Nursery

Welcome to our class page! We hope you enjoy reading about our wonderful learning, exciting activities and amazing achievements. Please visit Google Classroom weekly to find out the latest information about Nursery.

In Nursery, the aim is for the children to learn through play and exploring the environment. The day is well structured and the children quickly get used to a daily routine. For most of their ‘learning time’ children can play indoors or outdoors and access activities that support their development in the seven areas of learning, either independently or in a focused activity with an adult. During the children’s independent learning time, adults in the Nursery carry out observations on the children using Tapestry to document their everyday successes and progress. The children also have short sessions of carpet time throughout the day, where they learn about stories and celebrations, numbers and phonics through adult-led input.

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

At Thorn Grove, up to 22 Nursery children can attend at any one time. Nursery places are offered on a 2½ day basis: our ‘Beginning of Week’ group attends on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning (taught by Miss Rimmer), and our ‘End of Week’ group attends on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday (taught by Mrs Thomason). Within these 44 places we also offer some 30 hour places in line with eligibility for 30 hours free childcare.

We offer 30 Hours of funded childcare for working parents. You need to apply for an eligibility code through the child care service via. www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. For more information please visit www.stockport.gov.uk/30hours 

Please note that we can only offer a limited amount of 30 hours places throughout the year – please contact the school office to find out more about the availability of these places.

Nursery holidays are the same as the primary school and a holiday list will be provided annually and is available via the school website or on request.

Nursery groups, along with their attendance times, are defined as follows:

CLOTHING

The official uniform supplier for the school is Monkhouse and all uniform can be purchased via their website. Please make sure every item (including shoes) are labelled with your child’s name. Nursery school uniform is as follows:

• Sky Blue polo (with white logo)
• Royal Blue Sweatshirt 
• Black, grey or navy jogging bottoms or leggings
• Easy to fasten black shoes (no laces)
• Coat

Please also send in:

• A spare set of clothes in a named PE bag – Creative and outdoor activities can be messy and we cannot promise to keep your child totally clean, even with protective aprons
• Spare underwear and socks in case of toilet accidents
• Wellington boots and waterproofs – so that we can be outside as much as possible
• A filled water bottle every day that will come home with your child to be washed and returned the next day

The spare clothes can be left on your child’s coat peg

Our outdoor play facilities include a climbing frame so we encourage footwear with good grips. 

Should we have nice weather in the summer, please could parents ensure that children have sun cream and a sun hat in Nursery. 

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

• We value the partnership between parents/guardians and school. You are the first educators and we wish to continue the education process by developing good communications between school and home.

  We will therefore provide:

  • Access to the Nursery staff at the beginning and end of each day for discussion time should a matter arise which requires confidential discussion.  The Headteacher and Deputy are available by appointment.
  • A log-in to Google Classroom (a web service for us to create, distribute and share information with you), where you will find a frequently updated class page with regular newsletters about the curriculum your child will be experiencing.
  • Continual observations and recordings of children’s learning using the secure online Learning Journal Tapestry. This allows us to record photos, observations and comments, in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, to build up a record of your child’s experiences during their time with us. 
  • Tapestry accounts for parents/carers to use at home to describe the achievements and successes of your child outside school, which can then be celebrated with the rest of the class.
  • Parents Evening appointments where parents/carers will be invited to school to discuss their child’s progress. An annual report will be written at the end of the academic year.

  You can become actively involved in our school by offering your time to come on trips; offering your skills (e.g. baking, sewing, woodwork or art);  supporting the PTA or just providing modelling resources such as cereal boxes, cartons etc.

SNACKS

• In the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) and Key Stage 1, we provide children with milk and a piece of fruit daily to eat from the snack area.  Sweets, biscuits, crisps etc. are not allowed as snacks. Children in Key Stage 2 can bring in their own fruit or healthy snack. We ask that children in Nursery bring a named water bottle with them every morning that will return home at the end of every day to be washed.

NURSERY FUND

• At the start of each half term, we collect a voluntary Nursery fund £6.00 (equal to around £1 per week of each half term). This fund covers a variety of items, such as: baking sessions; extras for special activities; photographs; and excessive wear and tear on Nursery equipment. Under the Education Reform Act we are not able to ask for payment towards such activities but any voluntary contributions help us to maintain and support a hugely engaging environment for the children.  If you would like to contribute, please put your contribution to the Nursery fund in a named envelope and hand to a member of Nursery staff.