Our Nursery Provision

The Nursery Sessions (Penguin Class!)

For the morning nursery session, please drop you child off by 8:45am at the classroom door and pick up at 11:45am, from the Early Years gate, at the end of the car park. For the afternoon session, please come to the school office at 12.15pm, and pick-up is at 3:15pm from outside the classroom.

All children are different in the way they settle in school. It is important to arrive punctually to have plenty of time for your child to greet their teacher and enter the classroom. At this point, please say goodbye to your child and reassure them by telling them the arrangements for them being picked up at the end of the session. This will help provide security for your child and help them understand that you will be back later! Similarly, at the end of the session it is vitally important to be on time to collect your child. If you are held up for any reason, please phone the office to let a member of staff know.

Clothes

There is no uniform for children in our Nursery; instead, we ask that they come to school wearing clothes which are comfortable, appropriate for taking part in the full range of learning experiences provided in Nursery (including being outside), and easy for your child to get in and out of when they need to use the toilet. Please make sure that shoes are not open-toed, and crocs are not appropriate. The nature of learning in Nursery means that sometimes your child will get messy; please keep this in mind when shopping for new clothes!

We ask that all clothes (including coats and shoes) are named to avoid losses. Named items can be returned to their owner when they occasionally get misplaced…please clearly name anything that comes into school to help us reunite these with their owner.

Other things to send to school:

• Named, filled water bottle (water only please – not juice or fizzy drinks)
• Named wellington boots for outdoor play, to be kept in school
• A named sunhat in hot weather; in this case, please also apply long-lasting suncream before school

Toilet training

Please keep staff updated with the stage your child has reached with toilet training, allowing us to support your child through the process. Accidents are very normal in Nursery, as children are busy learning and may be distracted. To help, please provide plenty of spare clothes and plastic bags! If you have concerns, please ask a member of staff for a copy of our Personal Care Policy as this contains more information about how we deal with accidents.

Food

Children in Nursery are provided with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day. You can also register for your child to receive free milk at www.coolmilk.com. If your child has 30-hour provision, please also send a packed lunch for them, in a container with their name on it. Children may bring juice or a smoothie, or a bottle for water. The school operates a healthy eating policy which means chocolate and sweets are not to be brought into school. However, your child may bring a chocolate biscuit providing that there is some biscuit/wafer content. Any items not eaten are left in children’s lunchboxes to ensure parents can monitor the amount of food pupils are eating whilst in school. Please not send in any products containing nuts.

Starting school (Reception)

Even though our Nursery is very much a full part of our school, attendance in our Nursery does not guarantee a place in Reception when your child is ready to start school. For this, you need to apply to Oxfordshire County Council between September and January of the school year that your child turns 4. Forms are available from Oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions, but school staff are happy to help with any aspect of applying for a school place.

Visits to look around the other classes at Northbourne are very welcome; we also organise several open days each year to provide more information about the main school