Rooms (Docklands)
Baby Room (Under 2s)
Our Baby Room at Docklands Village is a safe, nurturing space designed specifically for children under 2 years old. We welcome up to 7 little ones each day, with a dedicated 3:1 staff-to-child ratio, ensuring every baby receives personalised attention and care.
The room is equipped with EYFS-approved resources that support early learning and development. Activities are designed at baby height for better engagement, including wall panels, floor play trays, and treasure baskets. To boost early visual skills, we use high-contrast black-and-white cards, tummy time tubes, play mats, and other age appropriate resources. As children grow, we introduce equipment that encourages crawling, standing, and those exciting first steps.
Babies follow a gentle, flexible routine throughout the day, with plenty of opportunities for outdoor play, restful sleep, feeding, and playful learning activities.
To keep the space clean and safe, the room is a no-shoes zone and fitted with a baby gate. There is also a separate changing room, ensuring privacy and hygiene, as well as an adult-only toilet, so children never share facilities. For meal times, the room has its own food and drink preparation area, where bottles are made and healthy snacks are prepared using filtered drinking water.
The Baby Room is built around the three Prime Areas of the EYFS:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
These are the foundations for future learning and help give children the best start in life.
At rest times, the atmosphere is calm and soothing, with gentle sleep music and soft lighting to help little ones drift off peacefully.
Toddler & Preschool Room
Our Toddler & Preschool Room is a bright, spacious environment where children continue to grow in confidence and independence. The room welcomes both toddlers and preschoolers, who share the space but also enjoy separate age-appropriate group sessions at different times of the day. We find that this shared setting benefits all children, as younger ones learn from older peers, while the older children develop responsibility and social skills through helping their younger friends.
This room supports all seven areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS):
- Prime Areas: Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Specific Areas: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design
Together, these provide the foundation for a child’s early education and future learning. To keep the space stimulating, staff regularly refresh the room zones and activities throughout the year.
Children are encouraged to explore freely, choosing games and resources from low shelves. Activity tables are always set up with engaging learning opportunities, and the daily routine includes circle time, welcome songs, and group reading sessions. A book library allows children to borrow books to share with their families at home, helping to foster a lifelong love of reading.
Practical life skills are also nurtured each day. Children have their own cloakroom wall with pegs for jackets, bags, and wellies, and are encouraged to put on coats and shoes by themselves. A lost and found box helps ensure misplaced items are returned safely.
The room is designed with children’s comfort and health in mind. An air ventilation system in the ceiling keeps the environment fresh, while children enjoy filtered drinking water throughout the day. A water bottle station allows them to independently access their labelled bottles whenever they need a drink.
There is also a Parent Information Wall, which keeps families updated with notices, upcoming events, and important room updates.
Rest is respected too; children who need sleep can do so using their own labelled bedding, which is washed weekly.
The child-friendly toilet area is fitted with four child-height toilets and sinks, giving children privacy and independence. There’s also a changing area for nappies or clothing, and staff support toilet training at each child’s pace. Visual aids around the room help children learn routines like handwashing, blowing their nose, and flushing the toilet.
At mealtimes, both groups come together for snacks, lunch, and tea. Children help set the table with cutlery, cups, and even centrepieces, then self-serve their food and clear their plates, building independence and social skills.
This room also has its own drop-off and collection door, separate from the nursery’s main entrance. This arrangement reduces congestion, supports smooth transitions at the start and end of the day, and helps children feel a strong sense of belonging to their room.
The room opens directly onto the outdoor play area, where children wear hi-vis vests and bring resources outside to extend their learning in the fresh air. Local walks to the nearby boardwalk are a highlight; children enjoy waving at speed boats, spotting ducks and greeting the Uber Boats as they pass by. They also explore the local community, saying hello to familiar faces like the postman, security guards and shopkeepers, all while learning about road safety and street awareness.
