Our Nursery

Based within the beautiful Colchester campus of the University of Essex, the Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery makes good use of the natural parkland and the University’s global community.

We welcome all applications – whether you are a student, employed at the University or a member of the public. We currently offer both morning and afternoon sessions as well as full daycare, so we can help arrange childcare to suit your needs. Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery provides childcare all year except weekends, bank holidays and Christmas vacation.

Our picturesque setting offers a wide variety of stimulating and interactive activities for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. Our dedicated areas include indoor and outdoor space for sand and water play, creative one-on-one activities and rest areas. Each area has direct access to our own secure garden where the children are encouraged to play outside as much as possible, allowing free flow play and rich learning opportunities. This educational environment is further strengthened by our extensive activity programme and equipment, with nursery staff regularly adapting the activities for the children in their care.

As Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery is situated at the University of Essex we utilise the global community around us and welcome the opportunity to explore, explain and celebrate different cultures within our day nursery childcare provision. Children relish the opportunity to visit our main campus, absorbing all that goes on around them on the squares and across campus.

We understand that choosing childcare is an important decision. If you would like to visit us to get a feel for our nursery and see the care we provide, our dedicated Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery team will be happy to show you around and answer any questions.

Our nursery is divided up across 8 different rooms which are grouped by age, this enables us to dedicate tailored care and learning for every age.

Our room structure means children can receive targeted care suitable for their age and stage of development; we carefully consider the needs of your child before we move them to the next room. We will work closely with you to decide when the time is right for your child to move up and will arrange trial sessions for you both so that your child is comfortable in the new room before they are left with their new key person.

Your child will be assigned a ‘Key Person’ in each room. This dedicated member of staff will be your child’s ‘special person’ during their time in the specific room and will observe their development, build a close relationship with them and be the main point of contact for you. It is a statutory requirement that we use this system. Your child’s key person will keep you updated through our Octopus 365 system online by sending daily reports to detail your child’s daily activity and progress. You will be able to arrange to meet your key person at any time.

Poppy Room (3-14 Months)

Our baby room is specially designed to be a calm, neutral environment where babies have tailored care from their designated key person. Because attachment is the focus of this room the key person will dedicate their time to ensuring the emotional needs of the children are the focus of the care received. We understand how daunting it can be leaving your baby at nursery so we work closely with you from your very first trial visit to make sure that we get to know you and your baby’s regular routines.

Daisy and Buttercup Room (14-24 Months)

When our children are more mobile they usually move up to our Daisy or Buttercup room where the staff support the children to develop their skills to play alongside other children. Natural resources are used to promote the children’s curiosities and we also have access to a stunning outdoor classroom where the children can learn to manipulate their large motor skills and develop an awareness of nature.

Sweetpea & Bluebell Rooms (24-36 Months)

Our two toddler rooms are designed to support the energy and enthusiasm of this age group; the resources are available to support your child’s natural urge to explore as a way of understanding the world around them. With consistent routines and visual aids the children’s communication and language development is supported at this key time in their childhood.

Maple Room (36-48 Months)

The children in this age group are understanding of the world around them and are ready for small adult led tasks to prepare them for the next room where they will develop their school readiness. Children in this age group are more understanding of the world around them and play is tailored towards cooperative tasks and problem solving skills.

Chestnut and Willow Room (36-60 Months)

The structure of the Chestnut and Willow room are led by a pre-school routine which prepares children for formal education, enabling children to use their interests to embed early literacy and numeracy skills. Children in this group are encouraged to develop their independence and this is supported with the environment being specifically arranged in order for the children to access resources independently throughout the day.

Forest Schools provide children with an opportunity to explore, create and discover in a natural outdoor environment.

An innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning, Forest School is a great way of getting the children outside to understand and learn about nature and their surrounding environment. By participating in engaging, motivating and achievable activities in a woodland environment, every child has the opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation, sound, emotional and social skills. Through taking risks, children develop confidence in their abilities and how to keep themselves safe. Through this exploration, children develop an understanding of the natural world and learn respect for nature. The outdoor environment is an amazing place where children can learn and develop and Wivenhoe Park provides this landscape in abundance.

As part of Forest School, children will go for walks around the University campus to explore the different areas, collect natural resources, and feed the ducks. They will learn about local wildlife and its benefits, including where the animals live across campus, as well as elements and seasons that affect their habitat.

The nursery also has three gardens to use for Forest School activity: the Maple & Cedar play garden, the nature garden and the allotment garden. In the nature garden the children look after the pond life, flowers and plants in the area, create habitats for wildlife, make pinecone birdfeeders and observe wildlife. In the allotment garden, the children enjoy activities such as digging, hunting for mini beasts, building spiders webs, planting flowers, cultivating vegetables and herbs, counting flowers and learning colours of different flowers, plants and animals. In the Maple & Cedar garden, the children get involved in activities such as digging, building shelters/dens, making kites, creating shapes and marks in the snow and ice, as well as exploring the rain water. All three of our garden areas encourage the children to learn how to use relevant tools and equipment safely.

For more information on the activities that take place during Forest School and for our up to date timetable, check our display opposite Cedar room.

Senior Forest Schools Practitioner, Dan

Senior Forest Schools Practitioner, Dannie

Here at Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery, we want our families to be aware of government support they can access when using our services. This could be through Tax-Free Childcare, 30 Hours Childcare, or Universal Credit Childcare. Some families might be eligible to use more than one childcare schemes together and get the most out of it.

• From April 2024, eligible working parents in England with children aged 2 will have access to 15 hours childcare.
• From September 2024, the 15 hours childcare offer will be expanded to eligible working parents in England with children between 9 and 23 months old.
• From September 2025, eligible working parents in England with children between 9 months up to school age will have access to 30 hours childcare.

We recommend visiting the Childcare Choices website to check what offer you might be eligible for and sign up to their newsletter to get the latest updates about the childcare support expansion.

There is also support available for students at the University of Essex, details are available on our students page.

Visited Childcare Choices but still feel stuck? Don’t worry, give us a call and we will talk you through it.