Headteacher's Welcome
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for choosing Keeble Gateway Nursery for your precious little ones' early year's journey.
We are thrilled to welcome all of our new families, and welcome back families who are already part of our special school to our wonderful school community.
As we embark on this exciting journey together, we are guided by our core values of love, kindness, self-belief, and aspiration. These principles are at the heart of everything we do, shaping a nurturing environment where your children can flourish. Our dedicated team is committed to helping each child grow, explore, and develop a lifelong love for learning, all while embracing the values that make our school a truly special place.
I can usually be found at the start of the day at the nursery entrance from 8.35am - 8.45am if you would like to speak to me, or you can contact me through the main office, or via email directly on headteacher@keeblegatewayacademy.org. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries or questions that Mrs Hawkswell or Mrs Price cannot answer. I look forward to meeting you all and getting to know your family.
I would like to thank Mrs Hawkswell for putting together such a comprehensive Starling Nursery guide within this newsletter and I am sure it will contain lots of information to answer any queries and be a great resource to refer back to throughout the year.
Kind regards
Mrs Rogers
Nursery Staff
Mrs Hawkswell Miss Tait
Nursery Class Teacher Early Years Practitioner
What makes our Nursery special?
We believe that the Early Years Foundation Stage plays a crucial role in developing a love of learning for our children. Nursery and Reception at Keeble Gateway inspires our youngest learners, providing them with opportunities to follow their interests to ensure future success. We strive to ensure our children are happy, enthusiastic and confident learners with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need, to prepare them for future challenges.
We follow the EYFS statutory framework, facilitating opportunities for the children to play and develop in the Prime Areas of learning (Physical Development, Communication & Language and Personal, Social & Emotional Development) as well as challenge in the Specific Areas of Literacy, Maths, Expressive Art & Design and Understanding the World to ensure our children are ready and prepared for Key Stage 1 and beyond.
Our absolute priority is to develop a thirst for learning in our children, alongside confidence and self-esteem so that they know they are capable of absolutely anything!
We are committed to the Nursery being an integral part of the school, led by a qualified teacher and Early Years Practitioner. The vision, values and aims for the Nursery are shared with the whole school, as are the school’s policies, practices, curriculum and ethos.
Through a teacher-led approach with care at the heart of everything we do, we provide an age-appropriate curriculum alongside opportunities and experiences which support and enhance children’s development. Having Nursery as part of the school gives us the ability to plan for children’s learning over the longer term, understand, assess and meet their needs whilst also giving them the best possible preparation for each phase of their education.
The Learning Environment
Our environment and provision are strongly immersed in stories and literature to facilitate imagination and wonder.
We facilitate a highly stimulating indoor and outdoor environment, which encompasses open ended, natural, authentic and loose parts play provision. Children have access to the outdoors at all times throughout playing and learning time so that they can learn in an environment that compliments their learning style the best and allows them to make excellent progress. Literacy and Maths are threaded through all areas of the environment.
Our exciting environment is then enhanced to support the application of key learning, so that children are constantly remembering and embedding what they have learned. In addition, high quality stories and literature are in every area of provision to encourage children to use their phonic knowledge, develop descriptive, exciting vocabulary and a love of reading.
The EYFS Curriculum
Children in the Nursery and Reception classes follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework.
Our curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning and is firmly rooted in the principle that children learn through play, problem solving, investigation and discovery. Children follow their own curiosity to explore their interests and staff take their lead to support them in their learning. Although there are activities planned to challenge the children, they are also free to engage themselves in child-initiated tasks and games.
These seven areas of learning and development are grouped into prime areas and specific areas. The prime areas are important because they lay the foundations for children’s success in all other areas of learning and of life:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language
The specific areas provide the range of experiences and opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning
Characteristics of Effective Learning are a key element in the EYFS Curriculum which focus on how children learn (the process) rather than what they learn (the outcome).
The three characteristics are identified as:
- Playing and Exploring- children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.
- Active Learning- children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
- Creating and Thinking Critically- children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
Nursery Routines
Children are encouraged to be as independent as possible. On arrival, we ask that they find their peg and hang up their belongings and put their drinks bottles away. Their pegs have a picture of themselves and their name to help them.
Children are encouraged to get busy playing and learning in the classroom. They will then come to sit on the carpet for register and morning/afternoon carpet time – this is usually a story, a discussion and some singing around a topic or theme. Through a teacher-led approach we encourage good sitting, listening and turn-taking in preparation for starting Reception. We also hold a short whole-group foundation for phonics and early maths sessions during the day. Children may work in small groups or one to one with an adult on occasions.
Children have access throughout the session to all the Nursery provision - both indoor and outdoor areas. Please be aware we do go out in all weathers!
During the course of the session the children sit for snack. This consists of a drink of water or milk and a serving of fruit or vegetables. Children have access to their own water bottle throughout the session.
At lunchtime children have their packed lunch or school dinner in the school hall all Nursery children sit together and are supervised by the nursery staff.
On Friday mornings nursery children join the whole school celebration assembly.
Throughout the school year nursery children access half termly enhancements and experiences, for example Forest school, music lessons, P.E. lessons and dancing.
We ask that children do not bring toys or valuable items from home. It can be very upsetting for them when they get lost or damaged. However, we do encourage special items or photos to show of a special day out that we can share with the group.
Where possible, we hold half-termly Stay and Play and Stay and Read sessions. These dates will be listed on the weekly newsletter diary dates. Parents and family members are welcome to come and join the children in their classroom to play or read.
