Celebrating 1 Year of Wood Wharf Kindergarten

23rd January 2024

Wood Wharf Kindergarten is celebrating our first anniversary!

Since opening last year, we have built a strong team and welcomed in children who we have had the pleasure of getting to know since joining. We have had a successful year filled with many activities, outings, and events.

We extend our gratitude to our dedicated staff members and express our appreciation to the parents who have been with us throughout the past year. Your unwavering support has been invaluable. We are eagerly anticipating the continued growth and success of Wood Wharf Kindergarten in the future!

Nutrition at Wood Wharf Kindergarten

15 January 2024

At Wood Wharf Kindergarten, we recognise the importance of a well-balanced diet in fostering the healthy development of young children. We prioritise providing nourishing food that enhances their learning experience. Our talented team are dedicated to ensuring that every child begins the understand the importance of healthy eating and establishes positive relationships with food, and that their nutritional needs are met during their time with us.

To ensure our children enjoy top-tier catering, our chefs diligently select food from trusted suppliers and reputable companies, using top suppliers in Canary Wharf to achieve this.

Mitchell Wilkinson, Head Chef at Wood Wharf Kindergarten, emphasises the importance of having a productive relationship with food suppliers:

‘Having a good relationship with food suppliers allows you to maximise quality of the supplies we receive and gives parents confidence with our ingredients. Over the years I have learnt to avoid food waste, for example using slightly soft boxes of tomatoes to make fresh soups.’

With the help of these fresh, meticulously selected ingredients, our team ensures that all dishes are made from scratch with no added preservatives.

Menus at Wood Wharf Kindergarten are thoughtfully crafted to offer a diverse range of options. Mitchell often takes inspiration from studying cookbooks and following chefs on Instagram, as well as contacting Early Years nutritionists. Menus vary on a daily basis, catering to all allergens and focusing on plant-based and healthy options. Children are given the opportunity to explore a wide array of cuisines, often having themed meals for occasions such as Chinese New Year, Christmas, and St Andrews Day.

To uphold our standards and maintain satisfaction, we regularly conduct surveys among parents to gather feedback and assess quality. These surveys aim to give parents and pupils a voice in our food provisioning and provide a chance for them to express what they are keen to see more of or change.

We utilise Family to share meal details with parents, maintaining ongoing communication and keeping them informed about their children's daily dining experiences. These updates often inspire parents, who may choose to recreate the meals at home for their children to enjoy, such as homemade pasta sauces or fresh pizza dough.

To find out more, head to our Food and Nutrition page here.

Exploring our Local Community

11th January 2024

At Wood Wharf Kindergarten we believe in fostering strong community connections and partnerships and exploring our surroundings. We are conveniently located in the heart of Canary Wharf, granting us access to endless activities and opportunities to seamlessly integrate into our nursery curriculum.

We are thrilled to be an integral part of the Canary Wharf London community, and actively embrace the facilities that the area has to offer. We take our children on daily outings, allowing them to explore and regularly engage in outdoor experiences. These outings include walks, or trips to the local library to choose books.

One of our favourite places to take our children for Forest-School inspired learning is the nearby MudChute Park and Farm, which is a short distance from Wood Wharf Kindergarten. Sometimes our outings do not require any travel and we are able to take advantage of incredible art installations and spaces right on our doorstep, such as the Canary Wharf Roof Garden, where we taught our children about recognising colours in different contexts and environments.

Various events that take place in the area give us a chance to provide additional cultural experiences within our nursery teaching. For example, a recent New York themed pop up supported our current topic about America.

A core aspect of our innovative curriculum is to prepare our children for the modern world. As part of this, we encourage them to gain confidence by participating in real world activities, such as catching the DLR!

For more insight on our curriculum and daily activities with our children, read more about our approach here.