Nursery News 13th October 2025

NURSERY NEWS

13^th October 2025 – Edition 386

Find out About:

A. Parent Consultations

B. Willow Pumpkin Patch

C. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Parent Consultations

We aim to offer all parents the opportunity to have a Parent Consultation with their child’s keyworker once per term.

Now it is time for Big Nursery parents to book appointments to speak with your child’s Keyworker.

These consultations are offered to talk about how your child is settling in and the progress your child is making. They are not compulsory, but if you would like an appointment please arrange this with your child’s keyworker when they are outside before morning sessions, or after afternoon sessions.

These consultations will be on the telephone, will last 5 minutes and will be available at the following times:

Monday 3^rd November, Miss Skai’s Orange Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm.

Tuesday 4^th November Miss Howe’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:45pm

Tuesday 4^th November Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:55pm

Thursday 6^th November Mrs Patterson’s Blue Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm

B. Willow Pumpkin Patch

Mrs Patterson and Miss Howe are planning to set up a Pumpkin Patch in our outside area and are requesting donations of a pumpkin. They are looking for pumpkins of all sizes to add to the patch, so, if you are able to add one to your shopping list, please do! There are so many activities that can stem from having a collection of pumpkins, including; transportation of pumpkins in wheelbarrows and on bikes, pumpkin painting, hammering golf tees into the pumpkins, using the pumpkins in the mud kitchen and even opening up the pumpkins to investigate what’s inside. It will be a very exciting week, full of art, science and cognitive and physical development. Thank you for your support!

(We did this last year and it was an amazing success. The children had so much fun!)

C. What are the children learning about this week?

The learning intention this week is for the children to know some of the things that make them unique, and talk about similarities and differences in relation to friends and family.

The theme this week is ‘Happy in Our Skin’, so the children will be using mirrors to look at their reflections and adults will take these opportunities to talk to the children about what they can see. This can then evolve into an opportunity to discuss things that make us different and any similarities that we may have with each other.

Children will be learning the names of their friends and will be able to take photographs of each other using our i-pads. After the photographs have been taken, the children can analyse them to identify familiar features such as eye and hair colour. Staff will highlight the similarities that they may have with children and each other, they will explain that we are all unique even though we may have some similar features or habits.

Our seven C’s learning intention is for the children to be able to feed themselves. Staff encourage the children to be as independent as possible during lunch and snack times. They are asked to get their own lunch boxes and drinks bottles and to feed themselves with as little support as possible. Our aim is for the children to understand the importance of being able to do things for themselves and how things become easier with practise.

NURSERY NEWS

6^th October 2025 – Edition 385

Find out About:

A. Parent Consultations- A reminder

B. How to keep your child healthy over the coming Autumn/ Winter season.

C. A case of Headlice in Big Nursery.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Parent Consultations-A reminder

We aim to offer all parents the opportunity to have a Parent Consultation with their child’s keyworker once per term

Little Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations during week beginning Monday 21^th October, 2025

These consultations are offered to talk about how your child is settling in. They are not compulsory, but if you would like an appointment please arrange this with your child’s keyworker when they are outside before morning sessions, or after afternoon sessions.

B. How to keep your child healthy over the coming Autumn/ Winter season.

With the new school term starting, children spend more time together, which can lead to more colds, flu, and other illnesses.

Here are some ways to keep your children healthy and in school:

1.Keep your child’s vaccinations up to date.

Measles and whooping cough are still around. The best way to protect your child from getting sick is to make sure they have had all their vaccines. If you are unsure. you can ask your GP or use the NHS app to check.

Make sure your child gets the flu vaccine.

Flu can make children very sick. The Flu vaccine reduces the risk of needing hospital care. Most children from age 2 to 16 can get the vaccine. The vaccine is usually a quick, painless spray in the nose. There is also a version without pork ingredients. Children aged 2-3 can get the flu vaccine at their GP. Vaccinating your child also helps protect others, like family members, from getting the flu.

3.Teach your child good handwashing habits.

Washing hands helps stop the spread of germs. Remind your child to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Teach them to use tissues for coughs and sneezes and to throw them in the bin afterwards.

Know when to keep your child at home.

Sometimes it is hard to know if your child should stay home. For minor illnesses, like a slight cough or cold, it’s usually OK to send them to school. But if they have a high temperature or a rash, keep them at home and speak to your GP

C. A case of Headlice in Big Nursery.

A parent kindly telephoned me today to inform me her child had head lice. I would ask that all parents check their child’s hair.

I have copied the following information from an NHS information website, which you may find useful.

Head lice and nits

Head lice and nits are very common in young children and their families. They do not have anything to do with dirty hair and are picked up by head-to-head contact.

Check if it’s head lice

–Head lice are small insects, up to 3mm long

-They can be difficult to spot in your hair

-Head lice eggs (nits) are brown or white (empty shells) and attached to the hair

Head lice can make your head feel:

itchy
like something is moving in your hair

The only way to be sure someone has head lice is by finding live lice.

You can do this by combing their hair with a special fine-toothed comb (detection comb). You can buy these online or at pharmacies.

How to get rid of head lice

Important

You can treat head lice without seeing a GP.

Treat head lice as soon as you spot them.

You should check everyone in the house and start treating anyone who has head lice on the same day.

There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.

Wet combing

Lice and nits can be removed by wet combing. You should try this method first.

You can buy a special fine-toothed comb (detection comb) online or from pharmacies to remove head lice and nits.

There may be instructions on the pack, but usually you:

wash hair with ordinary shampoo
apply lots of conditioner (any conditioner will do)
comb the whole head of hair, from the roots to the ends

It usually takes about 10 minutes to comb short hair, and 20 to 30 minutes for long, frizzy or curly hair.

Do wet combing on days 1, 5, 9 and 13 to catch any newly hatched head lice. Check again that everyone’s hair is free of lice on day 17.

Medicated lotions and sprays

Ask a pharmacist for advice if you have tried wet combing for 17 days, but your child still has live head lice.

They may recommend using medicated lotions and sprays. These kill head lice in all types of hair, and you can buy them from pharmacies, supermarkets or online.

Head lice should die within a day. Some lotions and sprays come with a comb to remove dead lice and eggs.

Some treatments need to be repeated after a week to kill any newly hatched lice.

Check the pack to see if they’re OK for you or your child and how to use them.

If lotions or sprays do not work, speak to a pharmacist about other treatments.

Some treatments are not recommended because they’re unlikely to work.

For example:

products containing permethrin
head lice “repellents”
electric combs for head lice
tree and plant oil treatments, such as tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and lavender oil herbal remedies

You cannot prevent head lice

There’s nothing you can do to prevent head lice.

You can help stop them spreading by wet or dry combing regularly to catch them early.

Do not use medicated lotions and sprays to prevent head lice. They can irritate the scalp.

There’s no need for children to stay off school or to wash laundry on a hot wash.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is ‘who is who in nursery?’

This week each morning the children will see photographs of each member of staff and they will learn the names of the staff. This is to help the children to feel more at ease with the staff and to encourage children to use names when talking to someone. We will talk about the importance of addressing people by their names and recognizing who each person is and where they work within the nursery. Learning the names of the people around you, helps to build confidence and create a sense of self.

The learning intention this week is for the children to be able to count up to five items, recognizing that the last number said, represents the total counted so far. Children will be taught lots of number songs to help them count in order and they will be encouraged to check their counting by using fingers to represent the numbers.

