Nursery 2025 - 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome to all our new families! We are excited to begin this wonderful learning journey with your child.

Staff

My name is Mrs Calderbank, and I am delighted to be teaching Nursery this year. Supporting me in the classroom are Mrs Oakes and Mrs Douglas, who will assist with learning activities throughout the day. On Tuesday afternoons, the children will be taught by Mr Allen.
During lunchtime, your child will be cared for by our midday assistants: Mrs Rahan, Mrs Zahar, and Mrs Douglas.

Our Spring 1 Topic: WW. Winter and Helping Hands

This term, we will be exploring two exciting themes: Winter and People Who Help Us.

In our Winter topic, we will investigate questions such as:

• What happens to the weather in winter?
• What do we see outside in winter?
• How do animals keep warm in winter?
• What does “hibernate” mean?
• What do we wear to keep ourselves warm?
• What happens to water if it gets too cold?
• Can ice change back into water?
• What happens to ice if we leave it in a warm room?

In our Helping Hands topic, we will learn about people who help us in the community:

• Who helps us and what do they do?
• What clothes or equipment do they use?
• Where do they work?
• How can we ask for help?
• How can we help others?

We are thrilled to share that the children will have some special experiences this term, including a visit from our local fire service—where they’ll get to explore a real fire truck—and a visit from a local dentist.

 We will keep weaving together the strands of the Early Years curriculum across the seven areas of learning:

• Communication and Language
  We will focus on listening and attention skills
• Personal, Social and Emotional  We’ll continuing to develop the children’s social and emotional abilities, building their confidence and independence.
• Physical Development
  Our aim is to refine gross motor skills before moving on to fine motor skills, helping children become effective mark makers.
• Literacy
  We will keep spotting rhymes, clapping out syllables, and introducing a wider range of vocabulary.
• Mathematics
  This term, we will continue practising subitising, explore numbers 3–5, and begin experimenting with symbols and marks.

• Understanding the World The children will begin to talk about and make sense of their own families, exploring how they have changed over time.

• Expressive Arts and Design We will continue to perfect our mark-making and fine motor skills. The children will practise representing objects and using lines to create shapes and recognisable pictures that they can describe and talk about                                                         
• Religious Education (RE) Our topic this term is Galilee to Jerusalem

For more on the Nursery curriculum, please visit the St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School: Nursery webpage.

Uniform and Clothing

As we learn outdoors in all weather, please send your child with a waterproof coat and wellington boots, which can be kept at Nursery. To ensure lost items are returned, please label all clothing and footwear with your child’s name. Additionally, we ask for a spare set of clothes for each child, which will be stored on their peg.

Snacks

Healthy snacks, such as fruit and milk, are provided daily. Children may bring their own water bottles, clearly labelled with their names. To support our commitment to health, we kindly request that bottles contain only water, not juice.

Nursery Fund

We greatly appreciate any contributions to our class fund, with a suggested donation of £1 per week. This fund supports extras that enrich your child’s experience, such as additional snacks, cooking ingredients, and learning resources. Your donations make a difference, and the children truly benefit from them.

Learning Journeys

Your child’s learning journey will be documented weekly through observations on Evidence Me, showcasing their development over the term through photos, notes, and focused tasks. Their achievements will also be displayed on their personal Learning Journey wall, which parents and carers are welcome to view at the end of the day once all children are safely dismissed.

You are encouraged to send in any home learning or significant achievements, which we will add to your child’s Learning Journey.

The new EYFS curriculum focuses on understanding each child’s unique development and includes both individual and group play, with practical assessments at key developmental stages.

Home and Nursery Partnership

You can comment on your child’s progress, and the class teacher may set "Next Step" targets to work on at home. Additionally, we’ll provide WOW cards for you to record impressive achievements. These “WOW moments” help build confidence, expand vocabulary, and support speech development as children share them with peers. I’ll also be sending home some fun activities for you and your child to enjoy together over the weekends.

Mrs Calderbank and the Nursery team