Burslem Kindergarten

Burslem Kindergarten is our newest nursery setting that opened in January 2020. The nursery has dedicated rooms for the different age groups in our care, with the children having access to two outdoor play areas as well as a sensory room.

We are ideally situated for parents who work throughout the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the site benefits from having off street parking. The kindergarten feeds into all of the primary schools within the city area.

Each day the children’s meals are prepared fresh, on-site by the nursery’s Catering Manager.

Meet The Team

Natasha Richards – Managing Director and Director of Educational Development

I founded the Kindergarten Group with the clear aim of delivering high quality childcare, in an environment where children can flourish and be happy. I started my career in education over twenty years ago and have always had a huge passion for supporting children to become the best that they can be, both academically and in their personal and social development. I have taught children from preschool, right through to students in higher university education and I have a BA Honours Degree in Primary Education, a Masters in Education and have worked as an early years inspector for OFSTED.

I am a proud mum of twin teenage boys, two dogs and a cat. When not at work I enjoy travelling the length and breadth of the country with my family on camping holidays.

Favourite Childhood Memory

As a child I always loved Christmas and still do! Even though I’m the eldest of four children, I’d always be the first one to wake up on Christmas morning, as I’d be so excited to see if Santa had been. I’d sneak downstairs to see if there were any presents, then I’d get my younger siblings to wake up my mum and dad who would insist that Santa hadn’t yet been (secretly hoping for a bit longer in bed), to which my brothers and sister would shout “oh yes he has – Tash has seen all of the presents!” With my own children it’s always been important to me to try and recreate the same magic and excitement of Christmas for them too.

Favourite Children’s Book

‘What Katy Did’ by Susan Coolidge

Favourite Children’s Film

Favourite Season

It has to be winter as not only do I love the whole Christmas season, but I think there’s something really lovely about wrapping up warm in a big coat, scarf, woolly hat and gloves and heading outside for winter walks.

Siblings

I am the eldest of four children, I have one sister and two brothers.

Rebecca Jones – Director of Learning

When I was growing up I used to love helping to look after my sister who is ten years younger than me, this had a big influence on my decision to study child care at college. After I graduated I joined the team at Wolstanton Kindergarten and have since worked at Cheadle and Burslem Kindergartens too. I find the most rewarding part of my role is to see the children in our care develop and learn new skills. And like many of the staff, I particularly enjoy the messy play and outdoor activities that we do with the children as it’s so much fun! In my current position I support all of our staff in their roles and deliver training across the three nursery settings to ensure the consistency and high quality of the care that we deliver.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my husband Jake and my little boy Levi and heading outside for walks with my Border Jack Russell cross dog Olly (named after Olly Murs!).

Favourite Childhood Memory

My favourite childhood memory would be when my Mum bought my little sister home from the first time. My sister is ten years younger than me so having such a young child in the house brought with it big changes to our family life.

Favourite Children’s Book

‘Guess How Much I Love You’ by Sam McBratney

Favourite Children’s Film

Elf

Favourite Season

I’ve always liked the wintertime the best, as I absolutely love Christmas and my birthday falls at this time of year too. I think it’s lovely to wrap up warm and head off outside for winter walks.

Siblings

I have two sisters and I’m the middle child.

Stephanie Clarke - Office Manager and Personal Assistant

My background is in financial services, however, I decided recently it was time for a change so I have recently taken on the role of Office Manager and PA at The Kindergarten Group. I now provide our nurseries with administrative support and so far I am glad I took the leap. My son attended Wolstanton Kindergarten and had a wonderful time and I firmly believe this experience gave him a great foundation not only in education but also personally and socially. Working at the nursery is a breath of fresh air, I enjoy seeing the little children happily interacting with staff and peers and thriving in their environment working through their various activities in a relaxed atmosphere.

I’m a mum of two, we like spending time with family and friends, we like to swim regularly, my son likes to play football and my daughter enjoys performance and dance. I like to go the gym regularly and also work part time as a Personal Trainer and gym instructor.

Favourite childhood memory

I have treasured memories Christmas morning of course! Being too excited to sleep the night before and then getting up at 4am with my siblings and going downstairs to see ‘ has he been yet’?. Eating a selection box by lunchtime and feeling ill. I love Christmas lights, the wintry weather and a Christmas movie.

Favourite childrens book

‘The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark’ by Jill Tomlinson. I was a bookworm in my younger years and I’ve probably read every book written by Enid Blyton including the Malory Towers collection, Famous Five, Secret 7, Elizabeth Allen Naughtiest Girl in School trilogy, and the list goes on.

Favourite childrens film

One Magic Christmas

Favourite season

Springtime – The bright sunshine, daffodils blooming, Easter holidays and hot cross buns.

Siblings

I’m the youngest of five children.