The skill we will be focusing on this week is riding a bike. We have a large selection of bikes for the children to use, including two wheeled bikes, tricycles and tandems. We will provide a timer to support the children to take turns on the bikes and play fairly. All children are encouraged to ride safely and to park their bikes up in the designated parking area after their turn.

NURSERY NEWS

29th September 2025 – Edition 384

Find out About:

A. Important dates

B. Parent Consultations

C. Display of Family Photographs- For All Children

D. Forest School Program

E. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Important dates

It is time to give parents an overview of the term, as most families are now enrolled and attending in Big Nursery and Little Nursery.

The school year has three terms, Autumn, Spring and Summer. Each term has a Half Term break in the middle of the term. So dates for this term are:

Mon 27^th October 2025 to Fri 31^st October 2025: Autumn Half term – School Closed

Thursday 18^th December 2025 Last normal school day of the Autumn Term.

Friday 19th December 2025 School open for Christmas Parties only (As a guide: Last year Little Nursery Party 9:00am to 10:00am Big Nursery Party 11:15am to 1:00pm, but this may change slightly when we begin planning for this year)

Monday 5^th January 2026 –Teacher Training Day- School Closed

Tuesday 6^th January 2026 First day of Spring Term- School open.

We have some other notable dates to share with you. Further information will be included in these newsletters nearer to the time, regarding each event.

Wednesday 5th November and Thursday 6th November-School Photographer to visit.

Thursday 13^th November 5pm- Open School Event ‘Walk In the Dark’.

Friday 14^th November ‘Children in Need Day’ We make a collection for this charity.

Wednesday 19^th November Open School Event Big Nursery Blue Group –Parents to watch Basic Skills Literacy Session.

Week beginning Monday 1^st December Open School Event: Big Nursery Parents invited in to watch their child’s Music Session.

B. Parent Consultations

We aim to offer all parents the opportunity to have a Parent Consultation with their child’s keyworker once per term

Little Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations during week beginning Monday 20^th October, 2025

These consultations will be on the telephone, will last 5 minutes and will be available at the following times:

Monday 20th October Miss Cashmore’s Red Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:30pm

Tuesday 21^st October Mrs Chiriac’s Red Group Consultations. 5 minute telephone consultations between 9:30am and 9:45 am

Tuesday 21^st October Miss Allen’s Little Yellow Group Consultations. 5 minute telephone consultations between 9:50am and 10:50am

Tuesday 21st October Miss Gaffney’s Green Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:10pm

Big Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations (on the telephone) during week beginning Monday 3^rd November, 2025. Dates and times for appointments will be detailed in Nursery News 386 (published on Monday 13^thOctober).

C. Display of Family Photographs- For All Children

Two weeks ago I told everyone about the display we would like to put up of Family photo’s in Big Nursery, and the booklet of Family photo’s we would like to create in Little Nursery. We have had a few photographs come in, and we have put them on the wall. The children have been very interested in looking at the photographs, but a few were concerned they could not find pictures of their family..

We know people have lots of photos on their phone, but people do not always print them. I am suggesting that you might like to send a family photo to the school office, and we can print it off, and place it on the wall. The school email address is office@willownursery.co.uk

D. Forest School Program

Mrs Brinkley has started teaching our Forest School program to Big Nursery Yellow Group. I just wanted to tell you a little about Forest School at Willow.

Mrs Brinkley spent a year studying to become a Level 3 Forest School Practitioner. In order to support her work in school, all other school staff studied to become Level 1 Forest School Practitioners.

What is a Forest School? -this is a quote which outlines what a Forest School is and the ethos of them:

‘An inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland environment’ (Forest School (England) network 2002)

Whilst we have some trees and shrubs, we acknowledge that we do not have a ‘Forest’, but Forest School teaching and learning is all about participating in activities in the outdoors, learning new skills, building strong relationships and thinking creatively. Mrs Brinkley has planned 7 activity sessions that Big Nursery children will take part in during their final year at nursery. Mrs Brinkley will work with a small group once a week for 7 weeks. We aim to have worked with Orange, Blue and Yellow group children by Summer 2026.

So, for your information, these are the seven activities the children will be participating in:

Fairy/ Gnome Dens. Children will use natural materials that they find in the garden to build a small den for an imaginary fairy or gnome.

2. Making Fairies or small people. Children will be shown how to make a fairy using twigs and clay. Children will be encouraged to make their own character, using their imagination to add hair, wings or other accessories.

3.Larger Dens. Working as part of a small group children will build a den from tarpaulins and ropes. Children will then join Mrs Brinkley inside the den for a story together.

4. Clay Faces. Children will mould a flat circular clay shape onto a tree trunk. Children will then add natural objects to the clay to create a face. Children will be shown how to make marks in the clay using sticks found in the garden. Children will compare their own features with those of their friends. Children will discuss similarities and differences.

5. Bug Hunt. Children will look around the garden areas, trying to find bugs to put into their bug collecting pot. They will tip their collections out onto a white paper surface, then use a magnifying glass to look carefully at the bugs. We will be teaching them about being careful with the wildlife and to look after nature.

6. Mud Kitchens, Mud Potions and Mixtures. Children will be provided with pots and spoons. They will have the opportunity to mix soil with sand and water to make liquid mud. Children will then be able to add leaves and grass, and anything else that they find in the garden, into their mixture.

7. Making Woodland Medals. Children will be shown how to use a hand drill to drill a hole in a small disc of wood in order to make a medal. Children will decorate their medals using felt tip pens

Mrs Brinkley’s Thoughts….

I am really excited to be now teaching our children ‘The Forest School Way’. The children are enjoying the new experience and their ideas are extending learning further. Forest School learning has so many benefits to the child’s learning and covers all areas to support the overall well being of the children.

Welcome to Forest School learning Willow!

E. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is all about me

The learning intention this week is for the children to become more aware of the similarities and differences between themselves and others in more detailed ways and to identify themselves in relation to social groups and their peers.

The children have been bringing in family photos which have been put on a display board for everyone to see. Everyone is enjoying looking at all of the pictures, it is fun for the children to look for their own picture and also to see who they recognise in the other photo’s. The photographs are a big talking point for the children and prompt them to share memories and experiences.

This week the children will be encouraged to use mirrors to look at their facial features and then they can try to recreate their own image, using a variety of resources. Staff will support children by naming all of the different facial features, including those that may be trickier to remember such as chin, eyebrows, forehead, freckles etc. While the children are looking at their faces, staff will discuss with them the similarities and differences between them and their friends.

NURSERY NEWS

22nd September 2025 – Edition 383

Find out About:

A. What to put in your child’s change of clothes bag.

B Support for toilet training.

C. Applying for Primary School.

D. Willow Lending Library.

E. What are the children learning about this week?

A. What to put in your child’s change of clothes bag.

We ask that all children bring a small bag or backpack to school with items of spare clothing inside. Sometimes children may become very wet or messy when playing in the nursery and we cannot leave them in wet clothes. Sometimes children will have a toilet accident and require changing.

Please provide clothes that are easy to change. Please provide more than one pair of underpants/knickers/trousers/socks if your child is not yet reliable with their toileting. Put plenty of clothes in! Some children are changed three or more times a day!

