MENU
Home | Nursery

Nursery

The best start for your child…

Click the image below to find out more.

Welcome to our Outstanding Nursery, where every child is known, valued and encouraged to flourish. Set within our beautiful 34-acre campus and part of a multi-award-winning independent school, Ballard Nursery offers far more than childcare. As the first step in an all-through education from age 2 to 16, children benefit from a highly personalised approach to learning, specialist teaching and exceptional facilities from the very start of their educational journey. This inspiring foundation helps children develop confidence, independence and a lifelong love of learning, with most exceeding the national Reception end-of-year learning goals before they even begin Reception.

Our nurturing family ethos helps children develop confidence, independence and a lifelong love of learning. ISI/Ofsted reported that our children “confidently make independent choices of activity from the visual prompts provided, quietly guided by staff who are very aware of each child’s needs.”

A key strength of our Nursery is our bespoke approach to learning. Our practitioners know each child exceptionally well and thoughtfully plan activities around their interests, strengths and developmental needs. By providing carefully chosen resources, experiences and challenges that capture a child’s imagination, we encourage them to take the next steps in their learning with confidence and enthusiasm.

Children enjoy a rich programme of specialist lessons including Dance, Forest School, Music, PE and Gymnastics. Delivered by expert teachers and making full use of our Dance Studio, Sports Hall and wider school facilities, these experiences help children develop confidence, creativity, resilience and physical skills from an early age.

Learning extends far beyond the classroom. Children enjoy dedicated outdoor learning environments, Forest School sessions and the freedom to explore our extensive grounds, nurturing curiosity, imagination and a love of the natural world. A wide range of indoor and outdoor resources, from traditional toys to modern educational technology, supports independent and collaborative learning.

We value a close partnership with parents and work together to ensure every child’s experience is tailored to their individual needs and interests.

We also welcome prospective families to experience Ballard Nursery through our free weekly community sessions. Stay & Play takes place every Monday from 2.15pm to 3.15pm, while our engaging Bounce & Beats music sessions run on Thursdays from 9.45am to 10.15am. These sessions provide an excellent opportunity for families to explore our outstanding facilities, meet members of our Early Years team and discover the warm, nurturing atmosphere that makes Ballard Nursery such a special place to begin a child’s educational journey. Bookings can be made via our Box Office.

Our Nursery is open during term time from 8.00am to 5.00pm.

Please contact Laura Legg, our Registrar, on 01425 626900 or email her at registrar@ballardschool.co.uk to find out why Ballard will be outstanding for your child. 

”A huge thank you for all that you have done, both with and for our boy.” 

“You have given him such a great start to his School career.” 

“You do a fantastic job of helping every child to shine.” 

“She loves coming to School and her confidence has grown so much, what a wonderful start to her life in school.” 

 

Nursery Fact Sheet
STEM
arts
sport
Humanities

Young pupils love investigating, creating and building so at Ballard we feed their innate passion for STEM with plenty of opportunities and equipment to do just that.

Whether it is a giant Lego fort or using our outdoor building blocks, our pupils work independently and together to build.

Ballard Nursery pupils are also very curious; planting the first seeds of scientific investigation and asking why and how? This has been very apparent whilst at Forest School, where they love getting involved with the natural world.

They are also very at home using their computers, which have extra-large buttons for small fingers.

At Ballard, we believe in using our pupils’ innate passion for Dance, Music, Art and Drama to develop key skills including confidence, team work and controlled movement. Our Nursery pupils have a wealth of opportunities in the Arts including weekly lessons from our specialist dance and music teachers. They also perform in our PAC (Performing Arts Centre) at Christmas for our nativity and in our Summer Showcase.

In the Early Years, Ballard pupils are taught by fully qualified PE staff using specialist equipment. We focus on fitness, gymnastics and core skills. Movement is such a key area at this stage as it enhances both gross mechanical movement and finer motor skills, which are essential to child development.

We therefore spend a large proportion of time working as a group and individually to ensure that the correct foundations are laid for all future sports – especially catching and running, which many children find tricky.

One child who had poor co-ordination is now in the Year 4 hockey team – so it is worth starting early.

Life is full of fun, curiosity and learning. Our family ethos, alongside the passionate and caring staff, give pupils the courage to be independent and try new things, which is so essential to their development. Whether reading their favourite book or writing their name on the outside chalk board, Ballard pupils are keen to learn.

There are many indoor and outdoor opportunities for pupils at Ballard and they thrive on the variety. We have extensive facilities that enable us to offer wonderful, diverse educational opportunities. They love exploring the grounds and regularly hunt for insects and flowers. Forest School is particularly popular with even the smallest child getting ‘stuck in’ by creating their own bird feeders containing a tasty seed mix treat for our garden friends or making a den. Our youngest pupils even get to cook in the Pre-Prep kitchen.