Nursery Handbook - September 2023

Headmistress

Miss Kate Bailey

Deputy Heads

School Development: Mrs Donna Sweeney

Pupil Development: Mrs Fiona Reynolds

Assistant Deputy Heads

Academic: Mr Paul Adams

Organisation: Mrs Rebecca Rycroft

Boarding: Mrs Michele Western-Kaye

Head of Lodge

Mrs Claire Gillett

Head of Early Years and Nursery

Miss Hannah Smart

Deputy Head of Nursery

Mrs Lucy Gwiazda

Other School Contacts

Starting Nursery

We are so excited to welcome you and your child to Little Godstowe, our Nursery. We hope your time with us will be both happy and rewarding.

The aim of our Nursery is to provide a happy, stimulating and secure environment for your child to develop socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually.

The purpose of this handbook is to help you and your child settle into our Nursery confidently and happily.

We operate an Open Door policy, so please do not hesitate to talk to our Nursery staff to discuss your child's progress at any time.

Starting Nursery

Nursery doors open at 8.15am and we have a rolling start until 8.45am. If the doors are closed when you arrive, please ring the doorbell.

Morning sessions run from 8.15am until 11.45am, continuing to 3.30pm for all-day sessions. If you would like to change or add sessions, please ask for the relevant form. These changes need to be permanent.

We ask that all children are collected promptly at the end of their session, either 11.45am or 3.30pm. They can get very concerned if you are not there and this may affect their confidence.

Each child has a home-school contact book. Please write in this if your child is being collected by someone else. Alternatively, you can email Miss Smart, hsmart@igodstowe.org.

At Nursery

Regular attendance is important to enable your child to gain the most from their Nursery experience. If your child is absent due to illness, please inform the Nursery staff, or School on the telephone numbers or email addresses listed in this handbook

Boys and girls in our Nursery and Pre-prep can enjoy a healthy breakfast from 7.30am with cereal, toast and fresh fruit juice. All children are carefully supervised until the school day begins. A charge of £7.50 per day is made for Nursery and Lodge pupils. Breakfast club needs to be booked via Mrs Armstrong, in the Lodge office, sarmstrong@godstowe.org.

Nursery children are able to stay for Aftercare until 5.25pm. This is a free of charge supervised playtime for the children. Please speak to the Nursery staff for more information. To book Aftercare, you will need to email Miss Smart, hsmart@igodstowe.org.

On a Wednesday, Mrs Gwiazda runs a small group called "Little Movers" between 3.00pm and 3.30pm.

Ballet is also available for Nursery children at an extra cost. Mrs Romy Hodges runs Ballet lessons on a Thursday afternoon from 4.00pm until 4.30pm.

Both Little Movers and Ballet can be booked via My School Portal.

Snack and Lunch

Godstowe's catering company, CH&Co, cook all meals on site. They pride themselves on healthy and nutritious meals for all age groups.

Nursery children have a snack and drink (milk or water) and a piece of fruit each morning. The weekly snack menu is displayed in our classroom or can be found on My School Portal.

Fresh drinking water is always available to your child. Please send a named water bottle into Nursery with your child each day.

For Lunch, a healthy two-course cooked lunch is served each day, and the Nursery children join Beginners (Reception) pupils in Lodge Dining Room. They practice good table manners and enjoy the social aspect of sharing a meal with friends. Children are encouraged, but never forced, to eat a balanced diet. The lunchtime menu is displayed in our classroom or can be found on My School Portal.

Please inform us if your child has any allergies or special dietary requirements.

The Nursery Day

Our Nursery routines are well established, as young children need a secure environment that follows a familiar (although not identical) pattern each day. This helps them to develop confidence, return to favourite activities and also investigate and explore new ones.

Upon arriving at Nursery, children are asked to hang their coats on their peg and unpack their prep bag. They are asked to find their 'hot air balloon' as they coming into Nursery. This gives your child a task to do immediately as they enter the room, by finding and recognising their name and allows them the opportunity to walk through the Nursery to look at the activities available and to find a friend to play with.

Each morning, Nursery will enjoy a carpet time where they will answer the register and talk about the day ahead.

The Nursery Day

We encourage free choice with activities both inside and outside the Nursery. The activities change regularly but could include construction equipment, small world play, painting, play-dough, paper/pencil activities, cutting and sticking, role play, sand and water tables and more.

Throughout the day there will be structured activities as well. The children are invited to work in small groups, or one-to-one and this is adult-led. Activities may be focused on any area of the curriculum and are at the appropriate level for the child's stage or development.

