NURSERY
WELCOME TO
BRIGHTON
We welcome both boys and girls from the age of 3 into our Nursery on the Radinden Manor Road site. Children benefit from a pre-school environment run by teachers and all the additional advantages of being attached to a school.
GIRLS NURSERY
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WELCOME
CURRICULUM
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BEYOND THE CURRICULUM WELL-BEING
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FEES
NEXT STEPS
Welcome to Nursery
Housed in a large and spacious area with a purpose-built outdoor play area, our Nursery benefits from strong links with the rest of the school. It’s a fun and lively place, where our experienced and caring staff encourage children to develop their natural curiosity into a lifelong love of learning. There are a number of ways in which we enhance and enrich the Foundation Stage curriculum and its seven areas of learning. Our girls and boys benefit from impressive school facilities such as Astro Turf play areas, gym, a well-stocked library and specialist teaching in music and foreign languages A range of extra-curricular activities are also available including our Early Years Choir, gymnastics, ballet, flamenco, drama and yoga. We’re always mindful that Nursery is where girls and boys usually first experience school life. A strong team of highly trained staff and teaching assistants provide a warm, caring and nurturing environment. Children also learn to be strong, independent and motivated – something we’d expect to remain with them throughout their school life and beyond. Days are planned carefully to stimulate children’s social, physical and intellectual growth, while always maintaining a sense of fun.
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Head’s Welcome ROSIE MCCOLL
MA (Oxon), MPhil
“As a founding school of the Girls’ Day School Trust, Brighton Girls has a significance in the history of girls’ education. The spirit of the early pioneers, whose names are remembered in our four Houses, Grey, Gurney, Lyttelton and Stanley, is as strong as it has ever been and, today, we occupy a unique position: we are an allthrough school in the heart of the city of Brighton; we are as eclectic, enterprising, and creative as the city itself, and we command equal levels of affection. At Brighton Girls, innovative teaching, reimagined classroom spaces and a keen sense of social responsibility, make this a place where girls can truly learn without limits. Our girls are courageous, because they know where their strengths lie; they act with kindness, because they appreciate the value of community. Above all, we hope that they will develop the confidence and the character to go out and make a positive difference in the world, understanding that the real impact is felt when courage and kindness combine”.
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Facilities
Our Nursery classroom provides the perfect space for play, friendship and having fun. There’s also a covered outside play area so that our girls and boys can make the most of outdoor activities whatever the weather. In addition to this is our Learning Pod where we also welcome a Playgroup every week as well as hosting special events for our young learners from author visits to well-being sessions.
Making the most of outside play is a vital part of children’s development. Encouraging play, exercise, freedom and movement is healthy and promotes a sense of well-being. Our exciting play spaces provide another creative learning environment to stimulate imaginative play; an excellent setting for the development of social skills between all age groups. They also have the benefit all of the school grounds and facilities, such as the Music Room, well-stocked Library, purpose built IT facility and large Halls. The spacious dining provides nutritious lunches catering for all tastes with the opportunity for our children to develop positive eating habits and good manners.
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“My daughter loves going to Nursery every single day. It’s a really warm and welcoming school which gets the best out of the girls by providing a calm and fun environment to learn in.” Parent, Y1
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Curriculum
We’re committed to ensuring our pupils have the skills to thrive in the modern world. We do this by following the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, but also by tailoring the teaching to each individual child and making the most of smaller teaching groups. Our approach is play based, as we introduce the building blocks of development, and the seven areas we focus on include: •
Communication and language development
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Physical development
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Personal, social and emotional development
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Literacy development
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Mathematics
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Understanding the world
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Expressive arts and design
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Children also benefit from the special talents of teachers in areas such as music, IT and languages. The curriculum is further enhanced by trips to places such as the Brighton Toy Museum, Woodlands Mead and Wild Beach School. Twice each term the Nursery visits the beach to learn about the coastline, local wildlife and coastal management. We also keep an Interactive Learning Diary as an online record of your child’s progress in both Nursery and Reception. Photos, video and audio are all used to record observations and insights around learning objectives. These can be accessed and even added to by parents via an app.
