Nursery leavers in graduation ceremony

Preschoolers at Children 1st nursery on Trent Road, donned cap and gowns for their graduation ceremony last week.

Proud parents were invited to watch a performance of The Gingerbread Man before the children took to the stage to collect their graduation scrolls.

Manager Dawn Dakin helped to organise the two-day event.

She said: “We held three graduation ceremonies over two days and a total of 49 children took part. They performed The Gingerbread Man infront of their parents before dressing up in cap and gowns and returning to the stage to receive their certificates and scrolls. As the children were getting into their gowns and hats, I played a slide show featuring just some of the many memories that the children had made over their time with us. As you can imagine, emotions were very high and everyone in the room was beaming with pride.”

Jennifer Close, 30, was at the ceremony on Tuesday to watch her four-year-old daughter Ivy graduate before she leaves to start Cliffedale Primary school in September.

She said: “Ivy has been at Children 1st since January 2015. The nursery has helped build Ivy’s confidence and social skills. She has got a great bond with all of the staff, especially Miss Sue, which has made it even more special for us both. The graduation was lovely. The children sang all the songs really well and performed The Gingerbread Man.”

It is not the first year that the nursery have held the graduation ceremony for their little leavers.

Dawn added: “We have been hosting the ceremonies for a few years now to celebrate the children’s achievements throughout their time with us and as a way to mark the next milestone in their lives. I’d like to thank all the staff, parents and children who have all been a part of the 2017 class.”