After lunch, the children play outside with Beginners (Reception) enjoying the climbing equipment, sandpits and toys. Some children are encouraged to lie quietly on cushions for a rest after lunch.

Curriculum

The curriculum used at Nursery is made up of 7 different areas of learning. There are 3 prime areas which Nursery is focussed around. these include:

Communication and Language

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development

There are 4 other areas of learning which Nursery enjoy exploring. These include:

Mathematics

Literacy

Understanding the World Expressive Arts and Design

We follow a topic-based curriculum that is focussed around the children's interests. A sheet entitled "This Week" is displayed each week showing the activities that we will be doing. Please have a look at this sheet as it will allow you to support your child's learning at home.

Phonics

We follow a combination of Jolly Phonics and Twinkl phonics. Sounds are introduced as and when we feel that your child is ready. Please encourage your child to bring an item for the sound table, starting with the sound of the week.

Curriculum

Me, My Family and My World book

Please help your child to record their weekend news in their "Me, My Family and My World" book. Please bring the book into school on your child's first session of the week.

Challenge Book

Each term your child will bring home a "challenge book" containing a set of fun ideas on how to help support your child's learning at home. Feel free to complete as many or as little of these as you like. If you have completed a challenge, please bring it into Nursery to share.

Home Interests

When you start at our Nursery, we will send home a questionnaire asking for information about your child and their experience. Please return the questionnaire as soon as possible.

Uniform

Nursery children wear a comfortable, practical uniform. Please ensure all items are named.

Autumn and Spring Terms

Red "Godstowe" tracksuit

Red polo shirt

Summer Term

Red "Godstowe" jumper

Red polo shirts

Godstowe cycling shorts (girls)

Red PE Shorts (boys)

They will also need:

Red lunch overall - if staying for the full session

Red painting apron

Red drawstring PE bag

Godstowe book bag

Red sun hat

Godstowe sheet for nap time

*Woolly hat

*Gloves

*Coat

*Shoes - should be closed in and simple for your child to put on and take off

Water Bottle

*these items do not need to be school uniform

Uniform

Your child will also need:

A change of clothes and underwear - to be left on their peg in a bag (this does not have to be uniform)

Wellies

Uniform items may be bought directly from the Godstowe Uniform Shop, until October 2023, which is located by the Swimming Pool.

Uniform can also be bought online. Scan the QR code below to be taken to the Godstowe page.

Uniform ordered online can be delivered to school free of charge. The deliveries will take place on Wednesdays during term time only. Alternatively, the uniform can be delivered to your home address for a cost.

Good quality, nearly new uniform is sold in our Second Hand Uniform shop on site. The shop is open on Mondays and Fridays during term time.

Nursery children are not allowed to wear jewellery, including earrings.

It is absolutely fine for your child to bring a special teddy or comforter to Nursery, should this help them settle.

Other information

Communication

The Godstowe Nursery sends letters and notices to parents using the Godstowe SchoolPost system.

My School Portal is available for all parents and guardians to access. On the portal you will find:

School Communications

Attendance Records

Enrichment Curriculum

Invoices

You are also able to keep all of your contact details up to date via the Portal.

Please check "The Week" notice board and weekly timetable. Each child has their own home-school book and news book. We will put messages in here so please check it and ensure that it comes to school each day.

Personal Hygiene

All children are expected to by toilet trained and out of nappies before they begin at Godstowe. Children are expected to be able to use the toilet independently so please work on this at home. This not only enhances a child's personal development, as it allows them independence, but it is also essential so that staff can focus on education and fun.

We understand that most children will have the occasional accident and we have a policy in place to help your child on these rare occasions.

Other information

Birthdays

As a birthday treat, you may bring cakes into school to share with your child's class. Please be aware that there is a strict "NO NUT" policy at Godstowe

Star Moments

Please fill in the star moments when your child has done something special at home. We will share these in school.

Friends of Godstowe

Friends of Godstowe, or FoG, is a group of volunteers who organise social activities and events for the school. Through these events, we aim to ensure that all Godstowe children, parents and guardians feel, and enjoy being, a part of our school community

We are parents who volunteer to help the school provide exciting opportunities for our children. Along with the main FoG committee, there are individual representatives, known as Class Reps, for each form within the school.

We have helped the school achieve incredible new heights, including:

Donation to the refurbishment of the Swimming Pool

New sandpits and play equipment for Lodge

New school mini bus

Chrome tablet computers

Sound equipment for the JK Theatre

Games for the Boarding Houses

Laser cutter for DT department

The list is never ending and else we can achieve. If you would like to