Welcome to Wilfrid’s Nursery
Thank you for considering St. Wilfrid’s First Steps as a provider to your child’s Early Years Education.
At St. Wilfrid’s, we are guided by the principles of A School Family Growing Together in Love and Friendship, striving to make this a place where children feel happy, secure and nurtured.
We are pleased to present some basic information on how our First Steps department is organised and the philosophy which underlines how we care for the children.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information.
‘A
School Family, growing together in Love and Friendship’
At St. Wilfrid’s, we understand that we are partners in the care and education of our children, alongside our families. We endeavour to work with parents, grandparents and carers, welcoming them into our school family with an ‘open door’ policy, so that we can all best support and nurture our precious children as they grow and learn.
Love
Our children feel loved within our school family. This is at the centre of all that we do at St Wilfrid’s. We work hard to let our children know that they have important, given talents, that are valuable to our school family and beyond. Each child is made to feel special for who they are, and are encouraged to value the thoughts and ideas of others.
Friendship
We are good friends to one another, recognising and celebrating our similarities and differences, as a community, both in school and the wider world. We aim to be a good neighbour to all. We care for one another in our school and encourage our children to think about how they can show concern and compassion for the wider world community.
First Steps Staff
Mrs Shaw
Deputy Headteacher
Foundation Stage Lead/SENDCO
Foundation Stage Teacher
Miss Dowson
Foundation Stage Teacher
Mrs J Dowson
Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Mrs S Dowson
Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Miss Walton
Teaching Assistant
Nursery Times
Morning session: 8.50am – 11.50am
Afternoon session: 12.20pm – 3.20pm
30 hours provision: Daily 8.50am – 3.20pm
Rolling Drop-off: All parents can drop children off at First Steps any time between 8.50am and 9.00am. From 9am, children arriving late should go to the main school office to be signed in.
Rolling Pick-up: Children can be collected from First Steps between 3.20pm – 3.30pm.
Library
Our library is open on Mondays and Thursdays. To join the library, parents can purchase a school book bag from our uniform supplier in the town, Cre8ive Graphics on Peel Street. This bag can later be used in school as their child’s reading folder. Children put their folder in the tray as they come in, staff will then help them to select a new book to take home.
Illness
If your child is ill please ring and let us know. If we do not hear from you as to why your child is not at First Steps we will send a message to you to ask the reason or the school office will ring. Children who are off school without a reason provided to school will be given an unauthorised absence mark and be monitored for further absence.
Please note St. Wilfrid’s have a no-smoking policy. We also ask that pets are not brought onto the premises.
Nursery Uniform
Children attending First Steps are expected to wear the stated uniform:
✔ Burgundy sweatshirt / cardigan
✔ White polo T-shirt
✔ Black Joggers or leggings
✔ Sensible shoes with velcro fastenings
We do not allow children to wear skirts/dresses within nursery, this uniform has been chosen after careful consideration for comfort and practicality.
Warm-weather Uniform
✔ Black sport / cycling shorts / leggings
✔ White polo shirt
✔ School cardigan / sweatshirt
Jewellery
Please follow school policy regarding jewellery. It is not allowed to be worn during the school day. Please ensure all earrings are taken out as plasters are not allowed to be worn over earrings. Following new guidance if your child comes to school wearing earrings and cannot take them out themselves, you will be called to come to school to remove them. If you would like to have your child’s ears pierced we advise to have them done at the beginning of the six-week summer holiday. This allows the time for your child to remove them safely when returning to school in September.
For further information on our uniform, please scan the QR code.
Free School Meals and Pupil Premium Primary
Our school receives funding from the Government to cover the costs of providing education. This includes all school running costs, such as employing teachers and support staff, books and equipment, school building expenses and free school meals.
The school also receives additional funding known as pupil premium for pupils whose families receive certain benefits. All Key Stage 1 children (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) currently receive a free meal via the Universal Infant Free School Meal Scheme. We can only claim the pupil premium if we are aware of parents receiving one of the eligible benefits. Even if your child is on a packed lunch the school will still be able to claim the premium if you are eligible.
