Explorers at Sundorne opened on Monday 2nd September 2013; it is a privately owned provision that can accommodate children during from the age of 24 months to year 6. Explorers at Sundorne is situated in Sundorne Infants and Nursery school, on Featherbed lane, Shrewsbury which is approximately 10 minutes from Shrewsbury town centre.

Happy and Secure

At Explorers at Sundorne we feel that your child’s happiness, safety and well-being is paramount. We provide a friendly, happy, secure and professional environment and welcoming atmosphere, where children feel safe and can learn and explore the world through play. You will find our fully trained team, caring and enthusiastic people, who understand the importance of your child’s individual needs. We welcome and value all families within our provision, and promote positive attitudes towards disability, ethnic, cultural and social diversity.

Partnership

As parents ourselves we understand that parents/carers are children’s first and enduring educators, we appreciate when parents and practitioners work in partnership in our setting, the outcomes positively influence children’s development and learning. We feel it is important for effective communication between parents/carers and practitioners to ensure that information, knowledge and expertise is shared appropriately. We provide many opportunities for parents/carers to be involved with their children’s education and play an active role within our nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

We follow the EYFS, which is a legal framework for children aged from birth to five years. It sets out the legal requirements relating to learning, development and safeguarding and welfare requirements.

SEND Code

We welcome all children and are committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity and inclusion among our staff, families and children. We endeavour to make sure that we provide appropriate provision to enhance the setting and cater for the needs of all children enabling them to enjoy a full part in the daily life at the setting.

All Children and families will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the setting (including signposting to appropriate agencies) will be fully utilised to maximise enabling environments and early intervention and support. At Explorers we are committed to following the recommendations and guidelines of the SEND Code of Practice and Disability act 2010. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

Explorers’ Vision

Children are at the heart of the Explorers Childcare family as we play, learn and grow together. Explorers strives to create a safe, secure and happy learning environment which ensures everyone reaches their full potential as they travel along their unique learning journey.

Building upon core British values and the beliefs and cultural heritage of our children’s families, Explorers works together with carers and specialised outside agencies to create a supportive partnership which fosters inclusivity, embraces the diversity of family life and helps all children to be prepared for the future.

Explorers’ Aims

Every day is a learning day for both children and adults at Explorers. Providing a loving, caring environment where everyone is valued and listened to we aim:

  • To provide affordable childcare which offers a rich, stimulating culture of learning, exploration and opportunity for both children and staff, no matter their background.
  • To make full use of our local environments, communities and wide ranging staff knowledge to ensure that every day is a learning day tailored to all interests and aspirations.
  • To provide all children with a safe and stimulating environment that builds on individual needs, hopes and interests.
  • To work in partnership with other professionals and agencies to ensure all children have the very best start in their lives and are prepared for the next stage of their education.
  • To allow children to explore and engage with the world around them through play.
  • To provide children with opportunities to access additional activities and outings to create memories and broaden their horizons.
  • To create a working partnership with parents/carers ensuring that, together, we can help children to reach aspirational outcomes.

Teaching and Learning ~ Our Aims and Rationale

At Explorers we provide high quality care in an enriched learning environment where our values are at the heart of everything that we do as we play, learn and grow together.

Explorers’ Values are:
To be Happy
To be Caring
To offer Quality
To provide a culture of Learning

At Explorers, we believe that all children should be given the best start to their educational journey through a broad, balanced and fun early educational experience which will help them in their future learning.

