Nursery

The Nursery children are taught through playing and exploring, active learning, creating and thinking critically. We tailor our teaching around the ‘well-established’ national curriculum and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, covering the seven key areas of learning:

• Personal, Social & Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Our purpose-built Nursery provides a cosy, home-from-home atmosphere, with its own enclosed playground, all within the wider school grounds with access to other facilities.

Indoors

Children have access to lots of different resources, giving them the freedom to make independent choices about their learning and spark their curious minds. These include:

• Small world area
• Book area
• Construction table
• Mark making area
• Maths table
• Topic table
• Fine motor area
• Sand play
• Role play area (linked to termly topics)

Outdoors

We have our own enclosed outdoor space for the children to enjoy fresh air and to continue having the independence to make choices of the equipment they choose to play with and explore their inquisitive minds. Located near the main school playground, Nursery children often interact with older pupils, including Year 6 students who visit regularly, fostering special bonds between the youngest and oldest in our Forest family.

We offer our children a wide variety of activities and sports to choose from, so that their learning is continuous in outdoor play, including:

• Slide
• Water tray
• Mud kitchen
• Playhouse and reading area
• Construction shed
• Bikes, ride-on cars, and sports equipment (e.g., balls, beanbags, football net).

In the spring term, we introduce Forest Explores Outdoor Learning Sessions, where children immerse themselves in nature and engage with the school’s field for hands-on learning experiences.

Our dedicated Nursery team consists of Miss Bardsley, the Nursery Manager, along with Miss Hamilton, Ms Smith and Miss Saez, our Nursery Practitioners. They are supported by specialist teachers including Ms Wellings (Music) and Madame Tourigny (French). With a combined experience of over 90 years in Early Years education, our team brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to support each child’s development.

Trips play an important role in our Nursery experience, sparking excitement, creating happy memories, and promoting independence. We organise three annual trips:

• Christmas: A visit to Hayrack Farm’s Christmas Grotto.
• Spring: A morning at Little World of Scholars.
• Summer: A fun end-of-year trip, last year’s was a visit to Manchester Airport.

In the school holidays, Nursery and Kindergarten remain open, with exception  of one week at Christmas, one week at Easter and the last two weeks of the summer holidays, so that we can give our Nursery a much needed deep clean.

The Nursery is open from 7:30am to 5:00 pm, with the added bonus of being flexible and is bookable on a pay-as-you-go basis.Our high standard curriculum activities continue in the school holidays, plus a bit of extra fun!

From the moment they start, Nursery children are part of the wider school community. Every Friday, they participate in Celebration Assembly, where chosen individuals are recognised for achievements in sports, French, and as Pupil of the Week.

Nursery children also enjoy lunch in the school hall alongside the other Early Years classes, and at break times, Year 6 children often join them in the Nursery playground, reinforcing the strong sense of community that Forest fosters.

Nursery is the first step in our Early Years curriculum, where the children immerse themselves into the Forest Way and start to develop exemplary behaviour, known as #theforestway. Nursery, followed by Kindergarten, provides a strong foundation and ensures the best introduction to our Reception class, the final class in the Early Years Department.