Coming to Cribbs Causeway next year...
We are very pleased to announce that we will be opening our tenth nursery in the Autumn of 2020. The new nursery, on the outskirts of Bristol at Cribbs Causeway, is being developed in response to the growing need for childcare for families living and working in this rapidly developing community within South Gloucestershire.
We are very pleased to announce that we will be opening our tenth nursery in the Autumn of 2020. The new nursery, on the outskirts of Bristol at Cribbs Causeway, is being developed in response to the growing need for childcare for families living and working in this rapidly developing community within South Gloucestershire.
The 150-place nursery has been designed especially for us and will offer all the elements that we know make stimulating, safe and nurturing environments for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. Ground floor rooms for all the children will ensure easy access to the outdoors, where the gardens will be developed to bring age-appropriate challenges and even more space to learn through play.
We have thought carefully about the environmental impact of the building, which will feature solar panels, underfloor heating, intelligent lighting and electric vehicle charging points. Our builders, Oakland Construction, have already begun work on the site and the work is due for completion in the Autumn of 2020.
If you are interested in hearing updates about Snapdragons Cribbs Causeway, either for your children or for your career, please register for updates here.
At the moment, foundation work is still underway, but you can begin to see things taking shape.
Lifetime winner
We are very proud to announce that Nick Holder, from Snapdragons Horfield, was named the Early Years Apprentice of the Year at the eighth annual Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards at a ceremony at Bristol’s We the Curious on 24th October.
We are very proud to announce that Nick Holder, from Snapdragons Horfield, was named the Early Years Apprentice of the Year at the eighth annual Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards at a ceremony at Bristol’s We the Curious on 24th October.
Lifetime is the training provider who works with us on our apprenticeship programme which offers in-work training for aspiring early years practitioners, from school leavers embarking on their careers, through to graduate apprentices working towards Early Years Teacher status. The Lifetime awards celebrate exceptional learners across every Lifetime sector, as well as inspirational employers, managers, and Regional Trainers.
“Nick showed complete focus in achieving his apprenticeship, impressing his trainer with his levels of independent study and self-drive”
Nick, who has since completed his Early Years Educator Level 3 qualification, was nominated for the award by his Lifetime trainer, who singled him out from apprentices from across the region. He was praised by the judges for his “complete focus in achieving his apprenticeship, impressing his trainer with his levels of independent study and self-drive”.
Alongside Nick, our HR Manager, Nicki Jones, was nominated for the Apprentice Champion of the Year award for her work overseeing our Snapdragons Apprentice Programme. Sadly, she wasn’t a winner this time, but it was high praise to be nominated.
Congratulating the winners, Lifetime Chief Executive Officer Alex Khan said:
“On behalf of everyone at Lifetime Training I’d like to say congratulations to all finalists and winners of the eighth annual Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards.
This is our chance to celebrate outstanding learners and their exceptional achievements and wish them every success in their careers.
The awards also recognise the employers, supervisors, mentors and trainers who champion apprenticeships and make it all possible.”
An autumn magazine
It’s already time for our new magazine as it will be hitting the shelves of your nursery in the coming days, but you lucky website readers can get in there a week early.
The latest magnificent issue includes some great stuff, including photos from our summer graduations, a look at the new Keynsham garden and a trip to our local football club.
For our main feature, we focus on ways we are trying to improve our sustainability across the nurseries, looking at how we reuse clothing and materials whilst also providing excellent care.
If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also thrown in a delicious recipe for some cleverly made ‘dippy eggs’.
So what are you waiting for? Click the button below and have a read!
Summer in the Snapdragons Forest
Our latest season of forest school has been filled with bat caves, hammer making and a sing-song in the woods, as we have fun with children across Snapdragons!
Have a quick look at what we’ve been doing and what Forest School is like at Snapdragons!
The garden is transformed at Keynsham
After weeks of hard work, the new play area at our nursery in Keynsham is finally open and the children could not wait to start exploring.
After weeks of hard work, the new play area at our nursery in Keynsham is finally open and the children could not wait to start exploring.
Designed by Earth Wrights, the playspace is completely bespoke and marks a unique and different approach to our outdoor areas at Snapdragons.
The first plans for the new garden
Breaking from the norm is always a scary prospect, but when we first saw the plans Earth Wrights had, we knew we were making the right choice. The gardens at the Keynsham nursery have always had a different look to them than the others and so we wanted something that could capture that individuality and incorporate the natural elements the garden has.
The final garden, completed.
As the children watched the garden being constructed, you could see how excited they were for it to end and they needed no encouragement to head onto the new equipment, carefully climbing across the scramble nets, up the ladders and through the tunnels.
We are delighted with the outcome of the project at Keynsham and if any of the parents would like to take a closer look, please do so - we hope you like it as much as we do!