BRADLEY HOUSE PARENT NEWSLETTER SUMMER TERM 2025

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far and are enjoying the recent warmer weather and sunny days. We were extremely proud to start the summer term celebrating our Ofsted rating of ‘Outstanding’ and I would like to thank the staff team for their continued hard work and contribution to this amazing achievement.

We value our parent partnerships if any parents would like to arrange to come in to share their interests, hobbies, talk about their job role or just to do an activity or read a story to the children, please speak to a staff member we would love to arrange a date with you. These experiences are invaluable to the children’s learning. If there are any parents or family members that are green fingered and would be interested in helping us with a organising a gardening club for the children please can you contact the office via email.

The children have been busy little bees, having a tremendous time investigating and exploring, learning about nature and making marvellous creations. We would love you to share some of your photos enjoying your adventures outdoors, or of your family holiday snaps and upload them onto your child’s electronic learning journal through parent zone. If any parents could help with our natural resource collection we require items such as pebbles, pinecones, shells, conkers, sticks, leaves etc. we would really appreciate you collecting them whilst you are out and about in the outdoors.

Sadly it is fast approaching  that time of year where we  are saying goodbye to our preschool leavers for 2025 who are flying the nest and starting their new adventure at school in September; we have enjoyed being a part of your nursery journey and wish you all the best for the future. We hope that you take away fond memories of your time at Bradley House, please keep in touch and feel welcome to come and visit.

I wish everyone a fantastic summer and look forward to meeting you at our upcoming nursery events.

Diary Dates

• Tuesday 19th August – World Photography Day 

We will be take photos with the children of nature and objects of interest, to make a book, collage for a display. Please could your child bring in their favourite photo?

• Children's Christmas Party – Sunday 7th December 1.30- 3.30pm at Playworld - (details to follow)

Nursery Closure dates:

Monday 25th August 2025 – Summer Bank Holiday

Wednesday 15th October 2025 – Staff Training Day

Thursday 25th December to Thursday 1st January 2035 inclusive – Christmas Holiday

(nursery will reopen Friday 2nd January 2026)

Charity Event

Friday 29th August – National Beach Day celebrations

We will be raising money for our nominated charity Candlelighters and have organised a beach party day at nursery. 

We are inviting children/staff to come dressed in their summer wearing shorts and t shirts  for a recommended £2.00 donation

Cooks will be making a special picnic tea, if you would like to come long to join in the fun and book in a picnic tea for £2.00 please let your key person know to book a ticket.

We will be Planning, designing and creating our own beach games for a day of lots of fun! 

Staff News

Well done to all the Bradley House team who have achieved their first Ofsted Outstanding!

This achievement is a testament to the hard work, passion, and fun shown by the entire team. The report is such a lovely read and I'm sure all the parents agree with every word!

Bradley House - Open - Find an Inspection Report - Ofsted

A huge congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to all of you across Portland Nurseries for continually raising the bar and creating such amazing spaces for the children every day!

Congratulations

Demi who has come to the end of her apprenticeship and has been successful in securing a position at Bradley House starting from 1st August in the baby room. 

Project Update

A wonderful end to the academic year with some exciting news about the company projects with all 6 of our sites achieving some fantastic things this year. All of our settings have once again achieved the Green Flag award with Eco Schools which showcases the amazing work we have done with biodiversity, energy conservation and waste reduction to name but a few. As an ecologically responsible company, this award is important to us as it teaches our children about how to care for the world around them. We have also taken on a new project this year – Super Kind - which teaches children about making a positive impact on the world around them through kind actions towards each other and their wider community. All 6 of our settings have achieved this award this year with lots of different actions being displayed such as fundraising, raising awareness and kind actions towards others. We continue to work towards our Food For Life award which is an ongoing project dedicated to good nutrition and healthy eating. Further to this, we have begun work on the Start Life Well award with the NDNA which helps staff to improve the physical activity and nutrition in settings through a short project. Some settings have focused on staff training and education whereas others have looked at activities for children on a daily basis. This year has been a great success for Portland Nurseries with plenty of exciting and new projects coming for the upcoming academic year.

Learning focus at the moment

Babies

During the summer term we have been looking at healthy eating and physical wellbeing.

In the baby room we will be concentrating on exploring our senses and movement of our bodies to develop our gross and fine motor skills and are looking forward to practising this through a wide variety of physical activities; we plan to have lots of fun exploring yoga and ribbon dancing to music. The children really enjoyed the fruit kebabs which was a stimulating activity that provided an opportunity to explore and talk about all of the different fruits. The babies really enjoyed using their senses to explore by smelling the fruit and using sense of touch and of course taste. Our practitioners used rich descriptive words when communicating with the children providing a language rich environment and an engaging activity.

Toddlers

In the toddler room, the children have been developing their gross and fine motor skills through a variety of engaging and playful experiences. Activities such as stretching, yoga, and Pilates have supported the development of body awareness, balance, and coordination. In the creative area, the children have been focusing on early mark-making skills, exploring different tools and materials to support their fine motor development. These experiences not only strengthen hand and finger muscles but also lay the foundation for early writing skills. The children have shown great enthusiasm and curiosity as they build their physical confidence and creative expression. 

