St. Patrick’s Nursery
Welcome to St. Patrick’s Early Years Foundation Stage
Dear Parents & Carers,
Successful education is a partnership between school and home. This booklet has been prepared to provide you with information about Early Years and to help us achieve this partnership with you. We want both you and your child to get off to the best possible start when they come to our school. We hope you enjoy reading this booklet and find it useful in answering any queries you may have. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Early Years staff.
Yours faithfully,
Mr Williams Head Teacher
Our Class Session Times
Nursery Class Session Times
Morning - 8:45am - 11:45am
Afternoon - 12:20am - 3:20pm 30 Hours 8:45am - 2:45pm
(Or till 3:20pm at the cost of £2.50 per day)
Reception Class Session Times 8:45am - 3:15pm
St. Patrick’s Early Years
We admit children to our Early Years setting from the age of three. Eligible children are admitted in order of age, from the waiting list, when places become available. Where possible, we offer parents a choice for their child to attend either the morning or afternoon session (15hrs) or full days (30hrs). If one session is fully subscribed, and we are unable to offer a choice, children may be able to change sessions if places should become available.
When a Nursery place becomes available for your child, you will be contacted by a member of the Early Years team to arrange a visit to school for you and your child.
Admission to Nursery does not automatically entitle your child to a full-time Reception placement within the school. Under current Government guidelines parents are required to complete a further application which will be issued by the Local Authority. If there are more applications than full-time places available, priority will be given to those children who meet the admissions criteria.
What to wear
Sweatshirts with the school badge can be purchased from Rawcliffes which is located in Stockton and has a website. Alternatively, you can get uniform from most local supermarkets.
We encourage all children to wear the school uniform:
✔ Green sweatshirt/cardigan/jumper
✔ Grey trousers/shorts, grey skirt/pinafore
✔ Green gingham dress in hot weather
✔ White shirt/blouse/polo shirt
✔ Black shoes
✔ School tie (Reception children)
✔ School blazer (Reception children)
When choosing clothes for your child to wear, please consider the following points in order to ensure their comfort and well-being:
✔ The children feel more comfortable in clothes that they can manage themselves. Please ensure your child is able to put their coat on by themselves and can manage buttons and zips independently.
✔ Appropriate footwear is also important. Please remember that children play outside. A lot of time is spent running, riding bikes and climbing, so flat, black school shoes must be worn.
✔ We spend time outside each day, so please keep an eye on the weather each day and ensure that your child has something suitable to wear.
✔ During hot weather, to protect children from the effect of strong sun, please ensure that your child has a sun hat in school. Please apply sun cream before school.
*PLEASE LABEL ALL ITEMS OF CLOTHING AND SHOES*
This ensures that we can return each item of clothing back home with the correct child.
Arriving at School
Parents and children of Nursery use the main Early Years path, accessible from the Nursery gate, found next to Fairfield Road side. When your child arrives, they will have their own labelled peg to hang up their coat. We expect the children to take off their own coats and hang them up themselves in order to increase their sense of independence. They will find their name card on the board and selfregister by putting it in the basket.
Children should never be brought to school through the staff car park as this area is out of bounds to all children. If children arrive at school once the gate has been closed and locked, please report to the school office at the main entrance.
Collecting children at the end of the session
It is important that you collect your child promptly at the correct time and place at the end of their session. We understand that occasionally you may find yourself running late. If this happens, please contact the school on 01642 580850 so that we know that you are going to be late and when you are likely to arrive.
We will need to know who is allowed to collect your child so that we can familiarise ourselves with the other adults who will frequently be picking up your child. (These are usually the people that you will identify as emergency contacts on the admissions forms). If someone different needs to collect your child one day, then please let staff know who it is, and what they look like, when you drop them off at Nursery.
Anyone collecting your child must be a responsible adult over the age of sixteen. Please make sure that your child is closely supervised whilst in your care on school premises. As soon as children are dismissed into your care at the end of the school day, it is assumed that you have taken responsibility for them.
Illness
If your child is unwell, please keep them at home to avoid spreading infection, particularly in the case of sickness or diarrhoea. Do not bring your child back to school until they have been clear of all symptoms for at least 48 hours.
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please phone the school office and make us aware of the reason for their absence. We can then record this on the register.
