New Starters - Nursery

We want to make starting Nursery a positive experience  for you and your child. We hope that this page answers any questions you might have but please remember that our nursery staff are always available to answer questions and offer support where we can.

We understand that your child starting nursery can be a daunting time for both parents and children. To make you both feel as comfortable as possible with this transition, we have the following in place

• In the term before your child starts, you will receive a phone call from a member of the nursery team. This is for us to get a general picture of your child and for you to share any information you feel is important.
• Before starting in nursery, you and your child will be invited to a Stay and Play session where you can meet all the nursery staff and have a look around our environment.
• A second stay and play session just for your child will also be arranged.

You can take a look at our main Reception page by clicking here and our main Nursery page by clicking here

Meet the Nursery Team

	Mrs Welch Teacher	Miss Walsh    Teaching Assistant	Miss Csonge    Teaching Assistant	Mrs Casey Teaching Assistant

Preparing Your Child for Nursery

• Unless there is a medical reason, there is an expectation that children will be toilet trained before they start nursery and this will be discussed during the initial phone call. As a school, we can provide support if you are experiencing difficulty toilet training your child.
• We encourage children to be independent with their self-care and you can support your child in the following ways;

1. Teach them how to put their shoes and coat on by themselves
2. Teach them to wash and dry their hands
3. Support them with tasks such as pouring water from a jug, peeling an orange.
4. Teach your child how to be independent with the toileting routine.

• Nursery can be a tricky place for your children to navigate as they learn to get along with others and share and take turns. To help your child with this, you could play simple turn taking games e.g. throw and catch, Pop-Up Pirate.
• Children can become upset when things don’t go their way, so it is a good idea to talk to them about the feelings they are experiencing e.g. “I understand that you’re feeling sad, I would feel sad too if I couldn’t go outside”

 Uniform

Children are expected to wear school uniform when the attend nursery. There are some variations to the whole school uniform:

• Purple jumper/ cardigan 
• White polo shirt
• Grey trousers, skirt or pinafore or Grey / black tracksuit bottoms
• Black shoes that are easy to get on and off independently (Velcro fastenings are usually best)

Our whole school unifrom information can be found here 

Our Nursery Provision

Although the nursery session is just 3 hours, we fill it with lots of engaging and exciting learning opportunities for the children. Here’s what you can expect:

Indoor Continuous provision – Continuous provision is available for the children all the time and will consist of the same resources. This provides familiarity for the children and allows them to develop their skills by using the resources in different ways. Enhancements are added to the provision which link to the topic or story we are doing for the week. These provide extra challenge and interest for the children. Adults play a vital role in continuous provision as they support the children to go deeper with their understanding and learning.

Outdoor Provision – Our outdoor classroom is available for a least two hours of the three-hour session and is run on a free flow system. There is always a wide variety of activities available including water play, construction and a mud kitchen. As with the indoor provision, there are resources that are available all the time and enhancements are then added.

Carpet time – We begin every session with a carpet time. During this time, we discuss the day of the week, the weather and what enhancement activities are available. We also read the story for the week and do Dough Disco (to help support fine motor development) and Foundation for Phonics.

Songs and Rhymes – Every half term we learn three new songs and rhymes and there is an opportunity to sing these every day.

Music – We have a music session twice a week. During these sessions the children learn about different instruments, learn new songs and develop their movements to music.

Adult focused activities – There are opportunities for children to complete an activity with an adult. These can include a maths tasks, arts and craft, investigation, cooking, science and many more! These activities provide opportunities to develop new skills, practise existing ones and provide individualised learning for the children.

Phonics – We follow Foundation for Phonics from Little Wandle. During our phonics session, children learn about alliteration, rhyming, initial sounds, voice sounds and oral blending.

Stories – Stories play an important part in nursery and we provide a rich and varied selection of books that the children can access from the book corner. We also have a story for the week which the children become familiar with and are able to retell.

Snack – Snack is available on a free flow basis. This develops the children’s independence as they are able to decide when they would like their snack. They also become familiar with the routine of washing their hands before snack, selecting their snack and clearing away their rubbish when they have finished. Snack time is also a super social time for the children as they initiate their own discussions and build relationships.