Nursery 2026 - 2027

Dear Families,

A very warm welcome back to Autumn 2 at St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School. We are looking forward to another exciting half term and are delighted to continue supporting your child’s learning and development. This term will be filled with new experiences, opportunities for exploration, and plenty of fun as we nurture a love of learning together.

Topic: Fantastic Festivals

Understanding the World

We will be learning about a range of special celebrations, including Bonfire Night, Diwali, Remembrance Day and Christmas, as well as exploring special people and places. Through these celebrations, children will learn about different faiths, cultures and traditions, helping them to understand that everyone is unique and special.

Activities will include:

Creating firework artwork for Bonfire Night
Making diva lamps for Diwali
Designing Christmas decorations
Exploring similarities and differences between celebrations
 

Our RE topic is 'Prophecy and Promise'. Children will learn about:

The Christmas Story
The meaning of Advent
Preparing for and taking part in our very first Nativity performance
Personal, Social and Emotional Development

We will continue to develop important social skills by:

Learning to work and play cooperatively with others
Following rules and routines
Understanding how our actions affect others
Taking turns and sharing
Beginning to resolve simple disagreements with support
Learning about and respecting different family traditions and customs
Physical Development

Children will learn about the importance of:

Healthy eating
Exercise and physical activity
Good sleep habits
Personal hygiene
We will continue to develop both fine and gross motor skills through a variety of activities, including:

Running, jumping, hopping and climbing
Moving safely in different ways, such as skipping, crawling and balancing
Standing on one foot and hopping confidently
Using climbing equipment safely
Dance and movement activities, exploring rhythm and beat
Riding balance bikes
Fine motor activities will help strengthen muscles needed for future drawing and writing skills.

Communication and Language

Daily story times will encourage children to join in with discussions, answer questions and develop longer sentences.

Children will also:

Use positional language such as under
Begin to use question words such as what and where
Learn about the purpose of everyday objects
Sort and categorise items into groups
Use simple plural words
Answer simple yes/no questions confidently
Develop speaking and listening skills through play and role-play activities
 

Literacy

Through story time and phonics, children will:

Recognise their own name
Understand that print carries meaning
Enjoy Phase 1 phonics activities, focusing on Aspect 2: Instrumental Sounds
Develop listening and attention skills
Explore early mark-making and writing
Understand that writing is different from drawing
Experiment with emergent writing, such as pretend shopping lists
Begin writing the first letter of their name
Develop a preferred dominant hand
Our Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle sessions will continue to support gross motor development, body awareness and early writing skills.

Mathematics

We will continue developing our number skills through songs, games and practical activities.  Children will:

Count up to 5 objects accurately using one-to-one correspondence
Recognise and talk about numbers
Use fingers, objects and five frames to represent quantities
Explore numerals 1 and 2 in greater depth
Begin making their own marks and symbols to represent numbers
Investigate simple patterns
 

For more information about our Nursery curriculum, please visit the Nursery page on the school website

As we enjoy outdoor learning in all weather conditions, please provide:

A waterproof coat
Wellington boots (which can be kept at Nursery)
Please ensure all clothing and footwear are clearly labelled with your child's name.

We also ask that each child brings a spare set of clothes, which will be kept on their peg.

Snacks

Healthy snacks, including fruit and milk, are provided each day.

Children may bring a named water bottle to Nursery. To support healthy choices, please ensure it contains water only.

Nursery Fund

We greatly appreciate any contributions to our Nursery Fund. A suggested donation of 50p-£1 per week helps us provide additional experiences and resources such as:

Extra snacks
Cooking ingredients
Creative materials
Additional learning resources
Your support makes a real difference to the children's experiences.

Learning Journeys

Your child's learning and achievements will be documented on Evidence Me through photographs, observations and examples of their work.

Children's achievements will also be celebrated in their individual Learning Journey display within the Nursery. Parents and carers are welcome to view these at the end of the day once all children have been safely dismissed.

We encourage families to share photographs, home learning and special achievements so that we can include them in your child's Learning Journey.

Strong partnerships between home and Nursery are invaluable in supporting children's progress.

You will be able to:

Comment on your child's learning through Evidence Me
Support any 'Next Step' targets set by the class teacher
Share special achievements using our WOW Cards
Celebrating these "WOW Moments" helps build confidence, develop vocabulary and encourage children to talk proudly about their achievements with friends and adults.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to a wonderful half term of learning, discovery and celebration together.

Mrs Calderbank & Team