01480 451874
                 Mother Goose Corner nursery


About Mother Goose Corner Nursery & Pre-School

We are a family owned and run Nursery located in central Huntingdon, found adjacent to the One Leisure swimming pool. Originally founded in 1998, for our first 14 years of opening we were based in a large, detached Victorian property close to the ring road. However, just like the Hungry Caterpillar grew and grew, we too found ourselves needing more space (!) and in August 2011 moved to our current beautiful home on Spring Common.

Here at Nursery we are very proud to practice a wholly child-led approach, and everything we do is carefully planned with each of our little one's likes, passions and needs in the forefront of our minds. We are aware that each day with your little one is a day we are present to support their special journey - not the other way around - and believe that we as practitioners are fortunate to be involved with each child's bespoke and unique learning and development path.

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Please see below to get to know a little better our key team members at Nursery. In addition to these seven faces, we also have a further 18 bright, sparkling characters - from our Qualified Level 3 staff to our full-time, in-house Chefs - each who are integral cogs in the inner-working of the care we provide here at Mother Goose Corner.

MEET THE TEAM

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Valerie Taylor
Nursery Proprietor & Manager

From first founding Mother Goose Corner in the spring of 1998, Valerie has seen the Nursery grow from strength to strength throughout the years and remains very passionate about her role in the Nursery. She places an emphasis on supporting all staff members with their on-going training, and is enormously proud of each and every one of our 'home-grown team members'. Qualified herself with NVQ Level 3 in Childcare, Learning and Development, Valerie has 25 years' experience at the helm of the Goose empire as well as a further 12 years’ experience as a nurse in oral surgery. Valerie was the most excited of all about our new nest, as from French classes and Cookery Club to swimming sessions and Leo's Fun Zone, we are now able to offer the children in our care more than ever before. Valerie is a proud mother of four and Nanny to four.
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Beverley Taylor-Carson
Operations and HR Manager & Safeguarding Lead

Having worked at the Nursery intermittently over the first 13 years of its life, Beverley - the younger of Valerie’s two daughters - joined the Nursery in a full-time capacity just prior to our move in 2011. In the two years before this, she was working for a London-based FTSE 100 company where she was responsible for creating and delivering training that was received by 3,500 associates globally. Now with Mother Goose Corner, she assists Valerie in overseeing the smooth day-to-day running of the setting and uses her foreign language skills to teach French to the eldest children in our Pre-School. Beverley holds a Level 3 Diploma in Childcare, Learning and Education, a BA Honours degree in French and Spanish from the University of Leeds, and has completed a New York-based post-graduate diploma in International Business with the University of Cambridge. Most recently in 2016 Beverley completed a Level 7 CIPD qualification and Masters Degree in Human Resource Management with the University of Anglia Ruskin, and a Level 2 CACHE in Understanding Children and Young People's Mental Health: she uses these to ensure each of team members are in the best possible places to bring their hearts and souls to their roles.
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Melissa Edwards
Deputy Manager, Senior Nursery Nurse &
2nd Safeguarding Lead

Having joined the Nursery in 2007, Melissa is our longest-serving member of staff. Both our Senior Nursery Nurse and our Head of Pastoral Care for the staff body, Melissa is a wonderfully calm and supportive senior practitioner and supports with core training for our team members by delivering our Safeguarding and Food Safety modules within our thorough induction programme for new team members. Leading the Baby Suite where she is based, Melissa holds the CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Childcare & Education and is also proud to be our Mental Health First Aider. She also holds certificates in Talking & Playing with Babies, Understanding Autism and Speech & Language Development.
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Nicola Peace
Deputy Manager

Nicola is one of our two Deputy Managers here at Nursery, and having previously held the post of Pre-School Room Leader until 2021, she also shares her second-to-none of knowledge of running an Outstanding curriculum for our three and four year olds with our current Pre-School team. She holds the Level 2 and 3 CACHE qualifications in Childcare, Learning and Education, and is particularly passionate about effective communications to assist in the smooth running of all areas of the Nursery between families, team members, and external support professionals.
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Jade Hill
Acting Deputy Manager, Tweenie Room Leader & ENCo

Jade is proud to lead our toddler room, and with a beautifully child-first mind-set she leads a team of six in supporting our 'Tweenies' in their all-important 'Terrific Twos' stage. Jade joined us in 2018 after having spent 15 years at an Outstanding setting in the heart of Cambridge where she had well-deservingly worked her way up to the post of Deputy Manager. With us, she now enjoys ensuring the best of transitions and experiences for our middle age group, supporting the Nursery in its Equalities and Inclusion efforts, and focussing on creating the tastiest and healthiest menu possible!
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Libby Smith
Pre-School Room Leader

Libby joined the Nursery in 2015 as a newly-qualified Level 3 Practitioner, having excelled in her student placement with us. In 2021 she was asked to step into the role of Pre-School Room Leader after spending three valuable years before this in the role of Deputy Room Leader, and now supports a team of six passionate practitioners to provide an engaging and stimulating provision for our eldest group of Goslings. She has a particular interest in language and phonics, and enjoys incorporating this into our curriculum to help ensure the very best of outcomes for all children in her care, regardless of starting point or any potential barrier to learning.
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