Emma Louise – Nursery Manager

Having started out volunteering to work with preschool and primary school age, as well as poorly and vulnerable children, I found it so incredibly rewarding I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in childcare. Before joining Burslem Kindergarten I worked at a local primary school with children of all ages, but mainly focusing on the teaching and learning in Key Stage One. I find being with the children so much fun and every day they never fail to make me laugh. My goal is to help and support the children in my care to become independent and confident individuals.

Favourite Childhood Memory

I can vividly recall going on an aeroplane for the first time when I was about 4 years old. I think I was more excited about the flight than the holiday itself!

Favourite Children’s Book

The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Favourite Children’s Film

The original Disney’s Jungle Book

Favourite Season

My favourite time of year has to be the summer months for the warmer weather and being able to go on holiday – where possible to my favourite destination Ibiza.

Siblings

I have one younger brother

Michelle Wright – Early Years Practitioner

I started my career in childcare and education aged 16 and have worked in both nurseries and schools with early years age children. I have always found what I do incredibly rewarding through seeing the children in my care develop and grow. I love getting to know the individual and unique characters of each child and to see them grow and develop through the planned activities that they participate in while at nursery.

Favourite Childhood Memory

I have very happy memories of family holidays at our caravan in Wales, we’d have great fun spending days on the beach making sandcastles, having picnics and going crabbing. We also spent a lot of time in the Peak District and I today still love visiting places like Buxton and Bakewell.

Favourite Children’s Book

The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Favourite Children’s Film

Disney’s the Little Mermaid

Favourite Season

The summer time so that I can spend time outside in the sunshine.

Siblings

I have a younger brother and sister.

Emma Higgins – Early Years Practitioner

I have my own family of three beautiful children who are now all grown up. Watching them flourish, grow and become confident in their own skins was definitely the motivation for me to want to work with children in an early years setting.

I particularly enjoy working with the babies and younger children, providing care and ensuring that they feel safe and secure in the nursery environment which I think is so important. I find it really satisfying to be able to watch over time, how the children in our care continually grow and I do feel a sense of pride in the role that I play In helping them to achieve their developmental targets.

When not at work I enjoy nothing more than spending time at home with my family, or heading out for a walk with my two Chihuahuas Minnie and Mickey.

Favourite Childhood Memory

I was very close to my Nan and used to love staying over at her house for the night. She would always make me boiled egg and soldiers in the morning for my breakfast, whenever I make that meal now for either my children or myself, it still reminds me of my Nan.

Favourite Children’s Book

‘The Witches’ by Roald Dahl

Favourite Children’s Film

Mary Poppins

Favourite Season

I do actually love all of the seasons for different reasons, but if I have to pick one it would be winter. To me family is everything, so what could be better than having everyone at home having a cosy night in watching a film together.

Siblings

I have one brother and one sister.

Michelle Woolridge – Early Years Practitioner

Moving into a career in childcare seemed like a natural step, as coming from a large extended family I was always looking after one of my cousins when I was growing up. I find it so rewarding to watch the children in our care learn and progress in what they can achieve.

Outside of work for me it’s all about family, spending time with my son and stepdaughter, whether that’s going for local walks or days out.

Favourite Childhood Memory

My favourite memory is at Christmas time being at my Nan’s house with all of my family, having fun and making lots of noise on her karaoke machine.

Favourite Children’s Book

‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ by Roald Dahl

Favourite Children’s Film

The original Disney Aladdin film

Favourite Season

It has to be autumn, when the nights start drawing in and there’s the anticipation and excitement of Christmas being just around the corner.

Siblings

I’m the middle child of three siblings, with an older brother and a younger sister.

Kehkashan Dean – Early Years Practitioner

Coming from a large family, I have always been surrounded by younger family members, which inevitably meant that I was always helping out with babysitting. Working in childcare therefore felt like a natural choice and one that I knew I would love. I think it’s so important to create a warm and caring environment at nursery for the children in which they can feel safe and enjoy themselves.

Outside of work I enjoy eating out with my family, trying lots of new types of cuisine.

Favourite Childhood Memory

It would have to be when my little sister was born, she is only three years younger than me and I remember how excited I was to see her for the first time. When we brought her home from hospital in the car though she never stopped crying!

Favourite Children’s Book

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

Favourite Children’s Film

Favourite Season

I love the summer as for me that means it’s holiday time. I have family that live in the United States so if I can, I always try and fit in a trip in over there.

Siblings

I have one younger sister.

Jade Duckers – Early Years Practitioner

I knew instinctively from a very early age that I wanted to pursue a career in childcare. I enjoy working with children of all ages and love that they all have their own unique personalities. I find it incredibly fulfilling helping the children in our care to learn, develop and grow.

My spare time is all about my young family as I have two young girls, doing everything that I can to give them the best possible fun and happy life.

