2019 Nursery Booklet

Trumacar Nursery
Prospectus
2019

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General Information

Nursery Address Trumacar Nursery
Trumacar Primary School
Combermere Road
Heysham
Lancashire
LA3 2ST

The Staff

Mr Slater Headteacher
Mrs Hamer Deputy Headteacher
Mrs Burrow Assistant Head and Early Years Leader
Mrs Smith Nursery Teacher

Mrs Collin School Business Manager
Mrs Lane Admin Assistant
Mrs Summerfield Chair of Governors

School Telephone 01524 851043
Nursery Telephone Choose option 5

E-mail Address [email protected]
Website www.trumacar.lancs.sch.uk

Twitter @TrumacarPrimary
YouTube Channel Search for Trumacar

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Nursery Session Times

Early session 8.00am – 8.30am
Morning session 8.30am to 11.30am (Core hours)
Afternoon session 12.30pm to 3.30pm (Core hours)
Late session 3.30pm – 5.00pm

We are able to offer both the 15 hour and the 30 hour FREE Government
hours at our Nursery. As well as the current Core Hour provision, parents
are able to ‘buy in’ to extra sessions at a cost of £4.00 per hour. A
separate letter explains this in more detail.

Holiday dates are the same as those for Trumacar Primary School. The
dates for the current year will be available on a separate sheet and are
on the website.

Settling in and Getting to Know Us

We like the transition from home to nursery to be as smooth and
enjoyable as possible. We therefore start the children in small groups.
This enables the Nursery staff to have time for each child and provides a
calm, relaxed introduction to the Nursery.

How this initial period goes, varies from child to child. Please do not
worry if your child takes longer than others do, some children find
settling in to Nursery easy, for others it can take time. Home visits,
before your child starts Nursery, though optional, can help your child to
settle more quickly. We also hold a ‘Come and Play’ session for you and
your child to attend.

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Bringing and Collecting Your Child

It is important that you are prompt in collecting your child at the end of
the session to prevent anxiety on his/her part. A few minutes can seem
like a very long time if you are the last person to be collected.

Please come into the Nursery itself to collect your child. It is important
that staff see your child leave safely with a known adult. Children are
individually called to go to the adult collecting them at the end of the
session. We would prefer that you do not call your child to come to you
as this can cause confusion as to who is being collected. Please try to
telephone school if you are going to be unavoidably late collecting your
child and have not made previous arrangements with the Nursery staff.

If your child is to be taken home by someone other than yourselves,
please tell the Nursery staff at the start of the session. No child of
Nursery school age should be taken home by anyone younger than 12
years of age.

For safety reasons, please do not bring your car into the school
grounds.

Illness

Please notify school if your child has to stay away from Nursery for more
than one day, and please do not send your child if he/she is unwell. We
advise parents that their child remain off school for at least 48 hours
after any stomach upset.

Please make sure that the Nursery has at least two telephone numbers
where you or another adult you have given permission for can be
contacted in an emergency. Should your child be taken ill or need medical
assistance of any description we always try to contact parents or carers
or the emergency contact you have given to school. It is very important,
therefore that this information is kept up to date.

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Clothing

There is no school uniform in the Nursery, although some children enjoy
wearing the red Trumacar sweatshirts. Many of our activities are fun and
valuable but ‘messy’. We do have aprons but please send your child in
clothes he/she can play in without becoming anxious if they get soiled.
Clothes, including footwear that children can take off/on and fasten
themselves are much easier.
We try to spend as much time as possible outside so it is important to
send your child in appropriate footwear and with a coat, especially in the
colder months of the year. In the summer months it may be necessary to
apply sunscreen before arriving at Nursery and supply a sun hat.
Please make sure all clothing is clearly marked with your child’s name, and
encourage independence in children, for example putting on their coat.
Each child has his/her own individual coat hook with a photograph and
name.

Behaviour

There are few rules but those we have are enforced to promote
behaviour that is socially desirable, and to stop children from engaging in
activities which are dangerous to themselves or others. If you have any
concerns about behaviour then please do not hesitate to discuss them
with the Nursery staff.

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Toilet Training

We would like children to be toilet trained on starting Nursery. We
do not have all of the facilities to change and train children.
Please show your child how to use the toilet independently, flush the
toilet and then wash their hands.
We would appreciate it if you could supply a change of clothes which can
be kept in a bag on your child’s coat peg. The ideal bag would be a clearly
named drawstring type pump bag or rucksack.
Children do occasionally have accidents and are happier and more
comfortable if they are changed into their own spare clothes. We have a
very limited supply of spare clothes and we ask that if your child has
needed to use these items, that they are washed and returned to
Nursery as soon as possible.

Personal Belongings

Although all reasonable care is taken, we cannot take responsibility if
toys get lost or broken. We would prefer that they are left at home as
toys can also cause problems between children.
Every week we have our Nursery library session where children are given
a library bag and are able to choose a book to take home and share with
you. These are then returned in their library bag each week please.
Jewellery is also best left at home, and some items can be dangerous i.e.
loop earrings.

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Snack

The children are provided with a carton of milk during each session. We
discourage other drinks unless your child is allergic to milk. Additional
water is always available, but if your child requires juice you should supply
this in advance.
Children have a piece of fruit each day as part of the schools fruit and
vegetable scheme. This includes apples, pears, bananas, tangerines,
carrots and cherry tomatoes.
We sometimes engage in different cooking activities with the children
and they are encouraged to try the results with their milk.
Please do not let your child bring sweets or chocolate to school.

