Nursery

Meet the Nursery team

Click here to see a little glimpse of what our Nursery has to offer

Starting at Knavesmire Nursery

Welcome to Knavesmire Nursery! We are really looking forward to getting to know you and your child and to helping them to have a successful and happy start to their school journey!

Starting Nursery can be an anxious time for you and your child and we know those first days are a mixture of all kinds of emotions. At Knavesmire Nursery we aim to make this transition as smooth as possible so that your child has a happy start to their time with us. To make the transition as smooth as possible, we believe that it is vital that staff and parents of work together and establish a positive relationship from the outset. As a parent/carer, you know your child far more than we do and we ask you to share as much information as possible with us before they start. Similarly, if there are any important events currently taking place in your child’s life they can affect how they feel or behave whilst they are at Nursery. Communication between Nursery staff and families is very important and we value the trust that you place in us. Any information that you share with us is treated with professionalism and sensitivity. In the same way, we will keep you informed of any issues that may arise at nursery concerning your child so that we can work together to help them. Our priority is your child’s happiness and safety.

Things your child may need at Nursery

Please ensure that you send your child to Nursery with a bag/bag pack containing spare clothes and anything needed to support them with their toileting e.g. nappies/wipes/spare underwear etc. A book bag is also useful to help them to beginning getting used to packing their pictures for going home. Furthermore, a named water bottle is helpful as we encourage the children to drink water at regular points during the day.

If your child is staying for a full day then they will require a packed lunch. As we do not have refrigeration facilities, a cool bag style lunchbox with an ice pack is essential. Please ensure that all boxes and bags are labelled with your child’s name so that mix-ups do not occur! Due to the number of children with severe allergies in school, it is imperative that there are no nuts or peanut butter in your child’s lunch. We thank you for your support with this!

Medicine

Staff are able to administer medicines for children with long-term medical needs and any antibiotics or medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor or hospital. Please make sure that any medicines you do bring in have the Chemist Dispensing Label on it so that we can see the dosage and instructions. You will also be asked to complete an agreement allowing us to administer the medicine.

Emergency contact numbers

Please make sure that your addresses and contact numbers are always up-to-date. This information is held electronically on Arbor by our school office. Please inform us and the school office immediately of any changes in circumstance. It is imperative that the numbers we hold are current and up-to-date so that we are able to contact you in an emergency.

Clothing

To help every child to get the most out of their time with us, we do ask you to remember that many of our activities are practical and can be messy. Even with aprons we sometimes struggle to be as clean as possible and it is distinctly possible that your child will come home messy. Please recognise this as a sign that your child has had fantastic session of learning whilst at Nursery!

Where possible, please make sure you label everything. It is impossible for us to keep track of every child’s clothing if it does not have a name label inside. If you are missing any items of clothing then please inform a member of staff and we will do our best to help. Clothing that promotes independence skills such as leggings and jogging bottoms which are easy to remove are best as they make independent toileting so much more achievable for your child.

It will also really help us if you could send your child to school dressed for the weather. A sunhat and sun cream (already applied) is essential to keep your child safe during the sunny weather. We do not keep sun cream at Nursery but are happy to help your child to reapply their own (named) if necessary during the course of the day. Similarly, welly boots and warm clothing is essential during the winter months so that we can continue to access the outside play opportunities.

Accidents

Unfortunately, due to the risk taking nature of children, accidents do happen at Nursery. These are generally minor in nature and tend to be bumps and bruises, scratches and scrapes. If your child does have an accident they will be taken to a first-aid trained member of staff for treatment. If your child’s injury is more serious, you will be contacted immediately to talk about what has happened and come and collect you child, if necessary.

Collecting your child

We kindly ask that you notify classroom staff if someone different is to collect your child at the end of the nursery session. If changes to pick-up arrangements change at the last minute, please ring the School Office and they will be able to communicate any changes to the Nursery team. Our priority is keeping your child safe and we will never allow your child to leave Nursery with someone different to whom we are expecting.

ClassDOJO

We use ClassDOJO (online learning journal) to share some of those important learning moments with you at home. You will be provided with sign-up details before your child starts with us. Please feel free to upload any key developments or learning experiences that your child has at home and with family so that we can build a fuller picture of their current abilities and interests. This information helps us to plan activities that reflect their current interests and stage of development.

Useful documents

Nursery Long Term Plan 2023-2024

Current Big Idea Knowledge Organiser: Autumn 1 2024

Helping your Nursery child at home 

1. Enjoy books together.
2. Encourage your child to be independent e.g. put on their coat, pour their own drink etc.
3. Identify numerals and 2D shapes in the local environment.
4. Have a look at https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/