Emergency contacts
It is necessary that you provide us with at least three emergency contact numbers so that we are able to contact someone immediately should your child become unwell or have an accident whilst in school. Please ensure that your contacts are aware that they are on your list and are willing to collect your child should the need arise. Please remember to update us throughout the year if any of the phone numbers change.
Asthma
Any child with asthma must keep an inhaler and a spacer in school. These should be carefully labelled with their name. They will be stored safely, yet accessibly. Please ensure that your child is able to ask for their inhaler and that they are able to use it as independently as possible. Please make staff aware if your child has already had their inhaler before school, just so that we are aware of how many doses they have already had. When your child starts Nursery, you will be asked to fill in a medical form which gives staff permission to administer the inhaler.
Other medical conditions
If your child has any medical conditions, then please make staff aware of these. You will be asked to fill in a medical form which will detail the condition and any signs/symptoms that staff may need to look out for. This form will also give staff permission to administer any medication if it is necessary. Please note, only medication prescribed by a doctor can be administered by staff.
PE Uniform
Nursery will have a designated PE session each week. You will be notified when their PE day is when they start Nursery. On PE day they can come dressed in suitable clothes, for example jogging pants or leggings, t-shirt and a sweatshirt or school jumper. They will also require suitable footwear such as trainers. Please make sure that all items for PE are appropriately labelled.
Jewellery
It is for your child’s safety, and to prevent unnecessary accidents, that the school policy is that no jewellery, of any type, including earrings, is allowed to be worn.
The Early Years Curriculum
The Early Years Curriculum has been introduced for children aged three up to the end of Reception. There are seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational programmes in Early Years. All areas of learning and development are important and interconnected. Three of the areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive:
✔ Communication and language
✔ Physical development
✔ Personal, social and emotional development.
Throughout Early Years, children will also explore and be encouraged to develop skills in:
✔ Literacy
✔ Mathematics
✔ Understanding the world
✔ Expressive arts and design
Our aim at St. Patrick’s is to provide your child with the opportunity to experience all areas of the Early Years Curriculum. Each area is promoted in a positive and supportive environment through directed, structured tasks and opportunities of independently selected activities.
Play
In our Early Years setting we provide children with opportunities to explore many different experiences of independent play, both indoors and outdoors. Teacher directed and independently selected activities, within a secure environment, allow children to:
✔ Represent their learning experiences in their own way.
✔ Make sense of their world around them.
✔ Practise ideas, concepts and skills.
✔ Develop an awareness and understanding of the need for rules.
✔ Develop self-confidence through taking risks and making mistakes.
✔ Communicate with others as they investigate and solve problems.
✔ Think creatively and imaginatively.
✔ Play alone, alongside others or as part of a group.
The Early Years outdoor area is secure and fenced and has a softplay ground surfacing material as well as artificial grass areas. This area is used for both free playtime and structured activities. We have a range of outdoor equipment. Outdoor play provides the children opportunities to develop friendships in a less confined environment, especially by sharing equipment, taking turns and creating their own games through imaginative play.
Religious Education
Our aim is to follow the Catholic ethos that is promoted throughout the whole of St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary School. We encourage the children at all times to consider their spiritual development both through prayer and their behaviour; especially regarding mutual understanding and respect for their friends and developing an understanding of the importance of compliance with rules. We encourage the development of personal Faith each day with the teachings of the Catholic Faith, through stories Jesus told, significant dates in the Church’s calendar, and through our programme of Religious Education. We pray together for a few minutes at the beginning and end of each day. We also have a 10 minute Celebration of the Word session, daily. We encourage all the children to join us in prayer by learning the words and respecting each other’s Faith.
At the beginning of the day:
Jesus friend of little children, At the start of this new day, Be thou my guide and helper, In my work and in my play. Amen.
At the end of the day:
Oh my God, I’ve come to say. Thank you for your love today, Thank you for my family, All the friends you give to me, Guard me in the dark of night, And in the morning send your light.
Amen.
Parents as Practitioners
Please remember that we want your child to get off to the best possible start in their school journey. We hope that they enjoy coming to school and become active and enthusiastic learners. However, you know your child best and your child is also learning outside of school. With this in mind, staff will endeavour to promote a two-way communication with parents and carers about your child’s interests, needs and progress. Therefore, if you have any questions, however small, please ask one of the team who will be only to happy to help.
We look forward to welcoming your child to St. Patrick’s School.
For information on admissions, please visit our website by clicking here or scanning the QR code.