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Premises and Equipment

The Nursery has a well resourced classroom with kitchen/office, stock
rooms, cloakroom area and toilets and basins for the children and staff.
Outside there is a hard play area with covered veranda and a decorated
playground and garden, with climbing and balancing equipment.
All the equipment and learning experiences are carefully chosen and
planned and changed on a regular basis by the staff to promote each
individual child’s emotional, social, physical, intellectual, creative, moral
and spiritual development.

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The Nursery Curriculum

There is no ‘National Curriculum’ for the under 5’s. The Early Years
Foundation Stage covers the Nursery and Reception years and gives us
Early Learning Goals to work towards. These describe what children
should know and be able to do before starting the National Curriculum in
Year 1 of primary school. These Early Learning goals form the basis of
our Nursery Curriculum.

The Nursery curriculum is divided into 7 key areas of learning. The Prime
areas are:

➢ Personal, Social and Emotional Development
➢ Communication and Language
➢ Physical Development

The Specific areas are:

➢ Literacy
➢ Mathematics
➢ Understanding the World
➢ Expressive Arts and Design

In the Nursery years the child’s knowledge is not naturally separated into
different subjects. Hence educational activities are planned which enable
the children to make progress towards a range of learning outcomes from
different areas of learning, e.g. when children are cooking they are
learning about measuring and counting (Mathematics), talking about what
they are doing and following a recipe (Communication and Language),
learning how to co-operate and share in a group (Personal, Social and
Emotional Development), developing their fine manipulative skills through
stirring, spooning, moulding etc., (Physical Development), developing their
scientific understanding by observing changes and transformations
(Understanding the World), and singing songs and playing with musical
instruments, (Expressive Arts and Design).

All the Nursery staff are involved in the planning of the curriculum under
the guidance of the teacher and there is liaison between the Nursery and
Reception classes.

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Activity Time

During the session time the children may choose from a range of
activities. Everyday the children experience:

➢ Sand activity
➢ Water activity
➢ Investigation table
➢ Small world play activity
➢ Puzzles and games
➢ Graphic activity (drawing, mark making, colouring etc)
➢ Creative activity (paint, pastels, pencil, cooking, junk modelling etc)
➢ Computer aided learning
➢ Role play area
➢ Reading area
➢ Constructive activity (play dough, clay, bricks, shapes etc)
➢ Nature area (seasonal/topic activities)
➢ Interest table.

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Learning through Play

It is our aim to make your child’s days in the Nursery secure and happy.
We aim to provide a stimulating learning environment and a caring
atmosphere in which each child can develop his/her full potential.
We use the word ‘play’ to describe the range of active investigations and
experimentations undertaken by the children. The play of the children
under five is the natural way they learn. Play is a child’s work.

A Day in the Life of the Under 5’s

Oh! What a busy morning, I’ve been playing with the dough
And with a little help upon a card, I’ve even learnt to sew.

I helped my friend ‘Nurse’ Sarah perform an operation
Then fixed the track together for my train, and built a station.

I popped inside the play house to make a cup of tea,
And stood beside the cooker making lunch for 23!
I completed three whole jigsaws
And played a new board game

And had a turn on all the bikes, the slide and climbing frame.
I handed around the biscuits at milk and biscuit time
Then I listened to a story and sang a nursery rhyme.

But now the morning’s over and the mummies are all waiting,
I hope my mummy doesn’t say, Oh darling, where’s your painting?

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Assessment, Recording and Reporting

Children are observed regularly and systematically during their time in
the Nursery. Children’s attainment and progress are constantly assessed.
Development records covering the 7 areas of learning and experience are
completed regularly by the staff, which allows accurate planning to
provide different experiences to promote children’s further development.
The Nursery staff regularly meet together to discuss individual children’s
progress. At the end of the child’s year in the Nursery, an individual
profile summarising the child’s development and achievements is
completed. This is called a Learning Journey and is available for you to
look at at any time.

During the year there are formal opportunities to meet your child’s
teacher and discuss your child’s developments and achievements.
However, we welcome parental involvement and hope that you feel free to
come and talk to us at any time.

Equal Opportunities

Equal opportunities in the Nursery mean ensuring that all children are
able to develop into fully ‘rounded’ individuals developing their own
identity. No part of learning should be denied them, consciously or not,
because of their sex, race or class. Children should not feel constrained
from pursuing certain options because of ideas of what is appropriate for
their sex, nor should they be made invisible by using resources which do
not reflect their own experiences. Children are provided with resources
e.g. pictures, jigsaws, games, books etc., and an environment which
mirrors the real world, in all its cultural diversity, as well as extending
their ideas beyond immediate experiences.

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Additional Educational Needs

The Nursery follows the school’s policy document on Special Educational
Needs issues; enabling early identification of children’s particular needs
leading to appropriate intervention and support. The Special Needs Co-
ordinator has responsibility for monitoring special needs provision in the
main school and the Nursery.

Links with External Agencies and the Community

The Nursery, as with the main school, maintains appropriate links with a
wide range of external agencies such as Child Health Services and Social
Services.
We also maintain links with other local playgroups, nurseries and schools.
The Nursery is used as a training placement for Teaching Assistants and
Student Teacher Training and from time to time we have students from
local secondary schools on work experience.

We look forward to meeting you and your child and hope that you both
enjoy your time at Trumacar Nursery Class.

And don’t forget we have Tiger Cubs every Friday morning in school for
any younger brothers and sisters to come along to with their parents –
a chance to meet other parents and young children before starting at our

Nursery.

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