Nursery
Welcome to the Early Years at Bayards Hill Primary School. Our Nursery is a place where your child will thrive and be cared for and enjoy a wealth of stimulating and engaging experiences under the care and guidance of our dedicated, approachable and well-trained staff.
We put the children and families' needs at the heart of everything we do, meeting the needs of all children who attend Bayards Hill Primary School. We look forward to getting to know your child and to working with you over what are some of the most important years of a child’s education, their primary education.
Your child’s Teacher will be responsible for settling your child in when they join us and will build a close relationship with you and your family during your time with us.
They will be your first port of call for anything you wish to discuss about your child on a day to day basis.
They will be responsible for monitoring your child’s learning and development, learning about their likes and interests so activities and experiences can be planned to support your child’s individual requirements.
Meetings will be arranged with you to discuss your child’s development. However, you are welcome to come and discuss your child’s progress at any time with their teacher.
If you would like guidance for your child’s learning and development, please see the following link:
A Typical Day
The Nursery day starts at 8.30am where children and parents are welcomed by their teachers. They will support you in settling your child in. Free-flow play both inside and outside are available throughout the session with a sensitive balance of adult-focused and initiated activities planned within the session.
Within the session children will have snack time and focus group time. These focused group time sessions are important for the children as it is typically a themed session which fits into what we are learning each week including phonics, maths and sessions to build confidence for when your child starts school.
We come together as a group to finish off the session with a themed story and singing/rhyme time. Morning children are picked up at 11.30am and teachers will be available to give feedback with you and your child about their morning.
Our afternoon session begins at 12.30pm and follows the exact same pattern to the morning session. The afternoon session finishes at 3.30pm. Children will be with their teacher and there is an opportunity to chat with your child and key person about their day.
Nursery admissions and Funding
We offer government-funded places for 15 hours (All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 funded hours of childcare per week regardless of eligibility.) for the children after their 3rd birthday. We offer our 15 hours as either 8:30-11:30am or 12:30-3:30pm.
We are happy to advise that as from January 2023, the Nursery will also be offering 30 hours' FREE childcare under the Government initiative for all three and four year olds.
The additional 15 hours to make the 30 hours provision has to meet with the Government's criteria, to enable it to be free.
Parents/carers need to check whether they are eligible for the funded 30 hours via the online Eligibility Checker.
If eligible an 11-digit code/ reference number will be generated and this should be given to the school in the half term before the child begins their 30 hours. Applications for January need to be submitted between 15th October and 30th November 2023.
Children who turn 3 between 1st September and 31st December will receive their funded hours in the following January (Term 3).
Children who turn 3 between 1st January and 31st March will receive their funded hours in the following April (Term 5).
Children who turn 3 between 1st April and 31st August will receive their funded hours in the following September (Term 1).
We welcome visits to our nursery. Please contact the school office to arrange a convenient time. To apply for a place in our Nursery please contact the school office for an application pack.
If you have any queries please contact the school office staff who will be happy to help.
Our Curriculum
There are seven areas of learning that shape the Early years Curriculum. All areas of development are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas, are:
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development
We also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
These seven areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it is suitable for very young children, and is designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child’s unique needs and interests. Through the EYFS, children learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking, which takes place both indoors and outside.
