WELCOME TO NURSERY (2024–25) (LITTLE CHICKS & KINDERGARTEN)
THE TEAM
Nursery Lead
Mrs Victoria Skinner
Teaching Assistants
Mrs Louise Balsdon
Miss Emma Barfield
Mrs Claire Maher
Mrs Lucy Nash
Mrs Purvi Patel
THE SCHOOL DAY
Start of School – 8.25am
Children should be dropped off at the main nursery door, which is accessed from the nursery playground at the front of the Lower School building (beside the car park) on The Avenue. We will be there to guide you on the first day.
End of School – 12.00pm or 3.25pm
At pick-up time, the children will be brought out to the nursery playground gate.
WRAPAROUND CARE
Breakfast Club (bookable and chargeable) – 7.30–8.00am
Located in the dining hall (code needed to access site will be provided upon booking).
Early Care (free) – 8.00–8.25am
Drop at Lower School hall (Breakfast Club children are walked over to Early Care at 8.00am).
Sibling Care (free) – 3.30–4.00pm (for children with an older sibling in Upper School).
Lower School Aftercare (bookable and chargeable) – 3.30–6.00pm*
Classroom rota for Sibling Care and Lower School Aftercare can be found on the Lower School foyer wall and on the doors of the Lower School hall.
7.30–8.00am Breakfast club (charge)
8.00–8.25am Morning care – supervision in designated classroom
8.25am The morning session begins
12 noon The morning session ends
3.25pm Full day ends
3.30–6.00pm* Lower School aftercare provision for potty-trained children (charge)
* Aftercare ends at 5.00pm on a Friday
Please remember to name everything!
UNIFORM, BELONGINGS & SNACKS
SCHOOL UNIFORM
All items listed below are available from Stevensons (www.stevensons.co.uk):
• Chinthurst blue sweatshirt top and bottoms
• Chinthurst blue shorts (summer)
• Chinthurst white polo shirt
• Chinthurst winter coat
• Chinthurst green book bag (provided by school)
• Chinthurst green rucksack
SPORTS KIT
• Chinthurst blue sweatshirt top and bottoms
• Chinthurst blue shorts
• Chinthurst House polo shirt (red, yellow, blue, purple)
• White trainers and socks
BELONGINGS
Nursery children have their own peg for their coats and bags. A change of clothing should remain at school on their peg and will be sent home in the book bag for washing if it is used. Waterproof clothing and wellington boots (in a drawstring bag) should remain at school.
SNACKS & LUNCH
COLLECTION
ARRANGEMENTS
If there is someone new collecting your child, please let Mrs Skinner or a member of the team know verbally at drop off or email Mrs Skinner directly. The person collecting will need your password.
The children are provided with a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack of fresh/dried fruit or vegetables, crackers and bread sticks. Children need a named water bottle, which will remain at school.
If staying for lunch, the children are served a meal in the dining hall where they eat with the teaching team.
Milk is provided free until the term your child turns five, so do let us know if you do not want your child to have it. If you would like your child to have milk, please book directly by using the Cool Milk link: www.coolmilk.com
ONLINE LEARNING JOURNEY
Each child will have an online learning journey on Seesaw. This records photos, observations and comments in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage, to build up a record of your child’s experiences during their time with us. Parents have password access to this.
IN PERSON/BY EMAIL
Please do speak to any member of the nursery team should you have any concerns about your child. We are very happy to have a brief chat at drop off or pick up, but if you would like to talk for longer, please send an email to Mrs Skinner or the school office. Mrs Skinner – vskinner@chinthurstschool.co.uk School office – office@chinthurstschool.co.uk
REPORTING
Parents are invited to progress meetings with a member of the Early Years team twice a term. In these meetings, parents are given a chance to discuss their child’s next steps and a written record of the meeting is shared. Reports giving further feedback are given at the end of the autumn and spring terms. A comprehensive report, covering all seven areas of learning, is given in written feedback at the end of the summer term.
GETTING NURSERY READY
Encourage Independence:
• Work on toilet training (if needed) and establish a good hygiene routine for toilet times. Encourage your child to wipe, flush and wash hands thoroughly.
• Practise dressing skills. We will support your child but this will give them a head start when they join us.
• Practise independent eating by encouraging your child to use a spoon or fork to eat. Role modelling good eating habits is essential.
• Allow them to play independently for at least a short period of time, either by themselves or with another child. It will help when they have moments of being a little unsure of what to do or who to play with.
Talk About Nursery:
In the days leading up to school, talk to your child about nursery. If you are enthusiastic and tell them how much fun they will have, they will share your positivity.
Practise Separation:
If your child is rarely away from you or other family members, ask a friend to babysit or schedule a play date with a child of similar age so you can leave your child for a short period of time.
Read Stories:
Reading to your child introduces them to books and opens up a world of stories and imagination. It also teaches them to sit still for a period of time, which is brilliant practice for school.
HOME/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
NURSERY TOPICS
We have different cross-curricular topics each half term:
AUTUMN TERM – All About Me, Cultural Celebrations
SPRING TERM – The World Around Us, Story Adventures
SUMMER TERM – Nature and Children’s Choice Adventures
We have a class mascot called Everywhere Bear and the children take it in turns to take it home at the weekends. They share his adventures on a Monday morning.
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION
PARENT HANDBOOK – Contains detailed information on all aspects of school life.
SPORTS HANDBOOK – Further information about PE, games and swimming at Chinthurst.
WEEK AHEAD – Contains information about the children’s learning for the following week. These are issued by class teachers via Seesaw on a Friday.
THE CHRONICLE – Includes a message from the Head, a round-up of school news from the previous week and school notices. This is issued each week during term time.
SOCIAL MEDIA – Follow the school’s Instagram and Facebook accounts to see lots of the fun activities that take place on a day-to-day basis.
PRINTED CALENDAR – Issued at the start of each term.
CLASSLIST – We encourage parents to register with www.classlist.com to connect with other parents in their own class, year group or the whole school.
SCHOOLSBUDDY
APP
Has details and takes bookings for:
• Wraparound care
• Co-curricular clubs
• Trips
New parents receive a log-in before the beginning of term.
EVENTS
We hope to see you at our family events throughout the year. These include:
• Christmas Show
• Grandparents’ Morning
• Sports Day
• Teddy Bears’ Picnic
• End-of-Year Concert
Please keep an eye on the Chronicle and Classlist for more information about CPA events.