We would ask that all parents provide a pack of wet wipes in their child’s bag to enable us to clean your child after a toilet incident.

We would also ask that parents provide some carrier bags in their child’s bag to put wet or soiled clothes into. A packet of Nappy sacks will do the job!

B. Support for toilet training.

We are very happy to support parents with toilet training your child. When you think your child is ready, talk to your child’s keyworker about your plans. We can then work together to help your child.

It is important that we transition from nappies to knickers or pants.

Please, no Pull Ups.

We are looking for children to begin to recognise the sensation that they feel when they need to urinate. It’s within those few minutes when children have to learn ‘be quick, let’s get to the bathroom!’ Children need to be able to feel when their underwear is wet too. If a child wears a pull up, it feels to the child the same as a nappy. During toilet training a child should learn that if they are wet they should be changed. We want to change children as soon as they wet, so they are in clean dry clothes. As staff, we cannot see if a child is wet wearing a pull up. If a child is wearing underwear we can usually see when a child is wet, and change them immediately.

C. Applying for Primary School. (Taken directly from Central Beds website.)

www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/5/school_admissions/496/apply_for_a_new_lower_or_primary_school_place

This applies to all children in Big Nursery, Dates of Birth: 1/9/21 to31/8/22

Apply for a lower or primary school place in Central Bedfordshire

15 January 2026 is the deadline for on-time applications.

How to apply

if we’re your council, you need to apply through us
if we’re not your council, you’ll need to apply through them (find out who your council is on GOV.UK)

Apply online for your school place

Applying online is quick, simple and safe. In fact, nearly 95% of parents and carers apply online for a lower/primary school place.

What you’ll need to apply

Proof of your child’s date of birth, such as a passport or short birth certificate. You’ll be prompted to upload a copy of this during your application.

Apply by post

If you can’t apply online, don’t worry; you can also apply by post. Here’s how:

get an application form
You can download an application form
complete the form and ensure you have proof of your child’s date of birth, like a passport or short birth certificate (please don’t send us original documents; copies are fine)
send the completed form and copies of documents to:
School Admissions
Central Bedfordshire Council
Priory House
Monks Walk
Chicksands
Shefford
Bedfordshire
SG17 5TQ

We need to receive your application by the 15 January 2026 deadline.

Please don’t make both an online and postal application. We’ll only process the latest one (if it’s sent before the deadline).

Apply by email

Please note: Email is not a secure medium. Please ensure you take appropriate steps to protect your child’s personal information.

get an application form
You can download an application form
complete the form and ensure you have proof of your child’s date of birth, like a passport or short birth certificate
ensure you’ve protected all documents containing personal information
send the completed form and copies of documents to admissions@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

We need to receive your application by the 15 January 2026 deadline.

If Central Bedfordshire is not your council, you’ll need to apply through your home Local Authority.

You will need to look on your Local Authority Council’s website for further information on how to apply.

D. Willow Lending Library.

Miss Howe worked hard last year to create ‘Willow Lending Library’ which has proved to be quite a success. We want to invite all new parents to explore our Lending Library:

Willow Lending Library

Welcome to Willow outdoor lending library. We are open every day from 8.15-8.45am and from 3.00pm-3.30pm.

Please choose 1-2 books with your child and write the names of the books under your child’s name in their colour group folder before taking them home to read together.

You can change the books as frequently as you wish.

Please look after our books.

*Please ensure that you have left the library area at 8.45am prompt before children start to enter the school gates in the morning. THANKYOU J

Top Tips for Reading with your child

Let your child choose what they would like to read.
Make sure there are no distractions.
Sit close together. Encourage your child to hold the book and turn the pages too.
Look at the pictures. Talk about what can be seen on the page.
Ask questions and talk about the book. Give your child time to talk.
Have fun – there is no right or wrong way to share a story.

E. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is Maisy Goes Swimming

This week the children will listen to the story ‘Maisy Goes Swimming’, they will be able to share their own experiences of going swimming with staff and their friends. This is an interactive book which teaches about the routine that Maisy needs to follow to be able to swim. Staff will discuss how independent Maisy is and how she gets dressed and undressed by herself.

Our learning intention this week is to listen to familiar stories with increasing attention and recall and to listen to stories and nursery rhymes. We have a lovely library at Willow and children are always encouraged to choose books to share and enjoy. After each book, staff like to talk about what has happened in the story and use the pictures in the books as conversation prompts for the children.

As we explore different nursery rhymes and songs with the children, staff will leave gaps for the children to join in with singing familiar rhymes and even encourage them to sing the entire song by themselves if they feel confident to do so. This will support the children with their communication and language development as they learn new words and sounds, singing is also great for building relationships. Singing songs in groups or alongside a grown up can show children that it is fun to be a little bit silly and loud sometimes.

NURSERY NEWS

15^th September 2025 – Edition 382

Find out About:

A. Progress so far….

B. Keeping Children Safe.

C. Milk and Fruit time.

D. Celebrating Birthdays.

E. Family Photographs

F. Early Years Pupil Premium

G. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Progress so far….

We had an unusual start to the term. The roof replacement work that was planned to be completed in the 6 weeks summer holiday ran over slightly due to the very hot, then very wet conditions. We began the term with roofers still busy on our roof. To keep the children safe, we chose to use just a small part of the garden, away from where the work was continuing. Even though some of the children were brand new to us, they coped very well.

I’m happy to say that last week we were able to fully open up our outside spaces. Children were able to spread out and enjoy the space. Things are going well. Staff are getting to know the children, playing with them, talking to them, sharing stories with them, and generally encouraging them to feel happy in school. When children feel secure and have good well-being, they will begin to learn.

So this week a few basics to help with the running of school:

B. Keeping Children Safe.

Parents entrust their children into our care. There are rigorous procedures in place outlined by the government to keep all children safe from harm. I think it is important to let you know about some of the procedures that may affect you and your family whilst being part of our School Community, and I will try to explain the reasons for having these procedures.

We need to know where children are if they are absent from school. If for any reason you decide to keep your child at home, on a day when your child should be at school please telephone in to school as soon as possible and let us know. When registers are completed at the beginning of the session we have to put codes in the registers regarding the reasons for a child’s absence. If we do not hear from you, you will receive a call from one of the office staff or the headteacher asking about the whereabouts of your child.

If you know in advance that you will be absent, for example for a medical appointment, please let staff know and the appropriate code can be entered in the register.

If you plan to go on holiday in term time, please fill in a holiday form (available from the office staff) which again will let us know the dates that you will be absent. Unexplained absences have to be followed up. If a child is absent for any length of time and we have not heard from their parents as to the reasons for their absence, the child become a ‘Missing Child’. In this circumstance we are compelled to contact the Police and Social Care.

We need to record all injuries. If your child has a fall or receives a bump in school that we are aware of, we will fill in an accident letter to tell you about the incident. This letter will be passed on to you outside, by a member of staff. There is another copy kept in school.

Please inform your child’s Keyworker if your child comes in to school with an existing injury that has occurred outside of school time. Staff must make a note of any existing injuries a child has. Our children at Willow are young. They are sometimes unable to tell us how they have hurt themselves. Please tell us if you know of any marks/cuts etc as it will save staff trying to work out what has happened.

