Nursery

Admissions

We welcome applications to our Nursery all year round and your child’s name can be added to our waiting list from birth. We take children from the age of 2 years.  If you would like to come and see our wonderful nursery, please check our website for planned open events, or alternatively contact the office to arrange a visit.

Application forms can be downloaded by following this link:

Nursery Application Form

Alternatively, you are welcome call in and collect a form from the School Office. Please return all completed forms to the main school office.

Parent Overview of Learning

Please follow the link below to see what your child is learning this half term.

Autumn 1 – Nursery Parent Overview

Autumn 2 – Nursery Parent Overview

Spring 1 – Out Of This World

Spring 2 – The Great Outdoors

Summer 1 – We’re going on a Journey

Summer 2 – Water Water Everywhere

Provision

Within our Nursery at Springmoor Grange, we have developed a safe, stimulating and playful environment, both indoors and outdoors, for our children to access. We have waterproofs available for children to wear when accessing the outdoor area, making it accessible to children all year round. Children can choose which area of nursery they would like to access and both areas are carefully planned and resourced to inspire independent learning. There are rich opportunities for children to explore physical, investigative, imaginative and creative play. Children are encouraged to solve problems, communicate with their peers and develop an interest in the world around them. Some activities are adult led, whilst some area child led. Our staff observe children’s play and adapt activities and resources to meet the needs of the children.

Reading

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Books are carefully chosen to link to areas of learning, promote discussion and curiosity and inspire imaginative play.  

We have a wonderful book area, where children can find all the stories we are reading during the term, along with some core texts that we read regularly, enabling children to retell the stories independently.  

Our staff model handling books and encourage children to immerse themselves in stories, through puppets, role play and small world.  

We have developed reading areas within each of our group rooms and parents and carers are invited in once a week, 15 minutes before the end of the Nursery session, to choose a book to share with their child and take home for the week.  

Throughout the year, we hold reading themed parent workshops, where parents / carers are invited into nursery to listen to stories being told by our staff and then share stories with their child.

What can we hear? Pre-phonics activities 

We work with children to ensure that they have had time to practise and develop all the skills they will need in readiness to begin their formal phonics teaching in reception. 

We recognise that developing children’s listening, vocabulary and speaking skills during their time in nursery is essential, as these are the foundations that children need to prepare them be able read and write successfully.  

During our daily, ‘What can we hear?’ sessions, our staff plan a range of games, songs and activities that are designed to develop children’s skills in these areas in a way that is fun and exciting. We recognise that children learn best when they are enthusiastic and engaged in their learning, allowing them to master all the skills they need in readiness to begin a phonics programme in reception.     

Here are some of the different skills that we teach children, during our ‘What can we hear’ sessions:   

1. Tuning in to sounds (the ability to detect similarities and differences when listening to sounds) 

1. Listening and remembering sounds (is the ability to recall information that has been given orally and recall in the correct order) 

1. Talking about sounds (developing vocabulary and understanding language 

There are seven aspects of pre-phonics, as suggested in the Department for Education document, ‘Letters and Sounds’:  

1. Environmental sounds – to raise children’s awareness of the sounds around them and to develop their listening skills. 

1. Instrumental sounds – to develop children’s awareness of sounds made by various instruments and noise makers. 

1. Body percussion – to develop children’s awareness of sounds and rhythms (e.g. clapping and stamping). 

1. Rhythm and rhyme – to develop children’s appreciation and experiences of rhythm and rhyme in speech. 

1. Alliteration – to encourage children to distinguish initial sounds in words 

1. Voice sounds – to distinguish between different vocal sounds and to hear separate sounds. 

1. Oral blending and segmenting – to recognise individual letter sounds and hearing that d-o-g makes ‘dog’ 

These do not have to be taught in order and can be adapted to the needs of the child. Our ‘What can we hear?’ sessions cover all of these areas.  

Communication 

At Springmoor Grange, we recognise that children are accessing a wide range of learning opportunities throughout each day. We recognise that we see children engaging in activities and experiences that are new to them and want to ensure that we share these special moments with you.  

Arbor

This is the Parent Portal that we use to keep you informed of important key dates and information. It is also the app through which you are able to book school meals, wrap around care and make payments.

Good communication between nursery and home is essential to ensure that you are kept up to date with events that are happening in nursery. Each week, you will receive a newsletter through Arbor, which provides you with information on current events across the Federation.

Please could we ask that you download and log into this app as soon as your child starts nursery with us. We would advise you to ensure that notifications are turned on, so that you can be made aware immediately of any planned events.

Seesaw

‘Seesaw’ which is an app-based platform that allows staff to share photographs and videos with families, sharing those special moments in your child’s learning journey throughout the week. When your child starts nursery with us, you will be given log in details so that you can access your child’s journal. 

We love to see what your child has been up to at home too, so please do share photos of things your child has been interested in. These can be shared with other children in the Nursery and provide a good opportunity for your child to talk and answer questions about their interest, developing their speaking and listening skills and their confidence.

Parent / Carer meetings

We know that it is very important for you to understand how your child is progressing in nursery. Staff observe and assess each child carefully whilst they engage in their play and learning. Twice a year, you will be invited into nursery to meet with your child’s key worker and discuss their development in the prime and specific areas of learning:  

• Communication and Language 
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development 
• Physical Development  
• Literacy 
• Mathematics 

Staff will share with you how your child is developing in each of these areas and will be able to share with you the opportunities children are being provided to support their learning further.

We use the OP&L assessment system and you can find out more information about that here. Information for Parents and Carers

We also encourage parents and carers to contribute to this process by sharing with us the developments they have seen in their child at home.  

Parent Partnership Opportunities

At Springmoor Grange School, we understand the importance of working closely with parents and carers to ensure we are meeting your child’s individual needs.

The involvement of parents and carers during their child’s time in nursery is very important and therefore we plan one event each half term when we invite parents and carers into nursery to join us in taking part in some of our activities. 

Dates for all events will be sent out through our weekly newsletter, which can be found on Arbor.