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Nursery

Starting Nursery

Starting nursery is a really big step for you and your child and for many it is the first time that your child has had any time away from their family. At Elmwood Infants, we will do all that we can to make sure this transition is as smooth as possible.  The nursery team are here to support your child and will introduce them to lots of new and fun experiences. 

Our Nursery

Our 52 place nursery is a self-contained unit on our school site. It has access to its own outdoor area, which includes a mud kitchen.

We currently offer:

  • Morning sessions from 8.20am - 11.20am
  • Afternoon sessions from 12.30pm - 3.20pm
  • A small number of full-time sessions

30-hour full time sessions

For the small number of full-time places available, your 30-hour codes need to be given to the school office before the start of the term they are being used for. Our 30-hour spaces are from 8.20am - 2.20pm each day (6 hours a day, 5 days a week). If you would like to stay until the end of the school day at 3.20pm, there will be an additional charge of £6 per day. If you would like your child to have a hot lunch while at school, there will be a charge of £2.50 per meal. All payments will need to be made through Parent Pay. 

 

Settling In Plan

We want children to feel safe and happy in nursery and to feel really secure and comfortable with all staff. It is a big step for children to begin a new nursery. It can take time for children to get used to new faces, surroundings and routines. We believe that a gradual introduction works best and this gives you time to ask any questions and allows you and your child to feel settled in the nursery and to build a bond with the nursery team.

School visits will take place in September. You and your child will come to meet the nursery team at school. This gives your child a chance to meet us and their new environment, which will support them when settling into our nursery.

The settling-in plan will be:

  • Attending the nursery with your child for a little while for the first few days,
  • Introducing short periods of time away from your child but where you stay in the building or close by,
  • Increase their time at nursery until your child is able to complete their full session,
  • If there are any problems when you are not there, please feel assured that we will call you.

The Early Years Foundation Stage

  • The Foundation Stage begins in the Nursery and continues through to Reception.
  • We help children to learn through playing, exploring and being active. This means children will take part in a range of fun, practical activities; some of which are adult-led, some guided by adults and some will be child-initiated. 
  • We follow the EYFS Framework, which explains how and what your child will be learning. It is very flexible, so it can be adapted to the children’s needs and interests.

The areas of learning are:

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical development
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive arts and design

In the classroom

Each day there will be a mixture of:

  • Exploration and Play
  • Whole Class Work (number rhymes and songs, counting, games, listening to stories, learning and talking about number facts, watching shared writing)
  • Taught Group Work (working with other children and a teacher)
  • Independent Group Work (working with other children alone)

Outdoor Learning

An outdoor learning environment is:

  • A place in which children feel safe and secure,
  • Interesting and stimulating,
  • Provides opportunities for physical development such as jumping and climbing,
  • A place in which children extend their learning in a way that is difficult to replicate inside, such as when learning about the seasons or the weather,
  • Gives children the opportunity to investigate, communicate and solve problems.

The benefits of Outdoor Learning

Here are 5 benefits of learning outside!

  1. It encourages an active lifestyle.
  2. Children develop an appreciation for nature and the natural environment.
  3. Children develop their social skills as they have to share and take turns with their friends.
  4. Children develop their independence; they make decisions about what they want to do.
  5. Children learn to take risks, for example, when they help to set up or put items away.

Play in the Foundation Stage

Play is often described as children’s ‘work’. Playing helps your young child to:

  • Build relationships,
  • Be creative,
  • Read, write and learn about numbers,
  • Think,
  • Use language,
  • Use small and large muscles.

Evidence Me

The EYFS recognises that you, the parents, are also educators of your child. As a result, we can use information about your child’s learning at home that you tell us, to inform our judgement of your child’s development.

We will use Evidence Me to inform you of your child’s learning at school so that you can also aid them at home. We really value it when parents upload photos and comments of the wonderful things your child does at home.

We share uploads from home with the class and the children absolutely love showing the class their photos and messages.

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