Our aims for Explorers are:
To ensure children are happy
To provide a happy, safe and caring environment
To provide stimulating play experiences that will help children to develop to the best of their abilities
To use an educational framework for the quality of care and learning
Our aims for all children are:
To be happy
To be confident and independent
To explore new thinking and build on their knowledge and skills each and every day
Explorers’ ethos is to make people happy
Make children happy
Make staff happy
Make parents/carers happy

Our curriculum: Intent and Purpose

To give all our children the very best start in their early years education and ensure they meet their full potential through providing a wide variety of experiences and adventures which:

  • Are happy and safe
  • Develop independence
  • Nurture their confidence, curiosity, imagination, self-respect and responsibility to others
  • Allow them to explore and adapt to new ideas and ways of thinking
  • Build relationships and knowledge
  • Prepare them for their next stages of learning

Explorers’ Rationale

Experiences in Early Years are key to children’s development and provide the foundations they build upon for the rest of their lives. Therefore, it is fundamental that we get these experiences right for every child at Explorers. We help all children to reach their full potential regardless of their starting point by providing a happy, safe, fun, stimulating and challenging range of learning opportunities and experiences; developing excellent relationships with parents/carers, children and other professionals; and ensuring a sensitive, caring and inclusive setting.

We will help all children to develop into active, resilient, confident and independent learners who move to their next stages of learning with knowledge, skills, characteristics, attitudes and love of learning.

We achieve this by:

  • We understand that childhood is part of, and not preparation for, further education and adulthood. Children should feel appreciated, be able to express their feelings, ideas, thoughts, identities and relationships in a positive, caring, playful and stimulating environment.
  • Children will be able to explore at their own pace, be respected as autonomous, self-motivated individuals and given consistent boundaries.
  • The majority of play at Explorers will be child-led, with practitioners following children’s current interests, helping children to take initiatives, make their own decisions and become active learners.
  • Practitioners will engage with children and their learning either by careful observation of children; listening and watching play or by sensitively joining in children’s play in order to develop it.
  • Practitioners will work to support children’s reasoning while challenging them to re-examine and extend their understanding of the world. This will be achieved by modelling and developing language for communication and by thinking through and modelling play itself.
  • Practitioners will follow children’s interests to move on their learning by building upon and extending children’s skills and knowledge.
  • Practitioners are aware that each child’s relationship with other children and adults is integral to their well-being and development.
  • Practitioners are role models through their relationships with other staff, parents/carers and children.
  • Practitioners will ensure that they remain sensitively involved in their relationships with other staff, parents/carers and all areas of children’s play and activities; supporting development throughout their curriculum provision.
  • Practitioners understand that every child develops individually and, therefore, different levels of communication and interaction are necessary.
  • All practitioners will show a warm and loving attitude towards children in their environment and ensure that non-verbal communication (body language) is open and caring.
  • During interactions between children and practitioners, a practitioners’ aim is not to think for children but to use sensitive questions, comments and modelling (thinking out loud) in order to help children to think for themselves.
  • When children push boundaries and need support, practitioners will respond in a calm and consistent way.

Research has demonstrated the tremendous impact that the quality of the home learning environment has on a child’s development. We believe that parents/carers are a child’s first and most enduring educator and that when parents/carers and practitioners work in partnership it is to the great benefit of the children. In order to capitalise on children’s nursery and home experience, we work closely with parents/carers to share information which can then be built upon in the setting. Ongoing dialogue between parents/carers and practitioners begins with pre-visits and continues with regular formal and informal information sharing and the use of our communication methods on tapestry.

We all know, working in partnership with other professional gives children better outcomes. Multi-agency communication is an important part of Explorers and we do our utmost to work with all professionals to ensure we provide the very best care and education. We have a close relationship with the CDC centre as we have many children who have and/or are developing their support pathway. Early intervention is vital and referring children to other services as and when needed is key to help support individual developmental needs.

An enabling environment includes the emotional environment as well as the indoor and outdoor environment. At Explorers, we ensure that:

  • Children have access to indoor and outdoor play.
  • Resources are developmentally appropriate and can be used in a range of ways.
  • Resources are high quality and safe
  • Resources are available for children to select independently to support their learning.
  • Tidy up time is included in the routine
  • Continuous provision and small group time sessions are planned daily with activities building on observations of the child’s current interests.
  • Children have access to outdoor play whatever the weather.
  • Practitioners take into consideration the range of children’s learning styles when planning.
  • Practitioners take special care to plan activities to meet the needs of all children.

Contact Us

If you would like to enquire or have any questions please contact us via the Contact Us page.