Hello and a very big welcome to our Nursery page!
The nursery is open on a full time basis, from 8.50am-3.20pm. Places are available to children from the term after their third birthday. All children are entitled to 15 hours free childcare which can be used to cover either full day or half day sessions. Any additional time will be charged at a minimal cost. You can apply for a place by filing out our admission form which is available from Mrs Harrison at the reception.
In nursery we enjoy lots of learning through play. We have plenty of things to explore and keep us busy as we grow and develop ready for school. There's the option of both indoor and outdoor play. Activities are child led, so are planned around your children’s interests and tailored to individual needs.
Nursery gives children a great opportunity to make lots of friends their own age and practise their social skills. We work from the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and focus upon our language development, emotional well-being and physical development.
We follow a structured but flexible routine which prepares our children for a seamless transition into reception class. Each day the children will take part in adult led activities including communication and language activities, games to encourage sharing and phonics where we follow Letters and Sounds, which is a programme that encourages listening and pre reading.
We use a secure online learning journey called Class Dojo to record every child’s experiences and achievements which we actively encourage parents as children’s primary educator to contribute to.
Every day Ms Walne and her team make us a choice of hot meals for the children which are served within the nursery building
The EYFS at Holy Family includes both the nursery and reception class. The statutory document we follow is the EYFS Framework which was introduced in 2012 and then updated in 2014.
The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development.
Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:
- Communication and language;
- Physical development; and
- Personal, social and emotional development.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas.
These are:
- Literacy;
- Mathematics;
- Understanding the world; and
- Expressive arts and design.
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. When teaching and supporting your child we will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it's suitable for very young children, and it's designed to be really flexible so that we can follow your child's unique needs and interests.
Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.
You can find more information about the EYFS Framework here
Religious Education Overview for Early Years