Nursery 2025 - 2026

A Very Warm Welcome!

We’re delighted to welcome all our new children and parents to the Nursery!

Meet the Nursery Team

Hello! My name is Mrs Calderbank, and I am delighted to be the full-time Nursery teacher for this academic year. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you and your children, and to sharing a fun and rewarding year together.

Working alongside me are two wonderful teaching assistants:

• Mrs Oakes, who will be with us every morning
• Mrs Douglas, who will support the children in the afternoons

We’re also pleased to have Mr Allen, our Deputy Headteacher, working with the children on Tuesday afternoons.

Together, we are committed to creating a warm, nurturing environment where every child can thrive.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    During the first few weeks, our focus will be on helping the children settle in happily, become familiar with daily routines, and enjoy their time with us.  We aim to create a nurturing environment where each child feels safe, confident, and excited to learn.

At Nursery, we offer a balance of child-initiated play and adult-led activities, all carefully planned to align with the age-related stages of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is made up of seven areas of learning. These include three prime areas and four specific areas. All seven areas are carefully incorporated into the children’s learning every day through a mix of play-based activities and adult-led experiences.

This half term, our exciting topic is "Super Duper You!" — a wonderful opportunity for children to explore who they are, celebrate their uniqueness, and build positive relationships with others.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

At Nursery, we support each child in feeling like a valued member of our community. We celebrate every child’s unique talent and help them develop positive relationships with both adults and their peers.

Children will be encouraged to talk about their feelings, share their experiences, and learn about each other’s families in a supportive environment. Through circle time games, small group activities, and listening to one another, they will build confidence and begin to form new friendships.

We will also help the children learn to play cooperatively, share, and take turns, laying the foundations for strong social skills and emotional well-being.

Communication and Language

This term, the children will be building a wide repertoire of nursery rhymes, which play a key role in developing their language and communication skills. Singing together helps to build vocabulary, rhythm, and confidence in speaking and listening.

We’ll also be encouraging the children to explore and extend their vocabulary through play, stories, and conversation throughout the day.

Our daily phonics sessions will focus on developing strong listening skills and introducing the children to initial letter sounds, laying the foundations for early reading and communication.

Physical Development                                                                                                                                                                                                         

We support children’s physical development through a wide range of fun and purposeful activities, focusing on both fine and gross motor skills.

Fine Motor Skills
Children will have lots of opportunities to strengthen their fine motor skills through activities such as play dough, tweezers, threading, construction, and a variety of creative tasks. These activities help build the muscle control needed for writing, drawing, and self-care tasks.

Gross Motor Skills
Every day, the children will enjoy outdoor play in the Nursery Garden, where they can use equipment such as bikes, balancing stones, and the climbing frame. They will also take part in turn-taking games, team games, and explore the sand and water areas, all of which help develop coordination, confidence, and physical strength.

Literacy

Our literacy activities are closely linked to our topic theme, with carefully chosen stories forming the foundation for much of our learning. Children will share books together, listen to stories read aloud, and gradually build the confidence to join in, retell, and talk about what they’ve heard.   

We actively encourage a love of reading by inviting children to borrow books from our Nursery library to share at home with their families.                   

Children will also begin to explore early writing. They will see writing modelled by adults and take part in a variety of mark-making and emergent writing activities, both during focused tasks and in role-play areas, where they can write for real-life purposes in meaningful ways.

Mathematics

Morning Meetings                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Each morning, the children will take part in a Morning Meeting, which helps build routine, confidence, and key early learning skills.                                                                                                 During this time, they will:

• Count together
• Learn the days of the week and months of the year
• Talk about what day it is today, as well as yesterday and tomorrow

These sessions support the development of mathematical language, memory, and communication skills, all while creating a sense of community to start the day positively.Our daily Maths activities offer fun and practical opportunities for children to develop early mathematical skills through play and exploration.

Children will practise counting objects, recognising numerals, and begin to subitise (recognising small quantities without counting). They’ll also explore how to create and continue patterns, helping to build their understanding of sequencing and order.

We will introduce and explore 2D shapes, encouraging children to name and describe them during both structured activities and free play.

Through sand and water play, children will investigate important early concepts such as capacity and weight, using real-life tools and language in meaningful contexts.

Expressive Arts and Design

Children will have lots of opportunities to explore their creativity through a wide range of hands-on activities using different materials and techniques.  They will:

• Create self-portraits
• Collage their initials
• Make autumn-themed pictures
• Experiment with leaf, fruit, and vegetable prints

Our role-play areas will include a home corner, providing rich opportunities for imaginative play, language development, and social interaction.                 

Children will also take part in singing songs, performing action rhymes, and exploring a variety of percussion instruments, encouraging musical expression and rhythm.

Outdoor Learning and Clothing

We will be learning outdoors in all weather conditions, so please send your child with a waterproof coat and a pair of wellies.                                           

If possible, we kindly ask that wellies stay at Nursery to make outdoor learning easier every day.                                                                                       

To help us return any misplaced items, please clearly label all clothing, footwear, and belongings.        

Accidents do happen, so we ask that you provide a spare set of clothes for your child. These will be kept on their peg and sent home if a change of clothes is needed. Thank you for your support in helping us keep your child comfortable and prepared for all weathers!

Snacks

The school provides healthy snacks daily, such as fresh fruit and milk. Children are welcome to bring their own water bottles, which must contain water to support our commitment to being a healthy school. Please make sure your child’s water bottle is clearly labelled.

Nursery Fund

We invite a voluntary weekly contribution of between 50p and £1 to support our Nursery. This donation is entirely optional, and if you prefer to give termly instead, that is perfectly fine. The funds help cover the cost of various extras that enhance your child’s learning experience, including:

• Additional snacks for an afternoon treat
• Ingredients for cooking activities
• Extra learning resources for our classroom

Your generous donations make a real difference, and the children truly benefit from the additional opportunities they provide. Thank you for your support!

Learning and Progress

Your child’s learning journey at Nursery will be documented through weekly observations on Evidence Me. Parents will receive a login and consent form for Evidence Me. These observations include photographs, notes, and examples of focused tasks that highlight your child’s progress throughout the year.

You can also see evidence of your child’s achievements on their individual learning journey display, which is located on the wall in the cloakroom.     

Parents and carers are warmly invited to view these displays, preferably at the end of the school day, once the children have been dismissed.

Collection Arrangements

If someone other than yourself will be collecting your child, please inform a member of staff at drop-off or contact the school office as soon as possible.For your child’s safety, we will not release children to anyone unfamiliar without prior notification. Thank you for your understanding and support in keeping all our children safe

You will receive a weekly newsletter every Friday, sharing updates on the week’s learning and any important news.

We hope your child has a wonderful and happy time in Nursery! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to come and speak to us at any time — we’re here to help. We look forward to working with you and your child throughout the coming year.

Mrs Calderbank and the nursery team