Case-Study: Minibeast Hunts
As part of their minibeast topic, Nursery have been on several minibeast hunts in the school garden. Many a woodlouse have been rescued from the Nursery bathroom and placed in safe damp places and the girls also found out about honey bees, which involved tasting different honey, choosing their favourite and making honey sandwiches. Nursery have even had visits from a worm and snail who visited the classroom whilst the girls looked closely at their patterns and also patterns in spider’s webs. Yet, their biggest excitement was at Sports Day practice, where they found many caterpillars on the plants near the Astro Turf.
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Beyond the Curriculum
Even from the age of three we have stimulating extra-curricular activities such as choir and ballet, along with a whole host of sports and enrichment activities. Wild Beach School
Each half-term, our Nursery heads to Wild Beach School for a fascinating class by the sea. They might learn about tides and seagulls, or examine seaweed and Mermaid’s Purses. Or it could be a fun maths and art lesson as they count out pebbles and make patterns with shells. When the tide is out they might even get to build sandcastles. One term they visited Shoreham Lifeboat Centre to see a working lifeboat.
Tabby McTat
Julia Donaldson is a very popular author at Nursery, so it was with great excitement that we accompanied Reception and Year 1 to see Tabby McTat at the theatre. The girls and boys had been reading the book and so knew the story inside out. The theatre experience, of course, added a whole new dimension, bringing everything to life on a grand scale with music and song.
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Wilderness Woods Nursery also recently took a trip to Wilderness Woods where they learnt to build a natural shelter for their soft toy animals. This involved searching for suitable building materials, then making sure what they built would stand up and take the weight of a roof. They were so enthusiastic that the girls and boys extended their shelter to include a garden of pebbles and moss. Their trained Guide then showed them how a fire is lit and they all sat around it and toasted marshmallows, which they loved.
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Well-being
The atmosphere we create provides a safe space, physically and emotionally, for your daughter or son to develop to their full potential. Whatever challenges girls or boys may face, we ensure that they enjoy school and are ready and eager to grasp the future. By being consistently supportive and encouraging independent thought we instil confidence yet also a consideration for others.
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“Girls are nurtured but also encouraged to try new challenges which encourages their confidence and self esteem� Parent, Nursery
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Nursery Life
School Lunches and Snacks Our school-cooked lunch is served at 12.00noon. Fruits are given to all children as a mid-morning snack and milk and water are available as drinks throughout the day. School Uniform A school uniform is part of the DNA of any school, bringing the community together and creating equality. Uniform can be purchased from our on-site shop or on-line at www.billingsandedmonds.co.uk
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Wrap-around Care and Fees
Wrap-around Care Boys and girls can be dropped at 8.00am and after school they can wait until 4.00pm for collection. There is no extra charge to use the Waiting Room. Free Entitlement for 3 and 4 Year Olds (EYFE) We participate in the 15-hours free Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE) provided by the government. In line with GDST policy, we do not participate in the 30 hours scheme which was introduced in September 2017. Holiday Club We offer optional sessions throughout the holidays where your child can enjoy a range of fun activities in their normal surroundings.
Our Fees Full Day, Morning and Afternoon sessions are a mix of Nursery, Breakfast Club and After School Club. EYFE
Hours
Price per session
Weekly price
Full Day
2 Sessions
7.30am - 6.00pm
£60
£300
School Day
2 Sessions
8.30am - 3.15pm
£45
£225*
Morning Afternoon
1 Session 1 Session
Lunch (inc. play supervision)
7.30am - 12.00noon 1.30pm - 6.00pm
12.00noon - 1.30pm
£30 £30 £10
£150 £150
*Costs for Breakfast Club and After School Club can be booked in addition. Registration Fee: £35 Nursery Deposit: £250
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Transition to Reception
The step up to Reception is easy for our girls and boys as they spend time with Reception in their transition term. Our boys head off to their new schools full of confidence, with the experience of being in a school already under their belts. Our girls head off to our Reception year with complete ease of mind, and familiar with their surroundings, timetables and staff.
This is mirrored later in Year 6 when most girls continue on to the Senior school. There are a series of events for Prep girls throughout Years 5 and 6 that aim to familiarise them with the Senior school site and teachers and also give an insight into life as a student there. Through the various whole school activities, girls also get to know other Year groups within the Prep school which creates that unique family atmosphere that so many girls and their parents comment upon.
