Welcome to our Nursery

Christ the Saviour Church of

England Primary School

Parent Booklet

2014–2015

Contents 1) Introduction 2) Nursery Times

3) Settling your child into Nursery

4) Home School Links

5) Photographs

6) Nursery Education and your child

7) The Nursery Day 8) What is the EYFS Framework – why do we have one?

9) How will my child be learning under the EYFS Curriculum?

10) Diagram to show the different areas of learning and development

11) How you can help your child’s learning and development

1) Introduction

Welcome to Christ the Saviour Church of England Primary School. We hope you find the following information useful and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to speak to any member of staff – either call and make an appointment, have an informal word or drop us an e-mail.

Nursery Teachers Miss Limani limani@cts-school.org Miss Ryan mryan@cts-school.org Nursery Assistant Mrs Coffey

Mrs Andrews

Head of Early Years Mrs Goncalves goncalves@cts-school.org Assistant Head Miss Hughes hughes@cts-school.org

Head of School Mrs Tramoni tramoni@cts-school.org

School Telephone Number: 020 8249 6800 School Office Email: admin@cts-school.org grove@cts-school.org

2) Session Times Morning session Flexible arrival: anytime between 8.30am and 9am Session finishes: 11.30am Afternoon session Session begins: 12.15pm – 12.45 flexible arrival time Session finishes: 3.15pm

The nursery has its own entrance. Please use the nursery entrance during the flexible arrival times when a member of the Nursery staff will be standing on the gate to greet you. If you arrive after this time please go directly to the school Office and a Member of the Office Team will take your child to Nursery.

3) Settling your child into Nursery Every now and then some children cry when starting school – try not to worry, it does not last long. We have your telephone numbers and should your child become very distressed then we will contact you. Here are some things you can do to help to ease the transition into nursery:

v Be on time A routine helps them to feel safe and secure and arriving late will cause stress for you both.

v Be upbeat

If you are anxious or upset please try not to show this to your child as this will increase any anxiety they have.

v Be positive

Make your farewell as positive and as routine as normal – do not make a big thing of it.

v Trust the staff Let the teacher and nursery assistants take responsibility for your child, eve if your child does become upset.

v Say goodbye

When you drop off, try not to hang around, lavishing hugs and kisses on the child. The best thing to do is let them know that you are going, give them a quick hug and then say goodbye and see you soon. And, arrive on time to collect!

v Dress

Although your child will wear a smock there may be times when they get messy. Wear comfortable and practical clothes, do not worry about fashion. We wear smocks in the nursery which act as a reasonable barrier to the messy activities and get children ready to start reception class in their full school uniform.

v Extra clothes Please bring a set of clothes – including a top, trousers, underwear and socks in a plastic bag marked with your child’s name. This will stay on their peg in case your child needs a change of clothes due to getting messy or due to a toileting accident.

4) Home School Links Parents and teachers play an important role in the development of children. Each gives them something not only different but special. Children appreciate both parents and teachers and know instinctively that their roles are different. We appreciate the importance of every parent and our aim is to develop a good working relationship with you – please do communicate with us – even if its just a question or a niggle – we are here to help.

5) Photographs Photographs of children at their activities are often used as part of Nursery displays within the nursery, around the school and in albums of work, they are also used on the school website. We never publish a child’s name with a photo and abide by strict safeguarding rules.

6) Nursery Education and your child Nursery Education is about the development of individuals. We will work with each individual child building on skills already acquired, helping them to develop these and also learn new skills. The wide range of activities planned for and offered to the children will allow for an element of free choice, which offers opportunities for pupils to develop skills they have learned in an independent and creative way. Your child’s natural creativity will be encouraged throughout their time in Nursery. Please praise and celebrate the ‘creations’ your child brings home. Ask your child to tell you the ‘story’ of their work rather than ‘What did you do today?’.

7) The Nursery Day The Nursery day revolves around play. Although activities are structured to some extent, children are also encouraged to choose from a range of activities which have been planned for them to do on a particular day. These will vary from day to day so that there is always something new and interesting to catch their attention and stimulate imagination and develop creativity. All play activities offered have an underlying educational purpose. For children of this age, PLAY is the means by which things are taught and can be learned. Why Play?

a. It helps build confidence b. It allows the child to experience new things in a familiar situation c. It can provide an escape, relieve boredom, and allow for relaxation and even the

opportunity for solitude d. It helps your child develop social skills and understand how to relate to people in

wider circles e. It enables a child to practise skills often and build confidence

8) What is the EYFS Framework – why do we have one?

The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help your child develop at the rate best suited to their needs.

9) How will my child will be learning under the EYFS Curriculum

The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their 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. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s 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 staff 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.

10) The diagram below gives examples of the areas of learning and development and shows the links between the way in which your child learns and what they learn.

For  example,  in  

reading  between  2  ¼  and  4  years:  learning    how  to  suggest  an    ending  to  a  story  

For  example,  between  2  ¼  and  3  ¾  years:  learning  about  special  times  or  events  for  family  or  friends  and  being  able  to  describe  them.  Being  able  to  talk  about  some  of  the  things  they  have  observed  such  as  plants,  animals,  natural  and  found  objects.  

 

For  example,  between  3  ¼  and  5  years:  

learning  to  control  objects  by  pushing,  patting,  throwing,  catching  or  kicking  

For  example,  between  2  ½  and  4  years:  learning  to  be  confident  in  talking  to  other  children  when  playing  and  to  talk  freely  about  own  home  

and  community  

For  example,  between  1  ¾  and  

2  ½  years:  developing  an  

understanding  of  simple  concepts  such  as  big/little  

For  example,  between  1  ¼  and  2  years:  enjoying  

filling  and  emptying  containers  in  the  

bath  

 

For  example,  between  2  ½  and  4  years:  learning  how  to  explore  what  happens  when  they  mix  

colours  

11) How you can help your child’s learning and development All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school.

Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child it will make a real difference to your child’s confidence as a young learner.

You can find the Early Years Foundation Stage which includes the early learning goals at www.foundationyears.org.uk. The foundation years website also includes a range of resources and contacts.

Talk  about  the  numbers,  colours,  words  and  letters  you  see  when  

you  are  out  and  about  

Sing  and  tell  nursery  rhymes   Allow  your  child  to  cut  

out  and  stick  pictures  from  magazines  

Plant  seeds  or  bulbs  in  a  pot  or  garden  patch  

Cook  /  bake  together  

Use  the  weather  –  shadows,  rain  puddles,  snow,  wind,  mist  and  sun  –  to  

extend  your  child’s  vocabulary  

Explore  the  park  at  a  different  time  of  the  year  –  go  off  the  beaten  track  

Talk  to  your  child  at  every  opportunity  –  e.g.  what  you  are  doing  that  

day  

Share  a  book  

On  a  trip  to  the  supermarket,  talk  

about  all  the  different  packaging  

shapes