosters social skills as children collaborate with their peers during group activities, learning to share instruments, take turns, and communicate through music. Additionally, music supports emotional expression, allowing children to express their feelings in a safe and fun way.

  By exploring different musical genres, experimenting with different sounds, and creating their own music, our children develop a deep appreciation for music that lasts a lifetime. Music is not just a fun activity—it is a key part of daily life at Acorns, enriching our children's learning experience and helping them grow in so many ways.

• Love of Reading:
  At Acorns , we believe in the transformative power of books and reading, our wish is to instill a lifelong love of reading in every child. Our nursery is designed with cosy reading zones, where children can curl up with a book or share stories with their friends. Story time is a favourite part of each day, and children even have the chance to vote for their favourite stories. We also enrich their reading experience with regular visits to the Claygate Primary School library, further cultivating a passion for books and sparking curiosity. At Acorns, we lay the foundation for strong early literacy skills, making reading an exciting, interactive adventure.

• Mini Woodies:
  Our bespoke EYFS woodland area, Mini Woodies, offers children the chance to immerse themselves in nature, encouraging exploration and discovery in a magical, natural setting. Our children take part in forest school-style activities that engage them in hands-on learning, from building dens to observing wildlife. These unbounded adventures inspire children to take safe risks, learn about the environment, and develop confidence in their abilities, all guided by our experienced woodland leader. Mini Woodies provides the perfect blend of excitement, challenge, and education, giving children the chance to connect with nature in a way that nurtures their curiosity and creativity.

• Gym:
  Our indoor gymnastics sessions are designed to help children develop key physical skills in a fun, supportive environment. The children have the opportunity to work on balance, coordination, and gross motor skills. This dedicated space allows children to build strength and confidence as they explore physical challenges in a safe and engaging way. Whether climbing, balancing, or tumbling, our gymnastic sessions are an essential part of our approach to ensuring children develop both physically and mentally in a dynamic, energetic setting.

At Acorns Nursery, we combine a love of learning with exciting opportunities for exploration, creativity, and physical development, ensuring your child enjoys a well-rounded and enriching start to their educational journey.

Exploring the Claygate Primary School Grounds

• Guinea Pigs and Chickens:
  At Acorns, we are lucky to have guinea pigs and chickens, offering our children the unique opportunity to care for animals and learn about responsibility. The children enjoy interacting with these adorable creatures, from feeding them to enjoying the occasional cuddle. This hands-on experience fosters empathy, kindness, and an understanding of the natural world, creating memorable learning moments that are both fun and educational.

• Mini Orchard:
  Our mini orchard, featuring a variety of apple trees - including the unique Claygate Pearmian apple tree - provides a wonderful opportunity for children to explore the wonders of nature. As they watch the trees blossom and bear fruit, our children learn about the cycles of nature, how to care for plants, and the joy of harvesting. The orchard brings learning to life in an engaging, real-world context, giving children a sense of connection to the environment.

• Allotments:
  Our allotments offer a fantastic hands-on learning experience where children can engage with the natural world through planting, nurturing, and harvesting a range of produce. This enriching activity allows children to discover the wonders of the changing seasons and learn about where food comes from. The allotments also help children develop patience, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment as they watch their hard work come to fruition.

• Fields and Playground:
  The extensive fields and playgrounds at Claygate Primary School provide a vast and exciting space for children to explore and develop essential physical skills. Whether running, jumping, climbing, or playing games, our children enjoy endless opportunities to be active, build coordination, and strengthen gross motor skills. With plenty of room to roam and play, our outdoor areas are a key part of our nursery’s approach to physical development, encouraging children to engage in a wide variety of activities that support their health, well-being, and overall growth.

At Acorns Nursery, we create a nurturing, stimulating environment where children can grow, learn, and explore. Through a blend of purposeful play, extended learning opportunities, and a focus on independence, we ensure that every child is supported in becoming confident, capable learners who are excited about the world around them.

"Acorns Nursery has been an absolute gem in nurturing our children over the past few years. Miss Dias and her team have provided an exceptional level of care which has exceeded our expectations.

The staff creates a warm and stimulating environment in which our children have developed invaluable social skills and a genuine sense of curiosity, thanks to the curriculum and engaging activities within the nursery environment and the available facilities." Geoff