Teach your child to use the toilet. Guidelines say that we should offer as little assistance in the bathroom as possible. With the three and four year old Nursery children we prefer to give children verbal assistance from outside their cubicle, only offering physical assistance if absolutely necessary. If an adult is needed to help a child in the bathroom another member of staff will always be aware, and support if necessary.

C. Milk and Fruit time.

The government provides all children at Nursery with a free carton of milk each day. All children in the nursery will be offered milk at mid-morning snack time. (Unless parents have informed us that their child has an intolerance to cows milk)

We aim to provide all children with a fruit snack

We ask all parents to donate some fruit, so we can share these at the snack table. We ask parents to donate a bag of fruit such as apples, satsumas or bananas, for all the children to share. If every parent was to donate a small bag of fruit every half term, we will have lots to share.

D. Celebrating Birthdays.

We have a ‘Birthday Board’ in school where we display the names of staff and pupils who will be celebrating their birthday within the current month. We celebrate every individual child’s birthday during Keyworker time, with their colour group. We have a very real looking iced ‘fake’ cake with candles on. Staff make a fuss of the children on their special day (or near to it if their birthday falls at the weekend or in the school holidays). The birthday child is invited to sit at the front of the group, with their Keyworker. Everyone sings ‘Happy Birthday’ and the birthday child blows the candles out. The birthday child receives a special birthday sticker.

Parents often ask if they can treat all the children on their child’s birthday. We have been saying for a few years now, when asked, that due to allergies and parental choice, we would prefer parents to donate some special birthday fruit for all the children to share on their birthday.

For many years parents have wanted to provide sweets for our children. Sweets are problematic. Some parents would prefer that their child was not offered sweets for health reasons. Some sweets (for example, most ‘Haribo’ jelly sweets) contain gelatin, which makes them unsuitable for some children, for religious reasons. Even chocolate is unsuitable for some children with allergies.

New nutrition guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage, from the Department of Education, comes into force in September 2025. There is a new requirement in the safeguarding and welfare requirements in the EYFS that providers MUST take this guidance into account and should follow it unless there is a good reason not to.

Pg 28 of the guidance says:

Celebrations

Many families like to celebrate their child’s birthday and other special events by bringing in a cake or sweets to the setting to share. This can mean that some children are eating these unhealthy foods several times a week. The food and nutrition policy could include recommendations for special events to ensure any food brought in from home is balanced and meets the setting’s food guidelines (for example recommending fruit platters to share). Any food shared in the setting should be checked for potential allergens. Communication with parents and/or carers about these practices is key to ensuring they are informed and involved in supporting healthy eating habits at early years settings.

We must request, that as a school community, we should work together to promote healthy choices for all our children.

E. Family Photographs

We have themes that we work on with the children. We begin with learning about something all the children can be familiar with their family. The staff will be working with the children on various activities and talking to them about their families. To help the children understand we would ask if you could send in a family photo that they can share with everyone.

For Big Nursery Children The staff would like to include these photo’s as part of a wall display.

For Little Nursery Children The staff in little nursery will be creating a family booklet with the photographs provided and they will sit with the children to look through their booklet together. This booklet will be available for the children to look at whenever they choose and should be comforting to the children if they are missing home.

So, if you would like to send in a photo of your child and their family, please do so during this week (15/09/25) or at the beginning of next week. Please hand your photo to your child’s keyworker, so we can keep them safe. Please write your child’s name on the back of the photo, and if possible the names of other family members shown in the photograph. We will then be able to return the photos to you, later in the year.

F. Early Years Pupil Premium

What is Early Years Pupil Premium?

The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) is designed to narrow the attainment gap between young children from low-income families and their peers by improving the facilities, equipment and learning experiences to benefit the growth and development of eligible children.

This information has been taken from Central Bedfordshire’s Website.

Nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, and other childcare providers can claim extra funding through the Early Years Pupil Premium.

This applies to 9 months to 4-year-old children whose:

parents receive certain benefits
have been adopted
are in care

The provider can use the funding to improve the quality of the early years education that they provide. This could include, for example, additional training for staff on early language development.

How to apply

If you believe you are entitled to funding, please contact your childcare provider.

How do I qualify?

The child must attend a setting in Central Bedfordshire. Parents/carers who receive any of the following will qualify for the Early Years Pupil Premium:

Universal Credit – your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits you get
Income Support
Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit, providing you do not also receive Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Or, if they have been:

looked after by us (the Local Authority) for at least 1 day
adopted from our (the Local Authority) care
left care through special guardianship, and subject to a child arrangement order setting out with whom they are to live (formerly known as residence orders) in Central Bedfordshire

You can find out more about the early years pupil premium on the GOV.UK website.

If any parent has considered the eligibility criteria and believes their child is eligible please telephone or email the school office and together we can make a claim.

G. What are the children learning about this week?

What are the children learning about this week? The theme this week is settling into nursery and nursery rules.

We will be teaching the children our school rules this week;

Kind hands

Looking eyes

Walking feet

Little voice

Listening ears

As we teach the children these rules, they will learn that it is important that they follow them in order to learn and play in a safe environment. We will also teach the children about self-care, including taking themselves to the toilet, washing hands and the importance of privacy. We always remind the children to try to close the door when they use the toilet and to adjust clothing where possible before they leave the toilet area.

We begin the school year by focussing our learning on things they are all familiar with in their lives. We begin by spending some time thinking about ‘Myself’. Perhaps starting simply by looking in a mirror and using their finger to point at their features in their reflection.

Just to put things in context….

In the space of the next few weeks, we move on to talking about our families. All families are different, but all children here have one! These activities encourage children to communicate about their lives, sharing their experiences with staff and other children while building social relationships.

We eventually move on to talking about the Nursery Community. We want the children to learn about all the adults who are here to help them in the nursery. Nursery adults are here to help you, when adults from your home are not. We want to build trust with our pupils. We want the oldest children to see themselves as an individual who is part of a wider school community. To learn that they are important, and that they belong.

NURSERY NEWS

8^th September 2025 – Edition 381

Find out About:

A. Welcome

B: Newsletters

C: School Term Dates

D: Labelling belongings

E: A Good Start

F. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Welcome

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to those families who were with us last term. We are very lucky to have such helpful and sensible children in our school. Even with just a six week break we notice the children have developed greatly in that time. In September we see all existing children move keyworkers. Your child’s Keyworker will greet you and your child(ren) within their colour groups, when families begin to assemble outside in the morning. I expect Keyworkers to be outside 5 minutes before school begins, so if you have something brief to pass on to your child’s Keyworker, this will be possible.

A warm ‘Hello’ is extended to all our new families. We are still having a few tears, as children are learning to spend some time away from their parents, perhaps for the very first time. So far, we have been very impressed with the children’s behaviours and attitudes, so ‘Thankyou’ to all parents for the support you are giving to your children to make their transition into Nursery successful.

B: Newsletters

I (Mrs Davies) write a weekly Newsletter to parents to help keep parents up to date with everything going on in Nursery. This weekly newsletter will be emailed to all families on Mondays.

Copies of this newsletter will also be placed on our website willownursery.co.uk in our ‘Latest News’ section. Previous Newsletters are also available within the latest news section, should you need to search back for some information.

Please do read the weekly newsletter as we share important dates, including parent consultations, open school events etc

C: School Term Dates

The Local Authority, Central Bedfordshire, publishes details of term dates and school holidays on their website: Centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Type: ‘School term and holiday dates in Central Bedfordshire’ into your search engine to find the correct page.