It is in all our interests that we bring in as much money as we can to support our school and ensure all of our children get the best possible education. To help your child and your school, we can do a very quick eligibility check for this additional funding via Durham County Council. Forms will be given out in your welcome pack, please complete and sign as appropriate.
30 Hour Provision
We currently offer 30 hours provision for Nursery age children of working families. These children attend Nursery for the full day, Monday to Friday during term time. These children are required to bring a packed lunch for lunch.
The children remain in the Nursery setting and are supervised by staff from the unit so that they are familiar with the adults. Nursery children who still require a nap will be given the opportunity to have a nap after lunch.
A Day in the Life
Children often learn more effectively if they choose their own activities. We organise our environment into working areas, each promoting development of specific skills. We do monitor the choices being made to ensure that your child will have a varied experience and, if necessary, will guide him / her to where s/he needs to go. Adult led activities are ongoing in each session and are planned around themes and children’s interests.
Each day your child can choose from the following activities:
✔ Painting
✔ Sand / Water
✔ Malleable / play dough
✔ Mark making ✔ Cutting
✔ Fine motor
✔ Small / large construction ✔ Reading corner
Maths
Role Play
Small world
ICT
Outdoors
Snack
Snack is available to the children during a whole class snack session. There is a snack table in school where children can go and access water and milk at any time during the day. Children in First Steps do not need to bring a water bottle to school/nursery.
SEND
First Steps welcomes all children as individuals. Children reach different stages of developments at different times. Early identification of special need is important to ensure the child receives an appropriate education. We may seek advice from professional agencies (Speech and Language Service, Health, Social Services etc.) to ensure the child receives all the help and support they need.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Your child is starting the Foundation Stage of their education, which at St. Wilfrid’s runs from age 3 and continues until the end of the Reception year. The Curriculum for pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) is based on the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2021. Alongside this we use the new Development Matters and Birth to 5 documents to support learning and development.
The children flow freely through the foundation unit, where they can independently access a variety of different activities covering the seven areas of learning identified in the statutory framework.
At St. Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School we offer a curriculum rich in wonder and memorable experiences. We work hard to provide a stimulating
environment that provides exciting opportunities, promotes challenge, exploration, adventure and a real love of learning. It is our intent that all children develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally in an environment which values all cultures, communities and people. We aim for our children to be confident and independent and believe in themselves and interact positively with others.
We understand that play is an integral part of learning and this is the heart of our Early Years curriculum. We believe that the correct mix of adult directed and uninterrupted child-initiated play ensures the best outcomes for pupils.
Warm and positive relationships between staff and children, consistent routines and strong relationships with parents are key. We recognise the crucial role that early education has to play in providing firm foundations upon which the rest of the child’s education is successfully based.
There are 7 Areas of learning:
✔ Personal, social, emotional development
✔ Physical Development
✔ Communication and Language
✔ Literacy
✔ Mathematics
✔ Understanding the World
✔ Expressive Arts and Design
The Foundation Stage will be both formal and informal. We assess the children by their stage of development not age so that every child can fulfil his / her potential. This is done through observations and daily activities. These assessments inform the child’s next steps.
Help Prepare Your Child for Nursery
These are just a few ideas of how you can help to prepare your child for Nursery. You will be doing lots of these already!
✔ Share books and stories.
✔ Go to the public library and share a range of books.
✔ Sing nursery rhymes with your child.
✔ Play turn-taking games such as snakes and ladders; make sure your child learns how to win and lose as well.
✔ Have play opportunities with other children, especially over the summer holidays.
✔ Talk about numbers and teach your child to count objects accurately; you could involve your child in helping around the house by counting out the bowls or spoons needed to lay the table, counting steps up and down the stairs, look at house numbers or numbers on cars or buses as you go for a walk.
✔ Talk about mathematical concepts such as: taller, shorter, heavier, lighter, full, half-full, empty, less than, more than, higher, lower.
✔ Let your child handle money and learn to recognise coins.
✔ Talk about shapes and colours.
✔ Encourage your child to dress and undress themselves, including using buttons and zips and putting on their own shoes.
✔ Encourage your child to use the toilet by themselves, including flushing the chain and washing their hands afterwards. We will be encouraging your child to be as independent as possible with this. Please have a chat with us if your child needs any support in this area.
