How you can help

We encourage parents to borrow books from our Nursery Home Reading Library on a regular basis. Your child will benefit from your input in his/her language acquisition such as sharing books, telling stories in English or your Home Language, engaging your child in conversation, etc. There will be an opportunity for you to attend a story session prior to borrowing the library books.

Please give your child every opportunity to use pencils, crayons and paper to encourage their drawing and writing skills. It would also be helpful for your child to practise using scissors. Children enjoy writing with a purpose and it is helpful for you to share some of the writing you do with your child e.g. making shopping lists, letter writing, etc.

We teach the children to form the letters

Children see capital letters in writing in the environment but we concentrate on teaching them the correct formation of lower case letters first. Children are often very familiar with capital letters at the beginning of a name and we will teach them how to form and use capital letters in other contexts when it is appropriate to extend their writing development.

Mathematical awareness can be developed in many different ways, and playing simple dice and board games, simple jigsaws, counting objects, recognising numbers, comparing sizes, sorting collections of objects into groups, using time vocabulary (eg yesterday, this morning) are all useful activities for you to share with your child.

Our Creative curriculum needs resources that you might think are rubbish. Your “rubbish” may be just what we need for example, cardboard boxes, tubes, yoghurt pots, wool, material scraps, buttons, etc. We would be delighted if your home or business could supply us with what might be scrap to you but valuable to us!

In order to develop the skills of social and healthy eating the children are encouraged to bring a drink of water and a small piece of fruit or vegetable each day to the Nursery.

Another very important social skill is to be able to use the toilet by themselves! Therefore it would be helpful if children could be independent in the process of going to the toilet, flushing the toilet, washing their hands, etc.

We also ask parents if they can donate £1 per week towards our Nursery fund. This covers the cost of cooking materials and any “extras” the Nursery Staff feel would benefit the
children e.g. felt pens. The money is also used for treats for the children, such as end of term parties.

When the children start Nursery they will receive a ‘Record of Achievement’ folder. Throughout the year we will add samples of the children’s work, photographs and records of written observations by staff. The children are also invited to add work from home and parents’ observations are welcomed and encouraged.

At the end of the year the Record of Achievement will be handed on to the staff in Reception who will continue to add to the folder. The children will bring their Record of Achievement home at the end of the Reception year as a memento of their time in the Foundation Stage.

Children in the Nursery will sometimes bring home evidence of daily activities. They are proud of what they have done. Please help us to build up their confidence through further encouragement and praise.

Our concern is for the happiness of your child, and sometimes their behaviour may change because of circumstances of which the Nursery Staff are unaware. Should you wish to make us aware of any issues concerning your child please be assured that any information will be treated with confidence.

The Nursery Staff recognise the need for good communication with parents. They will be happy to discuss any successes or worries you have before or after your child’s Nursery session. A lengthy discussion may need an appointment.