Favourite Childhood Memory

It would have to be being part of a dance troupe when I was growing up which I absolutely loved! I used to attend competitions every Sunday, which was great fun, and I’ve got lots of happy memories of spending weekends away with the other girls at dance events.

Favourite Children’s Book

‘Guess How Much I Love You’ by Sam McBratney

Favourite Children’s Film

Beauty and the Beast

Favourite Season

The sunshine definitely makes me feel happy so it would have to be the summer time. I love that I have months of planning day trips out with my family, whether that’s to the seaside, enjoying days at the park having picnics and just being able to spend lots of time outside with my children.

Siblings

I have one brother and three step sisters.

Charlotte Campbell – Early Years Practitioner

Having a career in early years education is something that I gravitated naturally towards in later life. Even though I studied childcare at college I’ve worked in many different roles including retail and caring for the elderly before I started to work full time with children. Throughout my life I’ve found that I have always taken on a motherly role, helping to care for my cousins when I was younger and then later on my nieces and nephews. And of course I am now a mum myself. I believe that there is nothing more important than providing children with love and to create an environment where they feel cared for to give them the best possible start in life.

Favourite Childhood Memory

When I was a little girl I used to spend a lot of time with my great aunty and uncle both of whom I was incredibly fond of. I used to have great fun mimicking my uncle by dressing up in his big coat and spectacles and pretending to be him. It became my favourite party trick and I think I managed to do a pretty good impression of him, even managing to take off his voice and saying “hello chick” just like he did.

Favourite Children’s Book

Animal Magic by Cherie Zamazing

Favourite Children’s Film

Disney’s Soul or Lion King

Favourite Season

It is without doubt the Summer as I love everything about it – the warmer weather, spending more time outside, enjoying ice lollies and trips to the beach.

Siblings

I’m the youngest of four children.

Stephanie Hilton – Early Years Practitioner

I find working in childcare such a challenging but incredibly rewarding job where no day is ever the same! Being able to contribute towards a child’s development is incredibly special, seeing a child’s face light up when they have achieved something new is just wonderful.

Favourite Childhood Memory

My fondest memories are of spending time with my Dad and sister on days out, enjoying long walks, picnics and visiting lots of different places around our local area. My Dad has such fantastic local knowledge and he taught us so many interesting things. To this day I still enjoy spending time outside walking and exploring new places which I do as often as I can.

Favourite Children’s Film

It would have to be the original Jungle Book that I was lucky enough to see twice at Tunstall Cinema as a child. I can still remember that the admission price was only 25p.

Favourite Children’s Book

My favourite childhood book is Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton. The idea of belonging to a group of school friends at a boarding school really intrigued me and they all seemed to have so much fun!

Favourite Season

It would have to be the summer time because of the warmer weather meaning that you can spend so much more time outside playing sports, being able to go on lots of walks, enjoying BBQ’s, but most importantly being able to get together with friends or family.

Siblings

I am the youngest of four and have two older brothers and a sister.

Tyler Mason – Early Years Practitioner

My career in childcare started when I was aged just 14 when I undertook a voluntary work placement at a local nursery. I loved it that much that I returned to work at the nursery again in the school holidays. Having decided that I wanted to work in the early years field I chose to study a National Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development at college and after graduating gained invaluable experience working at several local nurseries. I find it so rewarding seeing children progress through each of the rooms at the nursery, where they get to learn lots of new skills to prepare them for their next step in joining primary school.

Favourite Childhood Memory

When I was very young I enjoyed lots of holidays with my whole family in Blackpool, I particularly loved that my nan and grandad were with us. Whenever I look back at any photos of these holidays they bring back such wonderful memories of happy family times.

Favourite Children’s Book

Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Favourite Children’s Film

Home Alone

Favourite Season

My favourite season would have to be summer as there is so much more opportunity to be able to enjoy yourself outside, going on long walks, taking day trips and eating ice cream.

Sumaira Malik – Early Years Practitioner

As I was the eldest child and my Mum was a single parent, I always helped out with looking after my younger brothers and sister. Then when I had my own children I was asked by my eldest son’s reception teacher if I could help out at his school as his reading was so good, so that I could help the other children in develop their reading skills. This experience prompted my decision to study Early Years at college which led me to my position at Burslem Kindergarten following on from a successful work placement here. I truly believe that every child is unique and I love engaging with the children here at the nursery and hearing their thoughts. It always amazes me how quickly children grow and develop their skills which makes this job so incredibly rewarding.

Favourite Childhood Memory

I have a big family so it was fantastic when we all got together to celebrate festivals such as Eid, this would always be at my grandparents house where along with my brothers and sisters we’d get to play with all of our cousins.

Favourite Children’s Book and Film

Disney’s The Lion King

Favourite Season

My favourite time of year would have to be autumn as for me the weather is just right, not too hot and not too cold - just perfect for cosy nights in the house in front of the fire. I also think that the colours of Autumn are beautiful.

