Acorn at Kents Hill

About this day nursery

Acorn Early Years Foundation is a charitable organisation dedicated to providing high-quality early childhood care and education. Putting children first is central to their approach, fostering caring relationships and responsive interactions to support children's social and emotional well-being.

They aim to be a leader in the early childhood sector through their ethical, innovative, and sustainable model, with a particular focus on outdoor play and learning, as well as continuous professional development for their staff. This commitment extends to developing their team's knowledge and skills, actively engaging in action research to improve practices, and upholding high professional standards.

The foundation prioritises personalised care, creating homely environments where children's happiness and enjoyment are paramount. They also champion outdoor learning in natural settings, offering Forest School programmes and encouraging eco-friendly practices across all their sites, including growing fruit and vegetables.

As a charity, Acorn is inclusive and strives for environmental and financial sustainability, emphasising excellence, honesty, and integrity in all their operations. The foundation offers various programmes including holiday clubs and Forest School sessions for different age groups, alongside training courses for parents and professionals.

Our ethos

‘Putting children first’ is the best way to sum up our ethos and everything we do. With a strong ethic of care, we prioritise building caring relations and a responsive approach in our dealing with everybody; in doing so, we are nurturing the social and emotional wellbeing of children and helping to build a more caring and connected society. By developing an ethical, innovative and sustainable model of early years care and education, we aim to lead and inspire the sector, particularly in regards to outdoor play and learning, and staff professional development. Our Values Personal -in that we communicate informally and at a personal level and strive to avoid bureaucratic processes. We treat children and staff as individuals and develop caring and supportive relationships with families, and aim to create homely environments. Personalised care and education is at the heart of our provision, and we believe that the children’s happiness, fun and laughter are key ingredients for successful provision. Professional -in that we continually seek to develop the knowledge, skills and qualifications of our staff team. We are a learning organisation that is at the forefront of improving the quality of our childcare practice, through training and development of our people and through action research. We set high standards for professional conduct and practice and aim to achieve excellence in all areas. Nurturing -children’s development and wellbeing as individuals is our primary focus, taking a holistic approach, putting children’s needs first, and employing staff who genuinely love working with children. Our food is freshly prepared, locally sourced where possible, and healthy eating is a key part of our focus on wellbeing for children and staff. We provide children the opportunity to learn through first-hand experiences wherever possible. Outdoor -learning and play in natural environments is promoted as an essential part of our provision, through Forest Schools and the unique provisions at each site. We encourage the use of natural materials and resources, aim to adopt green practices throughout the organisation, encouraging each site to grow their own fruit and vegetables, and to experience the natural world all year round. Ethical -as a charitable organisation which puts children before profit and aims to be inclusive and sustainable, both environmentally and financially. We seek excellence, honesty and integrity in all aspects of our work.

What it's like

The setting provides a clear, well-embedded curriculum that stimulates children to be explorative, curious and skilled at problem-solving, with staff providing invitations and provocations and creating an enticing environment. Staff swiftly identify children who need extra support and adapt the flexible curriculum so children learn safely, remain deeply engaged and develop excellent behaviour and communication skills.