Nursery information
A Very Warm Welcome to our Nursery
Our school based nursery provision is planned and delivered by a qualified Teacher, Mrs Newhouse & Nursery Nurse Mrs Evans. The Foundation Stage which consists of our nursery and reception classes are overseen by our Foundation Stage Leader Miss Slattery.
We believe every child deserves the best possible start to their learning journey and as such our aim is to provide a nurturing and caring environment and through our knowledge of the children and understanding of their developmental and learning needs ensure that our provision is of high quality.
We have a very large purpose built nursery where children are able to move around freely selecting the resources they would like to use. We have a large outdoor area which the children love using throughout the year. We also have the benefit of being able to use the facilities in the main school.
We are Caterpillar Class
30 Hours Free Early Education & Extended Day
The free Early Learning and Childcare Entitlement was extended from 15 hours to 30 hours a week to eligible 3 and 4 year olds.
The additional 15 hours will be available only to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and where each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage or national living wage, and earns less than £100,000 per year.
Each child will be funded to a maximum of 15 universal hours per week, with the additional 15 hours offered as a funded or paid place, depending on the 30 hours eligibility criteria. Places will be allocated on availability at the time of application. The funding for 3&4 Year olds starts in the first term following the child's 3rd birthday
St Margaret’s Infant School our Nursery offer the Free Early Education (FEE) hours in the following formats.
| Hours | Charge |
|
Morning Session : 8:45am to 11:45am |
3 hours FREE |
| Afternoon Session : 12.15pm to 3.15pm | 3 hours FREE |
| Full School Day: 8:45am to 3.15pm |
6 hours FREE and £3 charge for lunch supervision per day |
ENTRY INTO NURSERY
Children from the age of 3 are welcome to join our Nursery. All parents and children are welcome to come and visit our nursery, to look around, see how we work and meet the staff.
When children first attend the nursery we will work closely together to settle them in. Generally, our children and parents adapt well to the transition into nursery. We understand that all families have different commitments and routines, Caterpillar Class team are here to support all of our families to ensure our children are happy and settled.
If you would like to visit the Nursery please contact the school office to make an appointment.
Tel: 01634 231327
NURSERY HOURS & ROUTINE
The morning session runs from 8:45 am until 11:45am and the afternoon from 12.15pm until 3.15pm or children can attend a full day from 8:45 until 3:15pm. Additional charges may apply if you go over your funded hours. Please speak to the nursery staff if you have any queries about sessions/funding.
THE STRUCTURE OF A SESSION
The first 30 minutes of each nursery session is our welcome and settling in time. Once we have seen that the children are settled for the session, staff and children come together on the carpet to sing our daily songs and go through our routine for the day. The children then return to their ‘Child-initiated learning’ where they can free flow between the indoor and outdoor learning environments and independently choose which activities they engage and interact with during time spent both in the indoor and outdoor learning environments. We provide fresh fruit and milk to all children every day. After child-initiated learning is over, we will have a curriculum focus 'Adult-led' learning activity. This is delivered either as a whole class or in key groups.
PLAY BASED LEARNING & CURRICULUM
The school nursery follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. We begin by selecting topics that the children are interested in and through these topics teach a range of skills from across the curriculum. We plan our activities in line with each child's individual needs and interests and try to make their learning as fun, interactive and play based as possible. Our aim is to ensure children are confident and excited about learning, secure in their social skills and have solid foundations for the learning that takes place once they enter the Reception Year.
LINKS WITH PARENTS
Parents have opportunities to speak to members of the nursery team at drop off and pick up times.
Once your child has joined St Margaret’s, you will receive an invitation to join ClassDojo. This is a school communication platform that teachers and families use to share the children’s learning through photos, videos, and messages and to celebrate the children’s achievements.
Parents are invited in at Christmas to watch our Christmas Performance and in the summer to join us for an end of the year celebration. We also offer further opportunities throughout the year for parents to visit the children including taking part in our sponsored events.
There are more formal opportunities to discuss children's progress at parent consultations throughout the year.
At the end of their time in Nursery you will receive their completed ‘My Learning Journey’ document as a report of their progress and achievements and this will be available to view throughout the year during visits to nursery. We have an active Parent Teacher Association and all parents are welcome to join.
TRANSITION
We provide opportunities for all children starting Reception to meet their new teachers and teaching assistants before they begin school in September. During Term 6 the Reception teachers will visit the children who will be in their class to get to know them. The children who attend our nursery are used to seeing the staff in reception and have many opportunities to visit other areas of the school which means that they usually find the transition fairly easy.
The overwhelming majority of children settle very quickly into school life but if you have any concerns please contact the school.
All admissions into Primary School are dealt with by the Local Authority and they adhere to specific entry criteria.
Attending St Margaret’s Infant School Nursery will not guarantee a place in St Margaret’s Infant School.