We are a Local Authority School, and as such we follow the Local Authority term dates.

However, for the academic year 2025-2026 the Local Authority did not set the 5 training days when the school is closed for staff training. Schools were advised to choose our 5 training days. We have planned our 5 training days to be:

Monday 1^st September 2025.

Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

Monday 5^th January 2026

Monday 22^nd June 2026

Monday 20^th July 2026.

We have put Willow Nursery School dates for the 2025-2026 academic year on our website willownursery.co.uk on the ‘Calendar’ tab.

D: Labelling belongings

Label all lunchboxes clearly with your child’s name, on the top, so staff can see the name when the box is on the trolley. Label all drinks bottles and containers.

Label all coats and shoes, and any other items that children can take off-cardigans/jumpers/ fleeces. It is much easier to return items to owners when things are labelled.

E. A Good Start!

What has happened so far?….

We have enrolled all our new starters into Big Nursery. We have had 5 families join this year group that are new to the school. There are 43 children who are Big Nursery Pupils. We are getting to know everyone, trying to settle everyone in, and helping children to learn the daily routines that enable the nursery to run smoothly.

What happens next?………….

Little Nursery continues to enrol new pupils this week. We are expecting 13 new families in this year group.

We will have 28 children who are Little Nursery pupils.

I do have lots of information to share in these newsletters, but I will not share too much until everyone is enrolled in school.

We are so enjoying meeting all our pupils and getting to know them, and hopefully, over time we will get to know all their parents too.

F. What are the children learning about this week?

Mrs Cashmore is the teacher who writes an article every week in the newsletter to share with parents the experiences your children will be having in school. This is to enable you to be part of your child’s learning journey, so you can talk together about their new learning when you are at home.

So for this week:

The theme this week is settling in and nursery rules.

This week, the children will be settling in and learning the rules and routines of school life. It’s all very exciting, as the children have moved into their new classrooms, met their key workers and are making new friends. Our school rules are designed to provide a happy and safe environment for everyone and they are displayed in each classroom. Staff will be reminding children of the rules throughout the week and explaining how important it is that we follow them at all times.

Children will be learning where to put their coats and bags as they come into school, each child has their own peg which clearly displays their name and a picture to them to help with peg recognition. It is important that children can identify their belongings, so we ask parents to label all property clearly to support this.

As the lunches are stored together according to colour groups, we request that parents clearly label lunch boxes on the outside, on the top so names can be seen quickly. This supports children with their lunchtime transition, enabling us to help them to swiftly find their lunchboxes and take them to their assigned seats. Please also remember to label your child’s drink bottle as many children do not yet know which bottle is theirs and may get mixed up with someone else’s drink.

As the children settle into their new routines, they will become more secure and confident to leave their parents. While they are at school, some children may have toileting accidents, or eat and drink less than usual but this is often due to them adjusting to their new environment. We understand that each child progresses at their own pace and we thank you for your continued support and patience with these matters.

NURSERY NEWS

21st July 2025 – Edition 380

Find out About:

A. Lost Property

B. Remember to put your younger children on our wait list.

C. School re-open dates for September 2025

D. Department for Education: Early Years Foundation Stage Nutrition Guidance

E. Choking Hazards.

A. Lost Property.

Our Lost Property will be emptied at the end of term, and any unclaimed belongings will be disposed of. Please look through the Lost Property boxes that are in the storage trolley in the outdoor Library area.

B. Remember to put your younger children on our wait list.

Please remember to add your younger children’s names on our waitlist. We are no longer able to give preference to children who have had brothers and sisters in our school. We look purely at how long children have been on our wait list for each termly cohort when we allocate spaces. Please encourage friends and family members to put their child’s name down as soon as possible, to have the best chance of being offered a space in the future.

C. School re-open dates September 2025

Monday 1st September School Closed Staff Training Day

Tuesday 2nd September School Closed Staff Training Day

Wednesday 3rd September School Open.

· Brand new families have been advised of their start date.

· Existing families should continue with their child’s current attendance pattern.

· Some existing families have increased their child’s sessions from 15 to 30 hours. These children will start on 3rd September.

D. Department for Education: Early Years Foundation Stage Nutrition Guidance

The Department of education has released a new document that we, as a Nursery School must take notice of, and comply with. It comes into force 1st September 2025.

Summary

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards that early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn, develop well and are kept healthy and safe.

From September 2025, we intend to include a new requirement in the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS that providers must have regard to this nutrition guidance. This means providers must take this guidance into account and should follow it unless there is good reason not to.

This guidance will support providers to understand how to implement the existing EYFS requirement that states: ‘Where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious’.

Why this guidance is important

Providing healthy, balanced and nutritious food ensures that all children:

• Get the right amount of nutrients and energy they need while they are growing rapidly, which is especially important for children who might not have access to healthy food at home. This can help prevent children from becoming overweight or obese.

• Develop positive eating habits early on. Children’s early experiences with food can shape future eating habits. This can impact children’s long-term health including maintaining a healthy weight, and good oral health.

The early years are a crucial time to reduce health inequalities and set the foundations for a lifetime of good health.

There is some very good advice within this document. We do have a Willow Nursery School Nutrition Policy, but in light of this document we will update it. We may have to introduce new guidelines around foods that are brought into school. This will include fruit snacks, the content of Lunch boxes and birthday treats.

Food brought in from home

Having a food and nutrition policy in place and communicating this to parents and/or carers can help them to understand your regulatory obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It is important to ensure that food provided from home aligns with the healthy options offered by the setting, so that children receive consistent messages about nutrition.

I am suggesting that parents might like to read the document, so you can see the content of it, and understand the framework we are required to work within.

This is the internet address to take you to this document:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-nutrition

We will update you in the Autumn term of any changes made to our Nutrition Policies.

F. Choking Hazards.

Within the Nutrition Guidance above, there are many electronic links. I would like to draw your attention to one of these from the ‘Food Standards Agency’ regarding choking hazards and how foods should be prepared.

We will use this advice with regard to our packed lunch guidelines. So please have a look to familiarise yourselves with the advice.

NURSERY NEWS

14^th July 2025 – Edition 379

Find out About:

A. End of Term arrangements July 2025- A reminder

B. Leavers Day –Tuesday 22^nd July – 8:50am-11:50am- A reminder

C. The end of the 2024-2025 Academic Year is rapidly approaching.

Please note that all our previous newsletters are available on our website www.willownursery.co.uk

A. End of Term arrangements July 2025- A reminder

The last day of term in July 2025 for all children will be Monday 21^st July.

This day will run as a normal Monday. Timings of the day will be the same as all Mondays.

B. Leavers Day –Tuesday 22^nd July- 8:50am-11:50am-A reminder

On Tuesday 22^nd July school will open only for the Big Nursery children that are leaving us. The session will be from 8:50 am to 11:50 am. All Big Nursery leavers are invited to attend this session, regardless of your child’s normal attendance days. As children are attending for the morning only, no child will require a packed lunch. Children will require their water bottles. Children should arrive at 8:50 am and wait outside as usual.