Siblings

I’m the eldest of five children, I have three brothers and one sister.

Daisy Mae Finney - Early Years Apprentice

I started my career within a childcare setting aged seventeen whilst I was at college. I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in childcare, so this has always been my dream job as I’m able to watch the children in my care grow and develop. As soon as I set foot into a nursery I knew that this was what I wanted to do. Working in childcare is one of the most rewarding jobs, watching the smiles on the children’s faces as they are having fun and being able to be a part of that is the best feeling. I love that I am helping the children develop and teaching them new things so that they are ready for their next step in life. It’s rewarding to see the unique characteristics in each child and watching their confidence grow as they become more independent.

Favourite memory

When I was younger I’d visit my nan and grandads house a lot as they looked after me whilst my parents were at work, my nan would make homemade meat and potato pies and when she wasn’t looking I’d always sneak a little bit and eat it. Now whenever I eat her pies it always takes me back to that moment when I was younger. I’d also visit my other nan often and my cousin and I would sneak packets of jelly from her cupboard, my nan would catch us sniggering in the kitchen whilst eating the jelly.

Favourite childrens book

Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Favourite childrens film

The Story of Tracey Beaker or Hannah Montana.

Favourite season

My favourite season is definitely winter, I love being cosy in the house, settling down with my family and my dog to watch a movie with a lovely mug of hot chocolate.

Siblings
I am the youngest of three, I have a stepsister and a stepbrother.

Skye Yoxall - Early Years Apprentice

I wanted to work in a nursery setting because caring for others is important to me. I’ve always loved looking after my younger cousins and the children of family friends so it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m very family orientated, I have other family members who work in a care setting and I feel we all put ourselves before others. I have also had some experience caring for the elderly which I also really enjoyed; however, it was also sad as they are often severely ill. I really love working in the nursery it’s a fun job combined with helping little ones learn new skills. Helping other’s is just the job for me!

Favourite Childhood Memory

One of my most favourite memories was when I was around 11 years old and my parents surprised my siblings and I with a surprise trip to Paris with around twenty of our extended family members. It was in October around Halloween and my mum had made me and my sisters a Disney book each so that we could get the signatures from the Disney characters when we watched the parade. It really was a magical experience and a memory that will stay with me forever. We also got to see the Eiffel Tower.

Favourite childrens book

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Favourite childrens film

I loved The Princess and the Frog.

Favourite season

I love the summer as we take our annual family holiday to Greece each year in July or August. It’s the only time of year that we all take time off to be together and we get to create memories that we treasure.

Siblings

I have two sisters and I’m the middle child.

Ruby Gray - Early Years Practitioner

I have quite a large extended family and when I was growing up I’d always find myself looking after either my younger sister or one of my cousins. I enjoyed it so much that working with children seemed like a natural choice for me. A work placement at a primary school only helped to confirm this and now I get to work with children every day which I love. Watching young people grow and develop into their own unique characters I feel is a privilege.

Favourite Childhood Memory

My favourite childhood memory would have to be going to the caravan most weekends with all my family, I especially enjoyed going to the seaside and playing with my younger sister and all of my cousins.

Favourite Children’s Book

“The Tiger Who Came to Tea” by Judith Kerr

Favourite Children’s Film

Matilda

Favourite Season

Summer is definitely my favourite time of year. There’s just something so lovely about the warmer weather and being able to spend so much more time outdoors walking and getting out and about with friends.

Siblings

I have one younger sister.

Sarah Chapman - Early Years Practioner

Whilst growing up I had always wanted a little sister and at the age of fifteen finally my little sister was born. I loved getting involved in caring for her and my younger cousins too and particularly enjoyed taking them out on day trips; this experience definitely influenced my chosen career path. When I left school I started my A levels at college, however after a year I switched to a childcare course as I got to do placements in local nurseries and enjoyed the opportunity to be hands on with the children.

There are many aspects to my role that I enjoy, particularly seeing the children’s different personalities grow, watching them learn and discover new things, and of course seeing their smiling faces. There is always something new for the children to achieve and the variety within my role is great.

I have two daughters of my own and we have a house rabbit called Pepper (named after Peppa Pig). I enjoy taking my girls on day trips to places we can explore, and they can enjoy the great outdoors which I think is essential for young children’s development.

Favourite childhood memory

It has to be pretending I was Maria from the sound of music running in and out of the trees in Newcastle market whilst singing 'the hills are alive with the sound of music'.

Favourite childrens book

Tracey Beaker by Jaqueline Wilson

Favourite childrens film

The Sound of Music

Favourite season

My children and I like to spend time together outdoors enjoying the sunshine, so summer has to be my favourite season. For me it signifies time for family fun and creating new family memories on our holidays.

Siblings

I’m the eldest of three children, I have a half-sister and a stepsister.