Holistic childcare for ages 3-11,
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
Free Spirits at Norman Court Estate
Childcare
Free Spirits provides childcare for up to 12 children aged 3-11 in one mixed-age 'family style' group. We operate most of the year round. Our core day runs 10am-2:30pm and additional wrap-around hours are available to book at half-hourly intervals for childcare between 8am-5pm. Private tutoring is also available subject to availability.
Children aged 3 and 4 are entitled to 15 or 30 hours per week of free childcare which can be used at Free Spirits, with additional costs (e.g. food, specialist activities) being met by the parents.
Free Spirits is a warm and welcoming community of like-minded families, and once registered you will be invited to join the WhatsApp group.
Free Spirits is subject to regular Ofsted checks, is obliged to follow the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) Framework for under-fives, and is on both the Early Years and Childcare Registers.
Free Spirits is led by an experienced, qualified practitioner possessing DBS, Safeguarding & Child Protection, First Aid and Basic Food Hygiene certificates.
Structure of the Day
When children arrive, they remove their shoes and settle in gently with free play in the beautifully furnished cabin. Once everyone is present, we sing our Welcome Song together.
Children will have access to educational toys and games made from natural materials, a cosy book corner and open-ended resources that encourage imagination. We also have a role play area and a home corner including a two-storey castle complete with ladder and slide! The children will be observed during their free time and engaged in academically enhancing play and conversation so that they are learning without realising it.
Children will also have the opportunity to take part in a meaningful adult-led activity, such as art, sewing, cooking, crafts etc. We play outdoors every day in the garden, meadow, woods and on the play trail.
During our day, children also help to prepare food, lay the table, wash up their crockery and clean the room. There is also a Circle Time with songs, stories and rhymes.
Children who are with us 8am-10am and 2:30pm-5pm are free to engage in child-led play following their interests, using our inspirational resources and staff expertise to ensure they are happy and suitably stimulated.