C. The end of the 2024-2025 Academic Year is rapidly approaching!

We find ourselves rapidly approaching the end of another year at Willow. I have some ‘Thankyous’ that I would like to share. Firstly, I would like to thank each and every parent who has chosen Willow for their child. Parents rarely realise that our funding is directly linked to the number of pupils we have, so without your children, there would be no Willow. Thank you to those parents who have kept us well stocked with fruit for snack time. The children have really enjoyed the ice-pops that parents have provided during the summer term. Parents have been very generous this year. We have enjoyed hundreds of ice pops! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our collection of boxes and tubes for the children to build models with. This year there has been a small group of children who love to build detailed models. All support is very appreciated.

A very big thank you is given to the parents and grandparents who have given their time regularly throughout the year to support the teaching and learning in the classrooms. This support really alters the adult to child ratio’s we can provide. We can offer a wider range of activities, but ultimately the greatest benefit is there are more people to hold conversations with your children.

The 2025 Leavers are a very friendly bunch! As a whole they are a very young group:

-17% Autumn born children- Green Group our oldest children,

-22% are Spring born children- Red Group,

–61% are Summer born children, Yellow Group our youngest children in the year.

Let me just say, that as a group, they have kept the staff on their toes! There are a lot of very individual strong personalities within this group, and they still require quite a lot of friendly adult support to resolve conflicts. They are a very creative group, with lots of good ideas for their play. They do make us smile.

There are some very strong friendship bonds that have formed already. Some friendships will last all the way through to Secondary School. Willow children do care for each other. The children going to nearby schools already have a network of friendly faces who will look out for each other day to day. The children joining schools further away will be able to confidently make friends due to their experiences at Willow.

This year is the first year that we have been able to deliver all 12 core books to our pupils, spending three weeks looking at one book. This group have really engaged with this new style of teaching. They love these stories!

The new funding strategies that are around now mean that our pupils are generally starting earlier and attending for more terms than ever before. This September, for the first time, we are now able to enrol children at age 2 who are entitled to 30 hours for working families funded places. The uptake has been good. We are building our termly Keyworker cohort from the age of two now. We know this will have a positive impact upon children’s behaviour and well-being. Some children will be with us for 8 terms!

What will the next year group bring? Blue, Orange and Yellow Group (our 2026 Leavers) are developing well. When I walk through there are happy, chatty children, all playing well together, I think we have another strong year group on the horizon.

So to the families that are staying with us, I look forward to seeing the progress that your children make in the next twelve months as they grow and mature, and I hope all the children will experience some fun with us during that time.

The only thing left for me to say is ‘Have a Safe Summer’.

Leigh Davies

NURSERY NEWS

Tuesday 8^th July 2025 – Edition 378

Find out About:

A. Parents Consultations Scheduled for this week- A reminder.

B. End of Term arrangements July 2025

C. Leavers Day –Tuesday 22^nd July- 8:50am-11:50am

D. Funding for Working Families- Ensure codes are in place /Renew codes.

E. Review of the year- Results.

F. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Parents Consultations Scheduled for this week.- a reminder.

Parents consultations will take place here at the school, face to face this week.

B. End of Term arrangements July 2025

The last day of term in July 2025 for all children will be Monday 21^st July.

This day will run as a normal Monday. Timings of the day will be the same as all Mondays.

C. Leavers Day –Tuesday 22^nd July- 8:50am-11:50am

We have consulted the children about what activities they would like to plan for their last day and this is what they have come up with:

Children may dress up if they want to. Children may come to school in a dressing up outfit if they wish. There should be no pressure on anyone to buy an outfit. Normal Nursery clothes are absolutely fine too.

We have arranged for children to:

Play with My Little Ponies, Super Hero Colouring Sheets
Have songs: Specifically: ‘I’m a Barbie Girl’, and ‘I’m Still Standing,’ dancing, bubbles and balloons
Play pass the parcel and musical chairs.

At 10:30 am all children will sit down together for a picnic time in the garden. Staff will provide the snacks the children requested: cake, apples, pears, sweets, crisps, ice creams and ice pops

The morning will finish with a group time for each colour group, where all children will receive a certificate praising their individual skills and/or qualities.

11:50am Going Home Time- Parents to collect children from the front gate. Children will be dismissed in the regular way, with Green group first, followed by Red group then Yellow group.

D. Funding for working families- Ensure funding codes are in place /Renew codes.

A reminder about the eligibility checker:

Eligibility checker:

Eligibility will be checked via a childcare application developed by HMRC.

Parents are responsible for checking if they are eligible.

Parents need to visit the website www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. This is the online eligibility checker.

Parents will be issued a code to take to the setting (nursery/ childminder etc.).

There will be a grace period for parents where their circumstances change. This will give parents the time to regain employment.

Parents must reconfirm their eligibility every three months via the HMRC online eligibility checker or else they will lose their entitlement, subject to the grace period. Parents are essentially reconfirming that their employment status has not changed and they still meet the criteria. HMRC will send reminder emails to parents to notify them of the need to reconfirm.

For all parents who are entitled to funding for working families for your child, please ensure that your code is in place and valid by 31^st August 2025, to enable us to receive funding for your child for the Autumn term.

The government will send out reminders to families to renew your code. Please be aware that sometimes the government email may go into your Spam/ Junk email folder. If you code is not valid you will not receive funding

E. Review of the year- Results

I have had two families who replied to my request for feedback from parents. I always share what parents say, as there may be some points raised which other parents may relate to….

1.Please comment about what we do well at Willow.

Family 1:

I wanted to share a few points about what works well and some suggestions for improvements:

What works well

-friendly and approachable staff

-really good plans for what the children will be working and focusing on each week which is reflected in the weekly newsletters and is really helpful and informative to know

Family 2:

It is very clear to me that my son enjoys his time at nursery and his key worker Mrs Brinkley clearly works hard at understanding the children and supporting them the best she can. My son also talks very highly of Mrs Gaffney. The one issue my son has had, has been dealt with swiftly and has made an evident impact on my child’s daily life at nursery so thank you for that.

I also appreciate the newsletter as it gives us a talking point at home.

Both families have mentioned the same things…. Friendly, supportive staff and our Newsletters.

Willow is a special place due to the quality and commitment of all our staff. We are a very experienced team, but there is something unusual here at Willow, and that is the way all staff are prepared to give 110% to meet the needs of our pupils. The staff are knowledgeable and proactive, always ready to find new solutions to best support our individual children’s needs. The keyworkers work particularly hard to build positive relationships with parents, both during more formal parental consultations and during day to day interactions. The staff will be pleased that parents appreciate this, so thank you for your comments.

I am pleased you read the newsletter and find it useful. I usually spend a couple of hours a week planning and writing the newsletter, and I’m never sure how many people read it! Mrs Cashmore (one of our teachers) always writes the section ‘What are the children learning about this week?’ We know that two, three and four year olds are not very good at explaining what they have been doing at school! We share this information so you can talk at home and extend your child’s learning. It is good to show interest from early on, so you can continue to support your child as they get older, and begin to get homework in primary and secondary school. Leigh Davies

Please tell us one thing you would like to see at Willow that you would consider to be an improvement and/or development.

I will address each comment in turn, as it is important that we share with parents how we try to manage these aspects in a busy school.. so I hope this helps:

Family 1:

Improvements

-more encouragement for the kids to drink their waters and lunches

Many parents talk to us about this, so I will answer this fully.

