This has been such an exciting venture for the School and local community. Our Nursery opened on September 11th and I have to say has been an absolute joy from day 1.
The Nursery staff made home visits prior to the children starting and parents and children were invited for taster sessions before their ‘proper’ start date. This enabled parents and staff to get to know each other and for children to become familiar with the setting, so easing any anxieties…for parents perhaps more than for the children!
The children have settled amazingly and I know parents have been delighted, and perhaps relieved, that their children just love coming! We chose to have an optional ‘uniform’ of a polo shirt and sweatshirt/cardigan which are the reverse of our main school colours and it’s so interesting to see that, over time, most of the children are now wearing these and some are even going for the whole school uniform ‘look’ of black or grey trousers, skirts etc.
I have always felt very strongly that children shouldn’t be unnecessarily ‘fenced in’ by boundaries and need to learn where it’s safe to be and not safe, or where you’re allowed to go and not allowed to go. With this in mind we thought long and hard about how our Nursery children would share the same large outdoor space as our Reception children yet wouldn’t get knocked down by a Reception child on a trike!
Well, the plan has worked beautifully and has proved to us all that children can learn about boundaries for themselves without having a physical barrier. So the Reception and Nursery children all have access to the same outdoor space, but Reception children know they mustn’t go onto the ‘bricked area’ (so stay on the tarmac) and the Nursery children know they must stay on the bricks.
The area of grass, mounds and climbing equipment is between these two spaces and they play there together with no mishaps. In fact it is so lovely to see 3, 4 and 5 year olds choosing to play a game together- whether it is rolling down the banks, lying in the bird hide and spotting what’s out there or just running together along the top of the mounds just for the love of running.
Already our Trust regional director has visited and acknowledged the excellent provision.
I have to thank our Nursery staff and our Early Years Leader for their hard work, commitment and passion for enabling this to be so successful already. Already, we have children registered to start in the summer term. I am pleased to report that, by popular demand, we will now be taking children from the day they turn 3 (not the term after they are 3 as was previously advertised).
I should like to say a special thank you to those parents who are supporting our Nursery and who are also speaking so highly of it to their friends and family. This provision is a great addition to what is already available to parents and children within Littleport and gives parents even greater choice as it runs before and after the school day.