Our Nursery 2023-24

Moreton Say Nursery is open to children aged from two years to four years old. The Nursery is expertly led by Mrs Butler and her support lead Mrs Arblaster. The children arrive each day with a smile on their face and a bounce in their step. They LOVE coming to our Nursery.

The children follow the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS curriculum is split into seven key areas of learning which are:

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
2. Communication and Language
3. Physical Development
4. Literacy
5. Mathematics
6. Understanding the World
7. Expressive Arts and Design.

The EYFS curriculum also has three ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ which are to promote, critical thinking, active learning and playing and exploring.

At Moreton Say Nursery, we believe children learn best through play and meaningful activities. Play provides children with rich experiences in which they have the opportunity to make plans and choices, to be creative, to investigate, to practice skills, to set their own pace, to follow their own interests and fascinations, to concentrate, to communicate with others and to build feelings of confidence and self-esteem.

 

A Typical Day at our Nursery

9.00 - Arrival/Child Initiated Learning.

9.10 - Self Registration.

9.15 – Mat Chat 

9.30 - Literacy (Adult led).

9.45 - Child Initiated Learning.

10.10 – Snack time.

10.30 - Maths (Adult led).

10.45 - Outdoor Learning.

11.15 - Storytime and Singing.

11.30-  Child Initiated

12.00 - Lunchtime

12.30 - Child Initiated Learning (Indoor and Outdoor freeflow).

2.30 – Storytime and Singing.

3.00 -  Home time.

 

Settling In

Starting Nursery is a huge step for children, however it is the start of their journey into school and allows them to socialise with other children and create friendships and social skills. Some children may settle quickly and confidently, however, at Moreton Say, we know all children are unique and some children may need a little longer to settle into their new environment. Our Nursery staff are trained to help children feel confident and secure at nursery. 

If you feel your child would benefit from a taster session we are more than happy to accomodate this so please do ask! Our Nursery staff are always available to talk to parents and we will work closely with new parents to make the transition to nursery a natural next step.

Learning and Assessment

Within in six weeks of your child joining us we will complete a 'Baseline' asessment which provides staff with an on entry baseline and understanding of skills from which to further build upon. If your child joins us during their second year, they will, before their third birthday undertake a progress check. To learn about this check and the reasons for it please refer to the EYFS tab in the 'Learning' section of our website. 

Our Nursery children have the opportunity to join in both ‘Adult Led Activities’ and ‘Planning in the Moment’. Adult led activities are based on a continuous cycle of observations and assessments. Adults plan based on the needs and interests of the children. Adults will then assess the activity and plan the next activity to aid progression and motivation, these are called ‘next steps’. Adult led activities are Phonics (Phase 1), Maths, Forest School and Music.  Adult led activities allow the children to gain specific knowledge and skills. Our Nursery staff work in partnership to plan the adult led activities. There is a plan for our 2 year olds and another plan for our 3 to 4 year olds to show progression and an undertsanding of the differning development ages of these children.

The children also have the opportunity to be in charge of their own learning and development. They do this through ‘Planning in the Moment’. Planning in the Moment allows practitioners to follow children’s interests and do activities with them there and then, it’s a response to learning ‘here and now’. This learning allows children to be independent and to be engaged in their interests. An example of this would be if one child was interested in Dinosaurs, a practitioner then might take them on a dinosaur hunt or make dinosaur eggs with them in the creative area. They could then extend this by learning dinosaur facts.

At the end of your child's time in Nursery and prior to them starting in Reception staff complete a Early Years Profile Report against each child's development against the 7 areas of learning and characteristics of effective learning. 

A Classroom Indoors and Outdoors

Our Nursery room is vibrant, welcoming and devised into the seven areas of learning. Our learning happens both inside and outside. Our outdoor area has recently been renovated to further stimulate imagination, play and physical challenges. Staff creatively design inviting play and learning activities. These activities are stimulating, creative and fun and allow children to enhance their learning and development by challenging the child, promoting discovery and enquiry.

 

 

 

To provide further challenge and discovery, our Nursery staff provide the children with 'Topic Books' to record developing Literacy knowledge and skills - and other 'Wow Moments!'