As a team we have worked hard to accommodate water bottles into our setting. Pre-Covid, pupils were offered milk at snacktime, and water was always available to the children, as we have drinking fountains in each classroom which we always taught everyone how to use. Parents provided a drink of their choice for their child at lunchtime, within their child’s lunchbox.

During Covid, the use of water fountains was not allowed, so children had to bring water bottles in to school which they could access at all times. Water bottles are placed on the trolleys by parents when children arrive at nursery. Office staff then move the boxes of water bottles near to where the different groups of children register. These are placed in the same space each day, at child height so that they can be accessed by individual children at any time during the day. We ask that children do not walk around with their bottles, and there are seating areas available near to where all the bottles are stored. Staff do remind children at pastoral time at the beginning of the session that children should drink plenty, especially in the recent hot conditions.

Some parents speak to Keyworkers to say that their child is not drinking enough. Keyworkers share this at staff meeting, so all staff are aware of parental concerns.

If a child’s bottle becomes empty, all children are told to tell a teacher, and the adult will refill the bottle.

I lead the two sittings of lunch in Big Nursery. Water bottle boxes are put back onto the lunch box trolleys when placed in the dining area. One member of staff looks after two tables of children. So for example, I look after 12 Green and Red pupils in first lunch sitting. Red and Green lunches and water bottles are placed as close to the Red and Green children’s tables as possible, and always in the same place in the classroom.

I ask Green and Red group to come into the dining area, after washing their hands they are invited to collect their lunch box and water bottles, and sit down. My first job is to ensure all my children are sitting in their designated seat. I then move around the two tables offering personalised help to each child. Children open their boxes take out their food and return empty lunch bags to the trolley. The Bento type boxes stay on the table. I ask each child in turn what help they need, ensuring wrappers are removed, crisp packets opened, yogurts opened, satsumas peeled, bananas opened, spoons found from bags etc. This takes about five minutes. Some children due to their age and stage of development require more help than others. Some children refuse to open their box, so we encourage those children gently, as we cannot force any child to eat.

I then check that all children have their water bottle on the table. I open them and remind children that they should have a big drink at lunchtime. I point to the clock showing what the time is now, looking at the big hand, and show the children where the big hand will be when lunch will be finished.

I return to my twelve children, circulating around the tables encouraging the children who I know to be slow eaters, praising them when they are eating well. I wipe up spills (yogurt is really messy!) daily. As lunch progresses I check my children’s water bottles, and refill any that have less than half a bottle remaining. I point to the clock showing how time is progressing, reminding pupils that we do not have long so we must keep munching!

Our children are very social! They are always trying to tell me their stories or call to their friend sitting at the next table! I always advise them to keep chewing and that I will listen to their story later.

I give children a two-minute warning, by drawing attention to the clock, when lunch time is coming to an end for them. I ask them to finish chewing the item they are eating. I always encourage each child to have a big drink before they get up to leave.

Water bottles are then returned to the classrooms where children know where to find them for the rest of the afternoon. Staff fill them when needed.

-more invites for parents to observe some of their sessions like we had last time. That was really insightful

We plan a timetable of ‘open classroom’ sessions that we repeat each year, mostly for the oldest year group. They will be rolled out to the oldest year group again in the next academic year.

-more updates to be provided about how our children are getting on during day whether it’s by verbal updates, pictures or an app or something like class dojo… something where the parents and keyworkers can keep in contact more easily especially for areas like little nursery where the children are still learning how to communicate.

This is a very valid point. I do take this on board. This comment often appears here in our yearly review. We are quite a big setting. We dismiss up to 78 children at the end of the session. Our priority is to release children safely to their parents. If every parent had just 1 minute with their keyworker on handover it would take 78 minutes to speak briefly to everyone….. So this is not really possible.

In the last few years the government has required staff to spend more of their time interacting directly with children in their play, and less time writing it down and recording it.

We are guided by the following government document:

Early years foundation stage statutory framework

For group and school-based providers Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five

Dated: 11 October 2024 Effective: 01 November 2024

Here are some excerpts from this document:

‘Assessment should not involve long breaks from interaction with children or require excessive paperwork. When assessing whether an individual child is at the expected level of development, practitioners should draw on their knowledge of the child and their own expert professional judgement. Practitioners are not required to prove this through collection of any physical evidence. Recorded, written or photographic evidence is not required.’

‘Ongoing assessment

Ongoing assessment (also known as formative assessment) is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners understanding children’s interests and what they know and can do, and then shaping teaching and learning experiences for each child reflecting that knowledge. In their interactions with children, practitioners should make and act on their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress…… However, there is no requirement to keep written records in relation to this.’

We have reduced the amount of writing we do and photographs we take on a daily basis. We create some observations to be recorded in each child’s ‘Year Book’ to show evidence of how children are working towards our 7 c’s curriculum. These books are handed to parents when their child leaves They will be handed out at parent’s consultations this week.

On a day to day basis we do not have photos or written observations to share. I want staff to be engaging with our children as much as possible. We have tried to help matters by sending keyworkers out early in the morning to speak to parents before school. A brief daily update is possible for parents. This opportunity does work well when Keyworkers have built up a rapport with the parents from their Keyworker group.

As children leave, group by group, at the end of the afternoon, staff have to return to support the next group of children. The organisation of a safe going home requires a lot of staff. Staff then are involved in staff meetings, planning meetings, discussing children’s needs meetings, immediately after school, so are generally unavailable to give feedback about a child’s day.

Family 2:

The one thing I would say that could be improved upon is the communication around the Christmas period/last day of term. For some time last year I was under the impression that the Christmas party day would involve several hours of nursery, and we found out much closer to the time that nursery would only be open for 1 hour on that day. Obviously I will be aware of this this year, but for new parents it might be worth mentioning early on in the term that about the significantly reduced hours on the last day of term. It is not a problem in itself, just something which needs to be planned for at a busy time of year for all!

Someone did tell me this verbally after the 2023 Christmas parties, and I did listen. It is hard to judge when to put this information in, so in this academic year I added it to the newsletter on the 30^th September 2024, regarding the December 2024 Christmas parties. This was the first Newsletter of the academic year when all our children had been successfully enrolled. So in Nursery News Edition 346, amongst other ‘Important Dates’ I wrote:

‘Friday 20th December 2024 School open for Christmas Parties only (As a guide: Last year Little Nursery Party 9:00am to 10:00am Big Nursery Party 11:15am to 1:00pm, but this may change slightly when we begin planning for this year)’

Further reflection has made me decide to put the information about the Christmas parties in the very first Newsletter in September– so watch out for that if you are staying with us!

Willow Nursery School- Children’s Evaluation. July 2025

We ask all Big Nursery children 5 questions. Here are all their answers. I think they will make you smile!

1. What do you like to do at Nursery?

Trucks

Play with friends

Toys

Insects, centipede and worms.

Pokemon

Play with my friend.

Playing outside. Making an obstacle course.

Playing with bricks

I like making things with sellotape.

Drawing, Spiderman

Play with some Lego

Play with the animals. Playing with all my friends.

Play with toys, I like to go outside and I like new friends.

Play outside

Play with…. Named four specific friends.

Animals, trains

I like playing with my friends.

I like mermaids.

I like to play with sand.

I like to pay.

Play cars, trains,

I like being a cat on the floor.

I like to play

I like playing trains.

Playing with (x)

Playing

Musical chairs

I like to play with my friends.

