Welcome to Jabberwocky Team
​What do I love about Jabberwocky?
​Meet Our Nursery Manager Leanne:
To be the Manager of Jabberwocky Nursery is an absolute honour and a privilege. Our nursery is truly one of a kind — a place where children from 3 months to 5 years can explore, play, and learn in the most wonderful ways.
Every day is filled with excitement, curiosity, and joy. The opportunities our children have to explore the outdoors are incredible. Our Forest School, which we visit daily, gives the children a chance to connect with nature — whether that’s looking for bugs under logs, climbing trees, or enjoying the simple magic of fresh air and open space. Even the walk there becomes a learning experience, as children practise road safety and observe the world around them.​
We also love to take our learning further afield. Trips in our minibuses let children discover local woodlands, beaches, and nature reserves. We make the most of the seasons with visits to pumpkin patches, fruit farms, and smallholdings during lambing season. Every trip gives the children a chance to learn, grow, and make lasting memories.
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But what truly makes Jabberwocky special is our staff team. They are the most dedicated, caring, and passionate group of people I’ve ever worked with. Their range of experience, knowledge, and personalities blend perfectly to create a warm, nurturing environment where every child is known and valued. Many of them have been with Jabberwocky for years, and their commitment shines through in everything they do.
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There’s a wonderful buzz around the nursery — always busy, always full of life — yet it remains calm, loving, and full of smiles. That balance is something I’m so proud of.
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A Typical Day at Jabberwocky Nursery:
Every day at Jabberwocky is different, but one thing always stays the same — the joy that fills the building from the moment the doors open.
I love greeting the children and their families each morning. Seeing their excited faces as they arrive, ready to explore, is the best start to the day. I spend time walking around the nursery, chatting with children, joining in with their play, and checking that everything is running smoothly.
Throughout the day, our nursery is alive with activity. You might find children:
Exploring the forest with sticks and magnifying glasses in hand
Baking bread, cakes, or quiches (the smells are amazing!)
Taking part in football, science, or gardening clubs
Caring for our nursery pets or mixing up playdough scented with cinnamon and pinecones.
We often have special visitors too — from animal encounters with alpacas and ponies to exciting science workshops and visits from local community helpers like dentists and police officers. These experiences bring learning to life and fill the children with wonder.
Lunchtimes and tea times are always a lovely part of the day. Sitting together, enjoying healthy home-cooked food, chatting and laughing — it’s a time for connection and care.
In the afternoons, I love stepping back into the rooms or joining the children outdoors. Watching them explore, problem-solve, and play with such imagination reminds me why I do what I do.
And as parents arrive at the end of the day, I get the chance to share those special moments — telling them about their child’s achievements, funny moments, and new discoveries. Building those relationships with families is so important to me. After all, they are trusting us with their most precious little people.
When the last child heads home, we tidy up, reset the nursery for tomorrow, and reflect on another day full of laughter, learning, and love.
Yes, it’s a busy job — sometimes exhausting — but every single day, I leave with a full heart knowing that our children have been cared for, encouraged, and inspired. There’s no better feeling.
​Meet Our Assistant Manager
Lol:
Hello! My name is Lauren, or as most the Jabberwocky Family know me- I am Lol (or Lol Lol!). I have worked at Jabberwocky for just over 7 years now, it was my first ‘proper’ job after finishing my degree at university where I received a BA Honors in Early years and Psychology.
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I am the second oldest of 5 siblings and I grew up in a busy home, where my Mum (Leanne, for those of you who don’t know!), childminded for 16 years! I was always surrounded by children and was often told “children just love you” or “you are so good with little ones.” I often said I wanted to be a paediatrician or a solicitor, because I thought that would make me lots of money- but my passion took over my desire to be ‘Rich’, and I pursued the career I knew I’d always been destined for.
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I remember walking into Jabberwocky for the first time and thinking, ‘okay, yes, this place is lovely, I can see myself working here, with these children, in this environment’. I could see there was potential for professional growth, and I could see the potential for the growth of the nursery. During my time at Jabberwocky, I have watched and been part of it as it has grown, changed and flourished over the years. It is certainly a totally different place than it was 7 years ago! But the message and intention remain the same- a totally unique nursery where the care, opportunities and experiences of young children are, in my opinion, pretty outstanding and special!
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So, when asked to think about why I love working at Jabberwocky, I spent some time reflecting, and for me, the things I love are as follows.
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I love the relationships I have built with the families over the years. It fills my heart with pride and joy when children I have cared for and their parents/carers, come back to visit me at Jabberwocky, stop me in the supermarket, or cross the road to chat to me. I can truly sense the impact I have had on their lives and the value I hold in their stories, and I love this.
​I love the challenge, every day really is different, every child is totally individual, and this drives my passion. Getting to play a big part in their journey, by supporting them through their early emotional, behavioral and social challenges is exciting to me. Seeing them change, grow, flourish and develop.
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I love the opportunities we offer; I mean, I don’t know of many nurseries that are able to take the children to the beach, pumpkin picking and to so many off site adventures, do you?
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I love forest school; I have watched the arboretum grow from next to nothing to a forest school fantasy wonderland. I built the mud kitchen there out of pallets from scratch! I helped to raise the chickens from the day they hatched! I helped to dig the pond and install the rope swings! I have helped it to become what it is today, and I am so proud of that!
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I love working with a variety of people in a team of staff, supporting and guiding them as they develop in their careers. I particularly enjoy working with apprentices and supporting their professional growth and development, helping them to be the best practitioners that they can be.
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I love what Jabberwocky has taught me, I have grown up so much here, as a person and as a professional. I have learnt to be a leader, I have learnt to have confidence in myself, my knowledge and my opinions. I have learnt to teach others; I have learnt patience and resilience.
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I love that working here keeps the magic alive, when you spend your days surrounded by little ones, where their eyes light up at my stories, or our shared pride as they put their shoe on for the first time, the magic of finding joy in the little things is a daily pleasure and I love that!
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I love being a leader. I started at Jabberwocky as a early years practitioner, I then shared the leadership of the Bander room with a colleague, I then became Room leader of the Pre-School, and eventually have become the Assistant manager. I am organised and I am a stickler for routine and rules, I love doing a job to very best of my ability and I love being able to give that part of myself to Jabberwocky. I truly love that my name is associated with the nursery’s brilliant reputation!
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Working at a busy, ever-growing, ever-changing nursery, has by no means been a breeze, but I do love my Job. I love the impact Jabberwocky has had on my life, as well as the impact I have had on Jabberwocky.
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So I think that summarises it, why I love my job at Jabberwocky.
