Doncaster pre-school named best in UK at prestigious nursery awards

Seedlings, which is based in Balby, picked up the Pre-School of the Year award at the Nursery World Awards hosted by actor and comedian Paul Whitehouse in a glittering weekend ceremony at The Brewery in London.

The Cedar Road based building, won huge praise from the judges as it scooped top spot, with contest organisers praising its special educational needs provision.

In its commendation, organisers said: “Seedlings is unique. The outstanding-rated pre-school is the only specialist nursery in Doncaster for children aged two to four years old with an identified special educational need and/or disability, who can access the specialist provision without an Educational Health and Care Plan or a diagnosis.

"It is located in an area of high deprivation, but children from across the city travel up to 45 minutes to access the high-quality support available.

"It is regarded by the Child Development Clinic Speech and Language service as a communication provision.

"Owing to the highly skilled staff, when a child is offered a placement within Seedlings, they are discharged from the Speech and Language service. Instead, they receive an alternative and augmented communication curriculum embedded within the ethos and philosophy of the setting.

“Seedlings is a term-time only nursery; however, through the holidays, the child’s key person will provide outreach visits to ensure families’ well-being and to provide role modelling and activities that parents can continue.

“Feedback from parents and families is central to the provision and how staff work with the children in their care. A lot of the feedback from parents states how involved they felt with the care and development offered through Seedlings and how the work of staff has strengthened their relationships and their ability to support the growth and development of their children during the vital early stages of their lives.

“Furthermore, Seedlings has strong links with the local community, which holds dedicated fundraising events to purchase outdoor equipment, supporting all areas of the children’s development of their sensory needs, such as vestibular and proprioception. The equipment is fundamental to the children’s sensory breaks profile and their bespoke curriculum, and ensures children’s hypo- and hypersensory seeking behaviours are met while supporting their emotional wellbeing regulation.

“The pre-school not only delivers excellent outcomes to families but acts as a system leader in Doncaster by modelling best practice, enhancing staff knowledge and experience, and sharing its expertise with other establishments that support SEND children.

"There is a real drive to offer more community-based provision through a Family Hub network so that families can access supportive groups more easily closer to their homes. This is in the early stages of development, but something the pre-school is excited to develop as it supports and grows the knowledge and skills of staff in Doncaster.

A Nursery World Awards 2023 spokesman said: “Congratulations to all our winners.”

More than 530 people from across the early years sector attended the event.