Nursery (2 – 4 Years)
WELCOME!
Starting nursery education should be a happy time for you and your child, but it can also take some getting used to – for parents/carers and the children!
At Lillington we will work with you to ensure your child’s transition into nursery is as smooth as possible, working together along the way to give the best start to their school life!
For any enquiries regarding nursery, please email Nursery Admin nurseryadmin@lillingtonprimary.com
Uniform
In our Nightingale Class for 3 year olds, children are expected to wear the school uniform. The uniform comprises of a navy blue jumper or cardigan, white polo shirt, blue and white checked summer dress, grey/black trousers/skirt, white/grey/black socks or tights and black shoes.
Logo jumpers and cardigans are not compulsory but can be ordered at http://www.catballou.co.uk All other uniform can be found at any local supermarket. Nursery children do not wear school ties.
Lunch
For children attending full time (30 hours) parents need to provide a healthy lunch and pay a £5 daily lunch fee.
Here are a few tips:
Always make sure grapes are cut lengthways.
Limit sugary and high fat treats such as cakes and crisps.
Children need good hydration. Water is always best but sugar free squash is also appropriate.
No nuts or bars that contain whole nuts.
Stuck for ideas? Try this website for some different options: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes
Meet the Team!
Our Day
Morning sessions start at 8:30am until 11:30am.
Afternoon sessions start at 12:30pm until 3:30pm.
For children attending full time (30 hours) their day starts at 8:30am until 3:30pm.
The first half hour of each session begins with settling in activities and optional breakfast/snack.
The timetable for each session follows the same structure:
First Days
We understand that if your child is upset when you go to leave, it can be incredibly hard. But please let us assure you, this it totally normal and we will call you if needed. We will also call to let you know how well they are doing once settled!
We do not underestimate how difficult it can feel but from experience we know that children settle very quickly when they know there is a routine and their visit to Nursery will be each weekday.
Put your feet up and leave it to us – for a few hours at least!
Your Role
As well as daily chats, you will be invited to a parents meeting each term. This is a great chance to look through your child’s learning journal and discuss their attainment and progress so far.
There is also an opportunity for you to add to your child’s learning journal. In each cloakroom area there are ‘Notes from home’ slips for you to let us know what your child has been up to outside of nursery.
Each half term you will be invited to a Nursery event where your child will take you around their Nursery, showing off their learning and getting you involved!
Our Day
Group Time!
We have two group times in each session. Our first group time allows us to:
-Sign ourselves in
-Welcome our friends
-Practice writing our name
-Wake up with Dough Disco
-Take part in short, daily phonics sessions.
We meet again for a focused group session in which we visit our book of the week and engage in a variety of maths, and phonics sessions following from our interests.
During our choosing time, children freely access the indoor and outdoor environment. Each area of the environment is set up with the children’s interests in mind and aims to develop the children’s knowledge and key skills.
Our Nursery Rules
- We use kind hands and feet.
- We always use kind words with our friends and teachers.
- Inside we use walking feet and quiet voices.
- When we have finished with something we put it away.
Preparing your child for Nursery
Comfort
Your child needs to know you are going but will be back. A clear kiss and cuddle goodbye and a big welcome when you return is so important.
During the first few days/weeks your child may need a comfort from home to stay in Nursery with them. This is completely fine. We will liaise with you when it is felt this is no longer needed. The comfort should be something your child uses at home for this purpose e.g. soft toy or blanket. Keep all other toys safe at home, we wouldn’t want them to get lost or end up broken.
Preparing your child for Nursery
WALK!
Walk the Nursery route a few times – talking about their ex-citing new adventure and all the friends they will make.
WALK! Again…
When we say walk, we mean walk. Building up physical resilience and developing your child’s gross motor skills is vital at this early age. As much as possible (if not all the time) leave the pushchair, scooters, bikes at home and walk to and from Nursery together.
TALK!
We all know talking to and with your child is vital to their development. Even if they haven’t got the language yet, listening to you they soon will. Speech can be incredibly hindered by a dummy. By the age of 2, a dummy is not needed for comfort. Let the Dummy Fairies whisk them away!
What to bring
- Spare clothes, just in case!
- Nappies and baby wipes, if appropriate
- A pair of named wellies that can be kept in school
- A weather appropriate coat
- Lunchbox if your child is staying all day.
We provide each child with their own labelled water bottle. This is filled with fresh water and is accessible throughout the whole session.
Voluntary donation
We ask for a voluntary donation of £2 per half term to support children in their learning by allowing us to purchase resources to help with the children’s interests.
