About Us

About Us

Set in the heart of Reading’s town centre, just a six-minute walk to Reading Station, Greyfriars Nursery is based in a former vicarage, offering an attractive and homely environment for children aged three months to five years.

Our Aims

We aim to keep the child at the centre
of everything we do.

Greyfriars Nursery is affiliated to Greyfriars Church and maintains a Christian ethos in line with the Church’s values. We aim to:
Deliver

Deliver a balance of care and learning for all children, within a happy and calm environment.
Provide

Provide an environment that encourages a true love of learning: from basic numeracy, literacy, science and problem solving to developing physical movement, learning to forge and develop relationships, and nurturing a real sense of fun.
Offer

Offer reassurance, comfort and sensitive interactions.
Encourage

Encourage children to learn good manners, tolerance and respect.
Capture

Capture the magic of childhood and help develop each child’s natural curiosity, with activities devised for individual circumstances.
Develop and Support

Develop the confidence and self-esteem of each child within their peer group and support children to learn how to keep themselves safe.
Our Team

Our enthusiastic, caring and professional team works closely with parents to provide the very best Early Years education within a safe, stimulating and fun environment.

All senior staff and room leaders are qualified Nursery Nurses with a minimum qualification of NVQ Level 3 in Childcare, Early Years Educator or equivalent. Most of our Nursery Assistants are training for their Level 2 qualification, or have achieved Level 2 and are training for Level 3. We require all staff to attend Emergency Paediatric First Aid Training and Child Protection Training.

We provide our staff with comprehensive induction and development training, so that they fully understand our ethos and policies and continue to develop their skills. This ensures team members feel confident and supported to act in the best interest of each child, share information and seek specific help, should the child need it.

We also have a dedicated administrator, human resources team and a finance team to streamline the fee payment process and accounts.

Heidi Turner

Nursery Operations and Training Manager
Heidi has a great deal of experience in senior level management of groups of nurseries and in training, assessing and mentoring students who are working toward qualifications in early years. Heidi qualified as a nursery nurse over 20 years ago and has since gained qualifications including a NVQ Level 5 Diploma in Management, PTLLS (an initial teacher training qualification) and an Honours Degree in Psychology. Heidi enjoys new challenges, learning and developing new skills that she can share with her team. Heidi has a basic knowledge of Spanish language and enjoys fitness and sports including netball and dancing.
Lauren Farmer

Nursery Manager
Lauren has been part of our team for over ten years and is our Nursery Manager and designated safeguarding lead. She is an experienced childcare professional with Level 2, 3 and 4 in childcare as well as Level 3 in management. Lauren has also completed training in first aid, designated safeguarding, fire training, Prevent Duty, food safety and safer recruitment training. She loves seeing the children at our nursery thrive and achieve; seeing positive relationships form and watching the children become more independent. Lauren works closely with all our families to provide support when needed.
Zoë Lynn

Curriculum Manager
I started my career as a nursery nurse , and with over 20 years of experience, later specialised in teaching and assessing childcare and management. Zoe has achieved Level 5 in childcare and education, specialising in childcare and management, and has gained lots of experience in supporting and helping staff in nurseries with planning activities, meeting individual children's needs and recognising importance of H&S, safeguarding and record keeping. Zoe will be bringing these skills into job as curriculum manager, supporting and mentoring staff to develop their knowledge and skills.
Melanie Parker

Deputy Nursery Manager and SENDCO
Mel has been part of the Greyfriars team for over ten years. Mel is our Deputy Manager, SENCO and Designated Safeguarding Officer. She holds Level 4 in childcare and management Level 3, as well as first aid, fire training and food hygiene certification. Mel is passionate about understanding how children develop and how to support each child with their individual needs. She also has expertise in helping families and children with the transition to school. Mel enjoys reading, shopping, and going out with friends.
Sarah Trussler

Deputy Manager and Baby Room Leader
Sarah is our Deputy Nursery Manager. Her qualifications include Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 in childcare and Level 3 in management. Sarah also has first aid training, fire training, food hygiene and DSO training. Sarah is particularly interested in working with children with special needs and safeguarding. She enjoys spending time with her family and cooking.
Kim Stannard

Third in Charge and Pre-School Room Leader
Kim is a senior nursery nurse with Level 2 and 3 in childcare, as well as Level 3 in management. A long-standing part of our team, Kim also has fire training, first aid and safeguarding certification. She specifically enjoys seeing our children progress in their learning. Away from the nursery Kim loves relaxing with her family.
Belinda Williams

Baby Room Leader
Belinda has worked for the company for a number of years. Belinda has a passion for working with children. The children thrive and develop at a fast rate from babies through to pre-school which gives Belinda a pride and satisfaction in her role . Belinda is a level 3 qualified member of staff ,First aid trained and has a Safeguarding certificate.
Jessica O’Donoghue

Toddler Room Leader
Jessica was previously working in our Term Time Nursery. Jessica’s Early Years qualifications include children and young people’s workforce (cache) Level 3, as well as first aid, fire training, SENCO, DSO and food allergy and awareness. Jessica is a designated safeguarding officer at the nursery. In her spare time, she enjoys socialising with friends.
Anna Haywood

Memorial Hall Pre -School Room Leader
Anna is a long standing staff member of the Greyfriars team. Anna holds her Level 3 qualification and is also trained in First Aid, Safeguarding, Behaviour Management and Food Hygiene. Anna is highly focused on learning through play and preparing children for school.

Our Ethos

Faith – Hope – Love

The ethos under which we operate is a Christian one characterised by the values of faith, hope and love. Our team is committed to supporting these principles. If you would like to find out more about our ethos, please visit the Greyfriars Ministries website.

What the parents say

My son has been attending the nursery from age two for almost one and a half years now. He loves going to nursery daily. The key worker has made sure my son is looked after constantly and that he does his work independently. The nursery is a second home for him.
My child seems to be settling well. Overall, she seems well looked after and she is making good progress with her speech. Thank you!

Location
- Greyfriars Day Nursery
  
  64 Friar Street
  Reading
  RG1 1EH
  
  0118 958 9558
  
  info@greyfriarsnursery.co.uk
If you are interested in a place at our nursery, please get in touch!

Send a message

If you are in a rush, or your child is sick and you want to contact us please simply send us a message using the form below. If needed we will reply to you as soon as possible.

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We welcome visitors to our nursery! Come and have a look and see our facilities before you book a place. Please fill out the below form and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible to arrange a convenient time to visit.

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About Us

Our Aims

Deliver

Provide

Offer

Encourage

Capture

Develop and Support

Our Team

Heidi Turner

Lauren Farmer

Zoë Lynn

Melanie Parker

Sarah Trussler

Kim Stannard

Belinda Williams

Jessica O’Donoghue

Anna Haywood

Our Ethos

Faith – Hope – Love

Location

Send a message

Arrange A Visit