Yew Trees Nursery is surrounded by fields and open countryside located on an 11-acre site in a rural part of Somerset with a large garden and outdoor play areas. Children have the opportunity to look after the chickens, help collect eggs, grow and water the plants and harvest fruit and vegetables.

We use these unrivalled facilities to ensure that children in the nursery have ample opportunity for learning about the outdoors through play.

We are a child led setting, we consider the interests and developmental needs and learning of each individual child in our planning, however ultimately we recognise the value of play and allowing each child  to learn through play. This enables children freedom to decide how long they spend on a particular activity, the methods and resources they wish to use or if they want to switch activities all together.

Liz Bayram, Chief Executive of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, believes “The evidence shows that high quality childcare delivered through a play-based approach to learning is vital to help children develop the social, emotional and physical skills they need to thrive. A child’s confidence, independence and willingness to learn is more important than being able to recognise letters, sit still and focus on a task.”