Welcome to the Nursery web page

As we begin 2022 , we will be welcoming the children back for their second term at St Mary's. The children are all well settled and busy engaging in the activities, whilst they enjoy their friendships. Already, we can see their progress in all aspects of the curriculum. Mrs Smith and her colleagues know the social and developmental needs of each child in their care, and the way the Development Matters curriculum is delivered, enables individual child centered learning.  

We are following the revised 2021 Development Matters Strategy for Early Years Foundation Stage, which is the government's recommended curriculum for this age. Below is a broad outline of the seven areas of learning that we use. The curriculum divides the areas of learning into prime areas and specific areas, with the prime areas being given priority for young children. They are as follows:

           Prime Areas:                                                                             

           Personal and Social Education                                                                                    

           Communication and Language                                                    

           Physical Education   

           Specific Areas:

           Literacy

           Mathematics

           Understanding of the World

           Expressive Arts and Design.                                                                     

Throughout each day there will be an emphasis on learning to share and take turns and to get on with each other.  The children will also be practising smart sitting and listening and we will be working hard to understand and follow rules and routines. Staff will continue to support the children with physical needs such as learning to put their own shoes and coats on, and as the year progresses, we will see the children develop their spoken language skills through regular intereaction with staff and their friends.

The class will continue listening stories and rhymes and exploring numbers and shapes. The children will also engage in phonics activities appropriate for their age. These will be more play based and encourage the children tune into sounds in the environment Our topics for the Spring term are Buildings, Materials and Winter and Spring and Growth; but we will also embrace other themes that reflect the children's interests.  The children will be having fun learning songs about the weather, buildings, and the natural world. During the first half of the term we will be enjoying traditional stories such as the three Billy Goats Gruff and the Three Little Pigs. For the second half of the term, we will share the Owl Babies story and stories about spring and farms life.

Please feel free to talk to Mrs Smith about any of the above and how you can support your child's learning at home. Mrs Smith is also happy to talk about any concerns you may have. We thank you for your continued support.