About
Welcome to Fairy Bridge Nursery where learning is magical!
We are located at the Isle of Man Farm in a converted barn with access to a wonderful woodland area and an orchard. We access this through the secret garden door…..which leads us across the Fairy Bridge….then the adventures begin!
A little more about us...
Our building consists of two rooms. Our pre-school room – The Sunflower Room, and our room for children aged 18 months to 3 years old – The Rainbow Room. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS), offering a range of stimulating and challenging resources and activities based around your child’s needs and stage of development.
Fairy Bridge Nursery, formerly known as Rufford Pre-School Group has been managed and owned by Julie Sherrington since 1993. This became a family run nursery when Julie’s two daughters, Katie and Hannah, joined her team. They have now been working together for over 15 years! We have often been complimented for the ‘family feel’ within our nursery.
In October 2019, Rufford Pre-School moved premises to Croston, hence the name change. The owner of the Isle of Man farm, Dave Harrison, is now a director of our company. The farm has been owned by the Harrison family since 1955. It was formerly a small arable farm, growing potatoes and cereals.
We are open 50 weeks per year, closing for two weeks at Christmas.
Our opening times are Monday to Friday, 7.30am-5:30pm. We are closed for bank holidays.
Meet The Team
Julie
Manager
I have been working in Early Years since 1991 which is when I first went to help at Rufford Pre-School. I became the registered provider in January 1993 and I also began studying my Btec in Early Years. Two of my daughters joined me in 2000 and 2003 and we have worked together as a team since, all bringing different skills and ideas to the group. I love to see the progress of children during their time with us, from beginning their journey with us and then growing into happy and confident learners ready for school. Children who I looked after from the early days are now bringing their own children!
Hannah
Deputy Manager
Hello, I’m Hannah. After going to help my Mum on occasion at Rufford Pre School, I found my passion for early years education. I went to college and completed my BTEC Early Years in 2003 then began working at Rufford Pre-School. I went on to complete my BA Honours Degree, Children, Schools and Families in 2014 whilst working full time which was a challenge but a great personal achievement. Changing over to Fairy Bridge has been a huge but exciting change for us all and I feel we have so much to offer within this beautiful learning environment. I have always been passionate about supporting children’s emotional needs, supporting children’s confidence and helping them to feel part of our nursery family. My favourite thing about working in early years is the fun we have, everyday is different! My hobbies out of work are walking and watching live music.
Katie
Deputy Manager
Hi, I’m Katie, I completed my BTEC Early Years in 2006 and later my BA honours Children, Schools and Families in 2014 both whilst working which was challenging but a huge personal achievement. I am passionate about the great outdoors and supporting children to experience all of the seasons and the changes that come with them. I am currently working towards gaining my Level 3 Forest School training and I’m excited for the new experiences this will bring to our setting. In my spare time I love going on little adventures with my little boy to local woodlands, the beach and museums.
Hannah W
Rainbow Room
Hello I’m Hannah. My early years journey started at Runshaw College in 1996 where I signed up to the BTEC early years childhood studies. I qualified in 1998 with the intention to move on to be a children’s nurse or midwife. My university journey took me in a different direction and I was drawn back to the nursery environment. I joined the team at Ruffed Pre-School in 2011. I love working in early years and there are times when it can be challenging and exhausting but it’s the most rewarding job I have ever had with the best team. It’s a privilege to watch the children on their journey from settling in to their transition to school. One of the best parts of the job is hearing all the funny things that children say and also messy play! I am a Farmers wife, Mum to two teenagers and in my spare time I like to escape to my caravan, undertake craft projects, go to the gym and participate in trail running both locally and in the Lake District.
Victoria
Rainbow Room
Ive always wanted to work with children and young people and my first opportunity to do this was during my gap year in 2005. I worked in a boys secondary school in Aukland, New Zealand for 11 months. It was a fantastic experience, supporting teachers in the classroom, assisting on school trips and coaching the year 7 hockey team. I also loved touring around the country during the school holidays. When I returned home, I studied PGCE in Primary Education at Edge Hill University. I worked as a primary school teacher for 5 years. After having my son in 2013, I decided to take a career break. I then had my daughter and once she started nursery I returned to work, joining the team at Fairy Bridge Nursery. I love my role as a nursery practitioner. It is so rewarding seeing the children grow and develop and being part of their journey. Plus everyday is different and the children are always saying or doing things that make us laugh. Outside of work I love spending time with my family. We enjoy days out and finding new places to explore. I also enjoy going for walks and bike rides.
Hannah B
Rainbow Room
Hello, I’m Hannah B and I work in the Rainbow room 🌈 I have been working in childcare since 2020 and have primarily worked with toddlers (18 months to 3 years). I have a level 3 qualification as an early years educator and I absolutely love working with children as I find it very rewarding being a part of their individual developmental journeys. In my role as a practitioner, I enjoy being creative and I will often be found enjoying messy play, arts and crafts or musical activities. I also have a passion for the outdoors which I love to share too. Similar to this, my hobbies outside of work include outdoor pursuits such as camping or walking with my dog. I also undertake lots of creative projects in my spare time, especially baking, painting and crafting things for my home.
Jen
Sunflower Room
Hi I’m Jen I have two children and have a Btec National diploma in early years, I have worked in various nurseries since being 16 and have been a very successful childminder for 6 years but this closed due to Covid. I have a wide variety of experience and I love working with children of all ages. At the weekend I enjoy walks, exploring outdoors and spending time with my family.
Zoe
Sunflower Room
It was in 1998 that my childcare journey began, I was working part time in a care home and the owner had decided to close it and reopen as a nursery. I worked and trained completing my NVQ level 2 and 3. In 2002 my husband and I decided to take on a new venture and we opened a boarding kennels, all the while working and volunteering in nurseries and children centres. In 2019 I was offered a job in a primary school as a wrap around assistant. I enjoyed planning activities for the children, helping them with their school work, planning and preparing snack and playing games. I worked one to one with a child for a short period. I decided I wanted to get back into working with younger children. In September last year I was so grateful to be given the opportunity to work at Fairy Bridge nursery with the pre school children. I have loved the past 8 months, the team are so supportive and I have enjoyed the challenges of learning new things like in the moment planning. I enjoy helping the children with their every day needs, supporting them with their life skills. Im very creative and I love arts and crafts. In my spare time I love a good book and glass of wine, my animals, walking, running, zumba and trying to keep fit.
Jordan
Sunflower Room
In 2007 I completed my Primary PGCE. My working experience has always been with children, completing my secondary school placement at a primary school. I have worked as a special educational needs support assistant, a teaching assistant and from there decided that I would like to have a class of my own, so I completed my teaching qualification. I worked as a Reception Class teacher for 12 years before working at Fairy Bridge Nursery. During those 12 years I gained my Level 3 Forest School qualification and have 7 years experience leading Forest School sessions to all primary age children. I am passionate about children learning outdoors, encouraging them to explore and ask questions about the natural world. I love seeing children care for plants, animals and small creatures and placed a big emphasis on this during my Forest School sessions. It helps children become kind and caring little people that will hopefully carry on into their adult life. Outside of work I love reading, going on walks and I’ve recently taken up growing veggies and flowers in my little greenhouse. As a family we love camping and I’m very much looking forward to taking my little boy on some camping adventures this year.