Woodlands Nursery

Kersey Mill, located just outside Hadleigh. Has long been home to a diverse range of independently owned businesses.

Forming a health, beauty, well-being and creative hub. Woodlands Nursery for 1–4-year-olds will open in 2021 at the Mill, alongside the nursery, Woodland Babies will offer an exciting variety of stay and play sessions for adults, babies and toddlers. Owned and managed by local mother Emma White, Woodlands Nursery will be the sister nursery to Small World Kindergarten and Montessori, near Christchurch Park in Ipswich. Small World was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2016 and is due an inspection once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Emma herself has been working with children, on and off, for over 22 years and passed her Montessori training with merit back in 1998. She is a strong advocate of the Montessori ethos, which encourages child-led learning through play and exploration using real, but child sized materials, making nursery, their child sized home from home. Emma is passionate about creating stimulating environments for children which promote active learning through experience. Woodlands Nursery, like Small World, will be purpose-built and the design will incorporate messy play and construction areas, open shelving, and all weather gear for each child will allow children maximum time in our magical outdoor space, no matter the weather. The highly trained team, led by Emma, will provide exceptional care and support whilst encouraging children to explore, learn and build confidence through play. Emma’s focus for Woodlands is very much on the natural environment and sustainability. Single use plastic will be avoided wherever possible, and growing, recycling and reusing will play a prominent part in the day to day running of the nursery. In addition, using fresh, local ingredients will inspire seasonal and varied menus for the children to enjoy plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the day. Alongside the nursery, Woodland Babies will run a daily timetable of imaginative stay and play sessions for adults and children. These interactive classes will be carefully selected to provide sensory experiences for young children. These morning sessions will include baby yoga, sing and sign, messy and creative play and baby forest school. Not only will these classes aid with development; they will also help build sociable connections between local families with similar aged children, which has been so difficult for parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Woodlands Babies will also offer two-hour’s childcare after each stay and play session allowing parents a window of free time, while their child is being well-cared for in this most nurturing of environments. 

How do we offer the government funding?

The government provides up to 30 funded hours for eligible 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds, this starts the term after they turn two or three, funding terms start in January, April and September (a total of 38 weeks a year). Funding is available up to a maximum of 7 hours a day and the hourly rate is calculated and refunded - Please Keep these terms and conditions for reference. Woodlands Nursery, Kersey Mill, Kersey, Ipswich IP7 6DP manager@woodlandsnurserykerseymill.co.uk automatically. Charges for food and extras that are not covered by government funding, will still apply and are always shown on your invoice separately from the hourly rate. We are open for 49 weeks a year and a holiday club runs between terms, it is open to ex-pupils, children attending term time only and their siblings who are aged 7 and under. 

What is the booking process?

After a nursery visit, you will need to complete our registration form with our nursery terms and conditions on and return it to the nursery with a cash registration fee, we then book you on to our system. An email will confirm receipt of the forms with details of availability for your child. We can then set up free trials and any additional shorter sessions that we might feel necessary to help your child settle in. At these trials, a room leader will go through our nursery communication App Eylog and will ask you to fill in online and paper forms e.g. Emergency contacts. You will be given your child’s nursery bag and our ‘Confirmation form’ reiterating our terms and conditions.