Sustainability

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Merrydale private day nursery - Sustainability

Our Commitment to Climate Action

We are dedicated to meeting the DfE goal for our setting to be net zero by 2050. To achieve this, we are focusing on reducing our carbon footprint, weaving sustainability into our curriculum, involving parents in our approach, and working in partnership with our local community.

How We Are Supporting National Sustainability Goals

The steps we will take to contribute to the Government’s sustainability aims by:

Embedding key ideas from the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015) within our curriculum.
Providing daily outdoor learning, where children explore weather, seasonal changes, planting and growing.
Introducing children to simple ways of tracking our carbon footprint within the setting.
Engaging parents and carers in their children’s sustainability learning.
Working with staff and local groups to support community-based environmental initiatives.

Our Continued Commitment to Improvement

We understand that we have an important part to play in reaching the Government’s net zero target by 2050, and we are committed to ongoing progress. Over the coming months and years, we aim to:

Strengthen and develop our sustainability curriculum even further.
Continue reducing our carbon footprint, using termly reviews and plan new sustainability projects.
Improve how we communicate with parents to increase understanding and engagement.
Seek out new opportunities to support and participate in local community environmental projects.

Our Climate Action Plan

As part of the DfE’s net zero strategy, early years providers must create a Climate Action Plan. This plan should address four key areas:

Decarbonisation
Adaptation and resilience
Biodiversity
Climate education and green careers

Decarbonisation

We are committed to reducing our carbon emissions through practical, everyday actions such as:

Improving energy efficiency by turning lights off when rooms are not in use, fitting more automatic lighting where possible, switching off electrical sockets when equipment is not needed.
Minimising the use of heating appliances. We encourage children to spend as much time outside as possible. Parents and carers are encouraged to dress children in warm layers, we provide waterproofs, woolly hats and mittens to ensure equal opportunities. Staff will also wear appropriate warm clothing throughout the colder seasons.
Reducing waste and increasing recycling. Parents are recycling children’s lunchtime packaging at home. Families are encouraged to use reusable tubs, minimising single-use packaging.

Monitoring and reducing carbon emissions from travel. Many families already walk to nursery, and we aim to increase this number. We have taken part in the annual Walk to Nursery Week organised by the Living Streets charity. We will also introduce simple ways to monitor how children travel to nursery and share this information with parents to encourage more sustainable choices

Adaptation and Resilience

We are committed to taking practical steps to reduce the risks associated with climate change and to help children understand and care for the world around them. Our approach includes:

Teaching children about their environment. Our nursery is situated in an area with lots of surrounding natural spaces, which we frequently explore to support learning. We have daily environmental warriors, where our children help maintain our flower beds, providing valuable hands-on learning through science activities, planting, growing food, and caring for seeds and plants. We also share age-appropriate stories that explore nature, the environment and our world as part of our curriculum. We also hold annual planting sessions which involves our parents and carers.
Ensuring daily time in nature. We spend a large part of our day outside, helping children build confidence, resilience and a strong connection with the natural world.
Protecting local wildlife. Through play and real-life experiences, children help us care for birds and mini beasts by creating bird feeders, bee hydration stations and learn all about life cycles to understand their role within their local community.
Maintaining environmentally friendly routines. We provide clearly labelled bins for tissues, and children know to take lunchtime packaging home for recycling. Regular handwashing is encouraged, and children help keep their environment clean after outdoor play, using the toilet, or before eating. At snack times, they take only what they will eat to reduce food waste, help sort recyclables and use recycled materials for creative activities.
Managing water responsibly. Children use reusable water bottles and learn to turn taps off to avoid waste. We talk about water as a precious resource. They experience water play as part of the EYFS curriculum, and on rainy days, we collect rainwater in containers for use in play. Water from play is reused to water plants, and we collect rainwater in designated containers for further use.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity

We are committed to protecting and enhancing biodiversity within our nursery environment. We support this by:

Feeding and observing local birds.
Bird watching and making bird feeders already form part of our curriculum. We will extend this through further learning.
Encouraging interest in insects and pond life.
Through walks, stories and play we will learn about pond life, the importance of bees, butterflies and provide hydration stations in our garden.
Planting and growing with purpose.
Children regularly plant in the garden using collected seeds and recycled pots. We will have planting sessions and will implement an annual flower challenge within the summer holidays to help learn about growth, responsibility and the natural world

Climate Education and Green Careers

We are committed to giving children a strong foundation in climate education and nurturing interests that may lead to future green careers. We support this by:

Developing our own knowledge of climate change so we can confidently share accurate, age-appropriate information with the children.
Embedding STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) within our curriculum to foster curiosity, problem-solving and critical thinking related to the natural world.
Planning nature-focused activities that help children learn about climate, sustainability, and caring for their environment.