Nursery School Day

Daily Routines and Timetable in the Nursery School Classroom

Breakfast Club: 8 am - 8.45 am

Morning session: 8:45 - 11:45 am

Lunch: 11:45 - 12:15 pm

Afternoon session: 12:15 - 3:15 pm

Early Tea Club: 3:15 - 4 pm

Late Tea Club: 3:15 - 5.30 pm

Our nursery school day starts at 8:45am. When the children arrive, they are encouraged to hang up their own coats on their pegs, which helps them to take responsibility for their belongings and to be independent. Each child is given a nursery school bag - coloured to match their key person group - for their spare changes of clothes, and this is kept on their named pegs as well. Much of our learning involves the wonderful world of messy and sensory exploration - with paint, water, gloop and soil - and although we provide aprons, children will get messy, so please send your child in clothes that can be easily washed!

Nursery uniform tops and jumpers are always available to buy from the front office. They are not compulsory, but many parents find it useful to have designated nursery clothes. It is also a gentle way to prepare children for wearing a uniform when they start Primary School.

The beginning of the session is a good time to speak to any of our staff, or to seek out your child’s key person. 

Sometimes children find it a little upsetting to say goodbye to you when you leave, and that can feel upsetting for you, too. We are very experienced in helping children to settle and usually find that it doesn’t take too long for their upset to pass. We will give you an “all’s well” Tapestry post to reassure you a little later on. It is helpful if you can keep us informed of any changes at home, such as the arrival of a new baby or pet, so that we can talk about these things with your child and help them to navigate any questions or feelings that they may have.

The children spend most of their session in “free flow play”, both indoors and outdoors. Our outdoor learning area is freely accessible to children all day, and features a sandpit, “treetop lookout”, a mud kitchen, garden, pebbled stream, and a story shed. The learning opportunities outside are endless and we have a large range of different materials and items such as tyres and pipes for the children to use in representational play: this is a fantastic way to combine imaginative play with major and minor motor skills, and for children to learn to work together with friends to achieve a shared aim. We take pride in our child led approach and really enjoy following the interests of the children and extending their learning in this way. We learn outside in all weathers: waterproofs and wellies are provided for the children. Please make sure your child has a hat and sun cream for sunny summer days, and appropriate wet weather and cold weather clothing.

Inside our large, bright and spacious classroom, children find a variety of activities to choose from. Sand, water, playdough, paint and blocks are typically available as part of our continuous provision, along with our home corner and reading area. In addition to this there are carefully planned activities designed to inspire children and extend their learning..

Children have free access to jugs of water and learn to pour their own drinks. They are involved in preparing the fresh fruit at snack time, assisted by a member of staff. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about good nutrition, counting and to practice fine motor skills. It also reinforces the importance of patience, sharing, and good manners.

The key persons, teachers, and headteacher meet regularly to identify learning aims for each of the children. Small group sessions are interwoven into the fabric of the day, featuring dance,  reading, and other personalised learning opportunities. We are fortunate to have a highly qualified staff team who have a variety of interests and specialisms and they are able to cater to the wide range of interests held by the children. Tailoring learning to each child is effective in ensuring that every child can achieve their best.

At the end of each session, children work together to tidy up the classroom and then they join together in small groups with their keyworker. This time is used to give children a chance to talk about their day and reflect on their learning. Keyworkers read stories and sing songs with the children, and talk about themes such as the NSPCC “PANTS” campaign. We find that group time is a calming way to end the session and helps the children learn how to sit still and to pay attention to their keyworker, another way in which we prepare them for primary school.

We have high, age appropriate, expectations of the children’s behaviour. They understand that running is not safe to do inside the classroom, and are familiar with the routine that follows group time. The children who are going home participate in a  'Rainbow Group'. The children who are staying for lunch line up at the hand basins to wash their hands, and then proceed to the garden room where they are seated for lunch. The healthy, balanced lunches are provided by the on site caterer and have a three weekly rotation; a menu is available on the North Yorkshire County Council Website.