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Are you an ex-parent?
Let us know now! |
Each year, as the bigger children move on to Primary School in July, we ask their parents to give us some comments on how they think we've done. We believe you should see ALL our comments, good or bad, so we don't 'edit out' anything.
Now you can see our archive of previous Parents' Comments too!
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July 2011 Comments You can see our response to the comments at the end of the comments I feel that the Alphabet Train is a wonderful setting for the children to come to. It’s always bright and cheery, and the staff always welcome my daughter with a lovely friendly smile. She has gained a wealth of knowledge from her time there – I’m always amazed by the information she comes home with, and by her “creations”! I have also been impressed by how well behaved and happy the children are at The Alphabet Train. Thank you all so much – I know my daughter will miss you all. I could not have asked for better care for my son! He has been SO happy to come to The Alphabet Train every day. He has loved learning with you – Dinosaurs and Animals have been his favourite themes – and he appears to have a rather impressive memory! We think you succeed particularly well in encouraging good manners, and praising the children. We were also very impressed that you purchased Superhero puppets and books to appeal to our son and his friends. This was met with wide-eyed wonder by our son, who told everyone all about the new things! A fabulous, caring environment – could not have asked for anything more. How OFSTED didn’t rate you “Outstanding” is beyond me!! I am very happy to have chosen this nursery for my daughter, and will be very happy to recommend it to my friends. It is very friendly, well organized, and gives the children a very good education. My daughter particularly enjoyed learning about Animals, and pretending to be a Vet! She has loved every second, and will never forget you all. Thank you for putting so many smiles on her face! Every morning I know my children have been put in very safe and capable hands, and will have a stimulating and exciting morning/day ahead of them. You succeed particularly well in preparing the children for school, with good education, structure, and discipline. All 5 of my children have now passed through this fantastic nursery school, and my 12 year association has now come to an end. The Alphabet Train has been a huge part of our lives, and has given my children the very best possible start to their schooling. The nursery is stimulating and interesting from the moment you arrive in the building. There is a caring and happy atmosphere, with children busy immediately doing a whole range of activities. Thank you for all the care and attention to detail you put in, making The Alphabet Train such a special place to be. It’s a real gem, and long may it continue to thrive!
A welcoming, warm environment, which allows children to learn and grow at their own pace, with nurturing encouragement. Our daughter says she has 3 Mummies – me, my friend, and Amy! This shows how well cared for she feels! You have all done a fantastic job in building her confidence, and we will be really sad to leave. Many thanks. It has been wonderful to have such a fantastic pre-school that our son has settled into so well and so quickly. We are really pleased with his progress, and I know he is going to miss his teachers and friends at The Alphabet Train. You succeed particularly well at communicating with parents, and in teaching good manners and polite behaviour. The nursery is fantastic, except for the lack of outside space (obviously!), but very pleased that the children visit the Park so often. A friendly pre-school, with staff who were aware of my daughter’s strengths and weaknesses, and who worked hard to meet her needs. Having the staggered start in the morning allowed her to come in while the room was quiet, and to settle down before the main rush. Having a timetable for the term ahead was a good idea, as it allowed me to be involved in my daughter’s learning - we could spend time looking for things together, and it helped prepare her for the session. She seemed to especially enjoy learning about Animals. A safe and welcoming pre-school, that prepares children to a high standard for their next step into Primary school. We have been particularly pleased by the number of good friends both our boys have made during their time with you, and, considering the “poor” building you have to use, we think you do a fantastic job! Many, many thanks. Just HUGE thanks! You’ve given both my children the best ever start. You are all unique! You have all exceeded any expectations I had, and you have built my children’s confidence and respect. I can’t fault you! The Alphabet Train has been brilliant. Both my sons have been very happy there, and looked forward to going every day. Thank you for making their time with you so enjoyable! My son said: “I’ll miss everyone at Alphabet Train so much. Will I be able to see everyone again one day?” Brilliant! Would recommend to my friends. Everyone is very calm and welcoming, helping children to come out of their shells, and being there for them. My son was well cared for and happy during his time at The Alphabet Train, and has clearly grown in self confidence and social skills whilst there. The website and e-newsletters are useful and informative.
There were a few suggestions and other comments too... Our only hesitation in the 4 years we have had our children with you is to do with the OFSTED guidelines on giving children as young as 2 or 3 too many choices. We feel it could make it harder for them when they get to school, having to accept less choices. Whilst I realize that this is NOT down to The Alphabet Train, I think that my son may have benefited from more “encouragement” to join in with some activities, and learnt that sometimes you need to stop what you are doing to start a class activity. This is by no means a criticism of you, but of OFSTED, as we feel that this would be of help in getting our children settled into primary school, and of meeting the expectations of them there, more seamlessly. I think you could encourage the children to try new activities, even when they are saying “No”. The layout of the building and the arrival/departure routine makes it difficult to speak at any length with the staff. It would be nice to have a few minutes to chat informally from time to time to find out how the child is getting on. I recognize this wouldn’t be possible every day, but from time to time a few minutes to hear how he’s been doing would have allowed us to have a stronger link to his life at The Alphabet Train.
We do our very best to encourage each child to participate in all the many and varied activities available to them every day. However, we are not permitted to force a child to do so, however much we might feel that they would enjoy it if only they would give it a try! We can only try to persuade each child, and hope that seeing how the other children are enjoying themselves will tempt the more reluctant child to have a go! There are many ways for the children to develop their skills, so we generally find that if one activity is not to a child’s liking, we can still offer others which will give them opportunites to practice the same skills.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to these comments. We do appreciate them! Now you can see our archive of previous Parents' Comments too! |
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