Welcome

We hope this information is useful in helping you get to know our Nursery a little better and the services we offer.

We aim to work in partnership with you and your child to ensure they have the best start to their school life and flourish in a stimulating, exciting and secure environment.

Our Aims

At Waterfield Nursery the emphasis is on learning through play and the provision of relevant experiences that will extend and enrich the child’s learning and understanding of the world around them, reaching the best possible outcomes for each child.

We aim to provide:

  • high quality learning for all children
  • a welcoming, nurturing, secure and stimulating environment
  • planned learning that will be based on previous experiences, match individual needs and encourage independence
  • challenge for children in all areas
  • an inclusive environment where everyone is treated as an individual
  •  a partnership with parents and carers, that will build effective relationship
  • an atmosphere that promotes sharing, taking turns, collaborating and self control and to begin to understand what is right and wrong

Our EYFS Unit

Our EYFS unit has a well qualified team of committed staff which consists of,

  • Qualified teachers
  • LSA’s
  • Access to outside agencies such as speech therapists etc.

The nursery provides 52 places (26 per session) for children from their 3rd birthday until school age.  Children are offered 5 (AM or PM sessions) 5 days a week OR a mixture of full days and half days making up the 15hrs free entitlement.  Sessions run from AM 8.40 – 11.40 & PM 12.20 – 3.20. Children who stay all day pay £3.00 per day for lunch time supervisor cover and bring their own packed lunch.Children will have a healthy snack and either a drink of milk or water during the session.  We ask that you donate healthy snacks weekly if possible as the children love to try a range of fruit and vegetables.

We provide an excellent induction process, starting with visits to nursery, followed by home visits to ensure that happy relationships are formed and children settle well into nursery feeling safe and secure and parents can have to opportunity to ask questions.

The Curriculum and how we learn in EYFS

At Waterfield we believe that early years education is valuable to all children and we provide a curriculum that challenges children through all the areas of learning.

Children enter EYFS unit with different skills, experiences and knowledge.  We recognise and work with children’s individual interests, as personalised teaching and learning is at the heart of our principles.  In addition to this we feel that by introducing the children to exciting new topics, dinosaurs for example, the imagination is fired further and children continue to be motivated, engaged and interested in learning new skills.  The Waterfield Nursery curriculum is underpinned by Assessment for Learning. 

Waterfield enables children to develop their personalities, talents and abilities irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties, disabilities or gender. We do this by:-

  • Considering every child to be unique.
  • Forming positive relationships.
  • Creating a stimulating, safe and well resourced environment.
  • Understanding that children learn and develop in different ways.

Teaching is adjusted to take into account findings and results, encouraging the children to be involved in the planning of their learning and giving effective feedback to the children.  A personal Learning Journal which is a collection of observations, photos, drawings and so on are shared weekly with the children and small steps for the next part of learning discussed as part of this ongoing learning process.  

Opportunities for outdoor play are of equal importance and are an integral part of the curriculum.  Garden time is available all year round, wet weather clothing is provided and ‘whatever the weather’ the children will be exploring and learning outside.

Indoors the children can access a wide variety of activities and resources some planned by the staff and others self selected.  Painting, music, computers, dressing up to name but a few.  We feel that this mix of planned activities and child initiated play gives the best broad and balanced curriculum.

Behaviour

In Nursery we have high expectations of the children’s behaviour and work in partnership with parents/carers.  We encourage appropriate behaviour through praise and have clear guidelines on what is acceptable, through our class golden rules, whole school behaviour policy in conjunction with the home/school behaviour agreement.

Children with Additional Needs

We strongly believe that all children have entitlement to the nursery curriculum and aim to support every child to achieve their potential.  Individual needs are identified and planned for at an early stage and appropriate provision is made with the support of the Senco following the ‘Special Needs Code of Practice’.  Outside agencies may be consulted and advice from them followed within the nursery setting.  Parent/carers are involved fully at every stage of this process. 

Parents and Carers

We have an open door policy and you are welcome in nursery at any time.  When your child has settled in you may like to join us as a helper and we are keen to make the most of your hidden talents.  There are many ways that you can help, baking, sewing, playing an instrument or just coming to play with the children.  Involvement from parents and carers is much appreciated.