September Reflections

Autumn has finally arrived, and it was definitely the inspiration for lots of our Centre-wide activities in September! Butterflies used autumn leaves in their artwork, sticking them to paper to create their very own autumn pictures for parents, and Caterpillars experimented with gluten free play-dough!

Ladybirds and Bumblebees both enjoyed autumn walks, with Ladybirds taking a particular interest in Michael Rosen’s We’re Going On a Bear Hunt and Bumblebees being fascinated by insects, hunting for them around campus and in the garden. Our Ladybirds parents were also asked to collect resources with their children while out on autumn walks, and the room has been delighted by all the donations.

Millipedes, Grasshoppers, and Dragonflies went on autumn walks too, taking advantage of the plentiful wet weather by jumping in the enormous puddles. They also collected lots of leaves and conkers and other autumn resources, and Millipedes have been using the conkers they have collected to explore numbers and counting. They were also asked to take pictures of what they think autumn looks like on the iPads, and Dan will be creating a display in the room using these pictures.

Dragonflies and Grasshoppers were also really excited to visit Leeds City Museum in Millennium Square in September to visit the animals exhibits there. They read books on animals and did some colouring on colouring in sheets kindly provided by the museum, and they were particularly excited to be visiting the museum using public transport, travelling to and from Bright Beginnings by bus!

They were also invited to help the LUU Rooted team harvest their first potato crop of the season at the University’s Sustainable Garden! The group used trowels to dig for potatoes in the soil and took them back to nursery. They also got to talk to the staff about composting and try some blackberries and wineberries fresh from the garden.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we were delighted to be able to officially announce our Ofsted grading to our families! After last month’s inspection, we are absolutely over the moon to be able to confirm that we have once again been graded Outstanding in all areas! We are extremely proud of maintaining the highest quality and standards since our last inspection in March 2016.

The inspector, Julie Dent, had commented on children’s rapid progress achieved via exceptional experiences that are provided by passionate staff who are exemplary role models. She found that our children are extraordinarily well behaved and sociable, displaying manners beyond their years and that the inspirational and highly responsive quality of teaching allows children to acquire all necessary skills for the next stages in their learning.

You can read the full report here. We would like to thank all the parents for their lovely feedback they offered either by email or directly speaking to the inspector on the day of the inspection.