I love to play.

Playing

Play tigers.

Painting

Doing work

I like to play with the tigers and gorrillas

Like to play in the sandpit. Like to go inside. I like to playgames.

I love having racing cars and marble run.

I like playing with my friends and I like playing in the water.

I like to play with my friends

I like pink books.

Cars and garage

Slide, Trains

2. Is there anything you don’t like at Nursery?

If fighters sit next to me.

Said a child’s name.

No, I like everything.

Cutting

Playing with water.

When my Mummy goes home.

I don’t like the wind as it messes my hair up and mummy will get angry.

When people hit me.

Inside nursery.

I don’t like it when people are mean to me at Nursery.

Hurting myself.

I don’t like the boys catching me.

(x) hurting me.

dogs

Painting

Biting

I don’t like playing with aeroplanes.

When (X) chases me all around.

When I’ve said I’ve hurt myself.

I don’t like lunch, I don’t like my food it tastes like milk.

When I shake like this. – Jumping

I don’t like kicking and pinching.

I don’t like getting splashed

When it is noisy.

3. Tell me something you are good at now since coming to Nursery?

Sliding out of the car when driving.

Sharing

Lining up

Playing in the garden

1,2,3,

I can jump up onto the rope walk, my friend taught me.

Doing upside down things.

Don’t know

Knowing about cars like Mercedes.

Jumping on mummy’s big bed

Not scribbling

Writing my name.

I’m good at Lego.

I’m good at riding bikes.

Dinosaurs.

Reading and writing.

Backflips and Hopscotch

I am good at being helpful

Writing and drawing.

Computer screen

I do good playing outside.

Football, slide.

I’m good at sticking

Good at playing with my friend.

Making obstacles

Puzzles

Football, Soccer balls, Basketballs- I scored 6 goals!

Doing gymnastics.

I love to play with my Daddy at home,and I want to read a book.

I can calm my brother down.

4.Tell me what you have learnt in Phonics:

Learning our names, reading the books,ABCD’s

‘a’ ‘p’ ‘m’ ‘s’

We learnt the letter ‘s’ ‘i’ ‘g’ ‘e’ ‘m’ ‘a’ ‘u’

In the forest.

Some Z or O or A.

I have learnt ‘s’ ‘a’. I don’t know all of them. I know ‘n’ ‘m’

‘t’

‘a’ I know ABCD

I have learned the letters to read and write.

Letters

We can do some actions together ‘p’ ‘s’ ‘a’

Doing cards

‘s’ ‘a’ ‘t’ ‘m’ ‘n’ ‘u’ ‘k’ ‘c’

I learned about the letter ‘a’.

We learned the letter ‘r’

‘a’ ‘t’ ‘c’ ‘s’ ‘e’

I’ve learned at phonics ABC’s

I learnt ‘o’ ‘o’ ‘o’.

The Hungry Caterpillar.

Pokemon

Its very hard. The Hungry Caterpillar

Learnt about sweeties

‘s’ ‘a’

‘a’ ‘b’ ‘c’

snake

5.How can we make Willow better for the new children?

Not sure

Play with the trains

Make some more friends.

Don’t know x3

All my friends finding me.

Get some more animals, like monkeys.

Play with all of us- just yellow group-not red group.

More toys- More Lego –pink Lego

Make even better toys.

We can get some rides.

Make them happy.

When someone’s sad, they need a friend.

Fireworks and balloons, Costumes, Spiderman Mask.

Clear up stuff.

Playing and new friends can read books.

A party.

Don’t know.

Toys and tattoos.

Maths, drawing and painting.

Toys- Pillow Fight, playing with the water.

Make them happy.

F. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is Peace at Last

This week the theme is based on the book Peace at Last by Jill Murphy. Children will be listening to the story and discussing the characters and events of the story with staff. Staff will encourage the children to look at the pages of the book and all of the little details on each page. This promotes conversations, as the children will want to share what they can see and share experiences of their own. Staff will encourage children to listen to each other as they talk and to wait for their turn to talk. Staff will teach the children that it is good manners to wait until someone has finished talking before they take their turn.

Our learning intention this week is for children to recognise the impact of their choices and behaviours on others and to understand that sometimes these actions can hurt the feelings of others. To implement this, we will talk to the children about being kind and empathetic. We will encourage children to consider how they might feel if something was said or done to them. We will also pay close attention to positive behaviours such as sharing and using good manners. It is important that the children understand that their words and actions also have an impact on others. Staff will give lots of praise for kindness and consideration when it is carried out, they will also be modelling the type of language and behaviour we would like to see the children use.

NURSERY NEWS

Monday 30^th June 2025 – Edition 377

Find out About:

A. E2Bn internet issues.

B. Long hot summer continues…

C. What are the children learning about this week?

A. E2Bn internet issues.

E2Bn is the internet provider the Local Authority recommended to schools. Many schools in the area use E2Bn.

On Thursday and Friday of last week we had no internet access. Our technical support service confirmed that we have no problem at our end, it is E2Bn’s server that is down. Other schools have been affected too.

As I am writing this, on Friday afternoon, we have been told to expect E2Bn’s server to be operational by Monday morning.

I must apologise if any parent has experienced a delay when contacting the office by email.

B. Long hot summer continues……

During some summers the very hot weather lasts for just a few weeks and temperatures drop a little. It seems this year the hot weather is continuing for an extended period with no respite in sight!

We have had a wonderful response to our ice pop request this year, but I am told we will run out of ice pops by Wednesday this week. We would be very grateful if parents would consider donating one more box of ice pops, to help keep the children cool on these very hot days. The children enjoy the treat. We all (adults and children) enjoy five minutes of peace when the children sit under the tree and quietly enjoy their ice pops.

We have also used up all our fruit donations. We had a fridge full of apples that kept us fully supplied for 6 weeks from my most recent request for fruit on the 12^th May. We have three nursery weeks left before the summer break. Please could I ask for a small donation of fruit for our snack tables in the mornings?

C. What are the children learning about this week?

What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is transport – air and water

Staff will work with children to teach them about the different types of transport that can be used on the water and in the air. Summer holidays are fast approaching and many children will be going on holidays. Some children are lucky enough to be travelling out of the country and this can be used as a discussion point, to share personal experiences of air and water travel. There are many resources in the school that can showcase different transport and how we use it, including books, toy airports and water play with boats and submarines and these will all be available for the children to explore. Staff will model lots of language as they discuss things they have seen while on their own travels and they will encourage children to share their own experiences.

Our learning intention this week is for the children to practice skills of assertion, negotiation and compromise and to look to adults for support in conflict resolution. We will be assisting children as they consider the best way to solve conflicts no matter how big or small. Lots of praise and support will be given to children who try their best to show understanding and kindness to their friends. All children are different and have varying abilities when it comes to being able to problem solve, but being able to try their best or ask for help is key to them becoming successful.

The skill we will be looking at this week is ball skills, this means being able to kick, catch, throw and hit balls with bats. There will be plenty of ball games available for the children to take part in individually or as part of a team. As the weather is so hot, we will continue to remind the children about staying safe in the sun. This means to take shelter in the shade or inside if they need to, wearing hats and sunscreen and drinking plenty. Children are reminded throughout the day to drink plenty and stay hydrated and staff refill bottles once a child has finished their drink.