Over the summer, the children in both the preschool and toddler rooms will become curious little scientists as they explore a wide range of exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities. Through hands-on experiments, problem-solving challenges, and sensory exploration, the children will have opportunities to investigate the world around them. These activities will spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and support the development of early scientific skills in fun and meaningful ways. We’re looking forward to a summer full of discovery, learning, and lots of messy, magical moments! 

Preschool

During the summer term, the children in the preschool room have been actively preparing for their transition to school. A strong focus has been placed on developing independence across a range of areas, particularly in social skills and self-care routines. The children have been practicing how to confidently manage their belongings, dress themselves, and engage in positive peer interactions. An exciting part of this journey has involved exploring the uniforms of their future schools. Through discussions, role play, and trying on uniforms, the children have begun to build a sense of familiarity and excitement about the next step in their learning journey. These experiences have supported them in feeling more confident and prepared for the transition ahead. 

Supporting Life-Saving Missions: Our Donation to Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Thanks to your generous sponsorships—and Portland Nurseries matching every penny—we were thrilled to present a £2,600 cheque to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance following our HeliHop event! 
The children all did a brilliant job joining in with the Heli hop challenge by doing laps around the garden. 

30 Hours funding

From September 2025, eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of funded childcare per week for children aged nine months and above. This is an expansion from the current 15 hours for younger children. The funding is available for 38 weeks of the year, typically aligning with school terms, but we offer a stretched offer over the year with fewer hours per week. 

We have limited spaces available so please if you are intending to increase your hours please contact your nursery manager as soon as possible.

Safeguarding - Positive Parenting

Safeguarding - Positive Parenting

Balancing the various demands parents have to cope with isn't easy and all parents can come under pressure or stress from time to time.

This NSPCC guide shares practical advice and tips for positive parenting techniques that work well for children - from babies to teenagers. These techniques encourage better behaviour and help parents find out what works for them and their child. 

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/leaflets/positive-parenting

Reading with your child

Reading to young children, particularly in their early years, has a significant positive impact on their future life outcomes. Shared reading experiences foster language development, improve literacy skills, and boost cognitive abilities, while also promoting mental wellbeing. These benefits extend into adulthood, with increased chances of academic success, better employment prospects, and improved mental health.

The Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust have joined forces to launch a National Year of Reading to start in January 2026.

The campaign aims to bring together parents, nurseries, schools, libraries, businesses and literacy experts to foster a love of reading for pleasure in children and young people.

Findings from the National Literacy Trust’s annual survey carried out last month found that just 1 in 3 children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025.

Funding for the National Year of Reading has been donated by a number of organisations and publishers, including Premier League, Julia Rausing Trust, and the Arts Council England.

To kick start the campaign, the National Literacy Trust will distribute more than 72,000 new books to children in areas with the highest rates of child poverty to support positive reading habits at home.  

The charity’s Summer Reading Challenge also aims to ensure more children have the opportunity to take part and build a love of reading over the school summer holidays..

CEO of the National Literacy Trust, Jonathan Douglas, said, ‘At a time when we are witnessing the lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading in a generation, we are delighted to be working with the government to deliver the National Year of Reading 2026 - a bold, society-wide campaign to reimagine how we understand, support and promote reading. Reading is the foundation of a successful life - the key to unlocking potential, strengthening social cohesion, enhancing wellbeing and boosting skills.’  

https://literacytrust.org.uk/news/parents-urged-to-read-more-to-boost-childrens-life-chances/

Parents, Carers and Grandparents First Aid Course

We are holding our ever popular Parents, Carers and Grandparents First Aid course ran by GEM Compliance Training in Autumn, on the evening of Monday 13th at Oakwood House Nursery and Tuesday 14th October at Portland House Nursery – early booking is recommended and the cost is £15 per person. 

Gain valuable First Aid knowledge and practical skills on a 3 hour short course (at Oakwood House Nursery) and 2 hour short course (at Portland House Nursery)  preparing you to deal with everyday childhood illnesses, accidents and First Aid situations delivered by a qualified Paediatric First Aid Instructor.

The following subject areas will be covered:

• Resuscitation
• Choking
• Bleeding
• Head & Spinal Injuries
• Fractures & Dislocations
• Sprains & Strains
• Seizures
• Burns
• Meningitis
• Poisons
• Bites & Stings
• Allergic Reactions

Further Information

Sun cream

Please could parents help prepare your child for outdoor play by applying sun cream before they come to nursery. We will of course be applying the sun cream routinely throughout the course of the day on the sunny days.

Holiday club 

Just a reminder of our Fun Club at Portland House should you require any holiday club which offer ad hoc sessions throughout the school holidays – all school aged children  4-11 years welcome.  

Please email the office if you would like to be added to the mailing list or require further details.

Funding Loop/Extra sessions

A Polite reminder if not done so already to kindly complete your funding form and upload the corresponding documentation. If you have any questions,  require support in relation to this or would like to enquire into availability of increasing/booking extra sessions please email Molly at enquiries@portlandnurseies.co.uk.