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Welcome to Brighton Girls Brighton Girls couldn’t be anywhere other than at the heart of vibrant, open, forward-facing Brighton. We’re a dynamic, creative, friendly school where children are confident, passionate and kind – not only ambitious for themselves, but for society.
As a founder of the Girls’ Day School Trust, we’ve championed girls’ education since it was in its infancy. We understand what makes girls tick and how to help them become all they can be. We do this by focusing on the joy of learning and on instilling curiosity, adventure and independence. All in an environment that’s reassuring yet always stimulating, giving both boys and girls in our Nursery the confidence and motivation to shine. We also have a strong sense of community and collective endeavour. Teachers are passionate about their subjects and draw the best from children, as shown in our results. We combine this with sport, academic enrichment and other extra-curricular activities to develop knowledge, interests, emotional intelligence and teamwork. Talk to any one of our girls or boys and you discover someone happy and positive. Someone who feels they belong and is able to succeed at whatever they decide to be.
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Where girls learn without limits The Girls’ Day School Trust
The Girls’ Day School Trust is the UK’s leading network of independent girls’ schools, with 23 schools and two academies throughout England and Wales. As a charity, we are committed to our students, not to generating profits for any shareholders. We are determined to improve social mobility and help every girl, whatever her background, to fulfil her potential and to realise her dreams. Our bursary programme allows us to give gifted girls a GDST education, regardless of a family’s financial circumstances. Currently we provide over 1,000 of these life-changing bursaries nationwide. We don’t just deliver academic credentials. We develop character. We help girls to be confident, resilient and fearless. In our schools, girls learn without limits, and nothing holds them back. As experts in educating girls, we recognise that girls learn differently. So we have created environments in which every girl is able to thrive, whatever her disposition and direction. Together -schools, GDST and alumnae - we enable each girl, to learn without limits. Visit us at www.gdst.net to find out more.
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Next Steps
We would strongly recommend that you visit the Nursery and would be delighted to welcome you. Book a visit A visit will give you the opportunity to see the school in action, meet staff and current students and have any questions answered. Visits can either take place by individual appointment or by attendance at one of our Open Days. Step one – Registration Simply complete our registration form (which can be completed online at www.brightongirls.gdst.net) and send with the registration fee of £35 by cheque or bank transfer. Please call our Admissions Department to request a paper copy. Step two – Taster days On receipt of your registration form, we will invite you in for a visit, and confirm the places and sessions that we have available. You and your son or daughter will be invited to the Nursery for two visits before starting, to help settle in and to introduce you both to our routines. All those registered with us are invited to join us for ‘Taster Tuesday’, which runs every Tuesday from 1.30pm - 3.00pm during term-time. This is a fantastic opportunity for new girls and boys to settle into Nursery gradually. We ask that parents stay with their children to settle them in for ‘Taster Tuesday’, however there is no need for you to stay for the whole session.
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Step three – Accepting a place On making an offer of a place for your daughter or son, we will ask you to complete our acceptance documentation and to pay a deposit of £250 to secure your place with us. The deposit will be refunded to you when your daughter or son leaves the school. If you have any further questions about the admissions procedure please do not hesitate to contact Rebecca Findlay on 01273 280170 or admissions@brightongirls.gdst.net or visit www. brightongirls.gdst.net/nursery
“There is a real ethos of empowering the girls and preparing them for the challenges that lie ahead� Parent, Y1
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The Playgroup
The Playgroup runs each Monday and Friday from 10.30-11.45am and is a free, drop-in play session for parents and carers with children aged from newborn to pre-school. Refreshments are provided and there is use of the outside playground in addition to the well-stocked toy room. It provides a great way to meet other parents and also experience a taste of nursery or school life at Brighton Girls. Free parking is also available.
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Nursery & Prep School (3-11) Radinden Manor Road | Hove East Sussex BN3 6NH Senior School & Sixth Form (11-18) Montpelier Road | Brighton East Sussex BN1 3AT For all enquiries please contact us... 01273 280170 admissions@brightongirls.gdst.net www.brightongirls.gdst.net Design: GeoMedia Photography: Danny Fitz Photography