Latest News

Website Issues

We are currently having some website issues. Some information may not be current or may be missing. We will rectify this as soon as possible.

Nursery News 13th May 2024

NURSERY NEWS

 13^th May 2024 – Edition 334

Find out About

A. Sun Safety

B. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Sun Safety

We are moving swiftly towards the hottest part of the year in school. I have been doing some research online to ensure I can give parents good advice about Sun Safety.

I have taken some information from Cancer Research UK’s website:

• The best way to enjoy the sun safely and protect your skin is to use shade, clothing and sunscreen.
• Shade and clothing are better than sunscreen at protecting your skin.
• Sunscreen shouldn’t be used to spend longer in the sun. But they can be useful for protecting the parts of skin not covered by clothing or shade.

Clothing

Clothing should cover your shoulders and have long sleeves. The more skin that’s covered by your clothing, the better the protection.

Choose clothing that’s loose-fitting and darker in colour

Look for materials with a close weave- as a guide you can hold the material up to the light to check you can’t see through the fabric

Hats

Choose a wide-brimmed hat that shades your face, ears and neck for the most UV protection.

Shade

Spending time in the shade is one of the best ways to protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays.

So what does this mean for us at Willow?

We still go outside every day, but we do limit how long children can go outside if it is very hot. We encourage all children to drink plenty, reminding them that their water bottle is always available. We do encourage children to come inside for a rest in the shade. At some points in the day we completely close outside, so that we know all children have had a break from the sun. We are very lucky in that our school remains fairly cool in the summer, with lots of windows for ventilation.

You know your child best!   

Some children are more vulnerable to the sun than others. I have red hair and freckles, which means that I can burn very easily, (Sometimes in very strong sun, in as little as 20 minutes). Some children are less likely to burn than others. People with naturally dark or brown skin burn less easily. But people with darker skin can still burn – it might feel itchy or tender rather than changing colour.

So, I can give advice, but you must make day to day decisions regarding your child’s sun safety.

How can you help us?

Dress your child appropriately. Try to avoid too much bare skin. A t-shirt gives much more protection from the sun than a strappy sundress or a vest top. Think about children’s feet. Exposed skin in sandals may burn.

We would ask you to apply sun protection cream to your child before they attend morning or afternoon sessions. We will assume that all pupils will have had sun protection cream applied at home.  If your child attends all day and you wish your child to have additional cream applied at lunchtime, please send a bottle of sun protection cream into school (please pass it to their Keyworker) and we will store it safely in the classroom, out of the children’s reach. This cream should be left in school.  Ensure their name is on it. Staff will assist children to apply sun protection cream at lunchtime. We will help pupils to apply sun protection cream to their face, neck and arms.  Please do not leave sun protection cream in your child’s bag. We do not want children sharing their cream with their friends. One year we found a pair of children applying it to their teeth to use as toothpaste!

Please provide your child with a hat with their name on when the weather is sunny. A hat with a broad brim is better than a cap for sun protection. A cap is better than no hat. Remember 2, 3,and 4 year olds cannot always remember the whereabouts of clothing that they have taken off. Put their name on it if you want it to return home!

More information regarding the summer term:

Consider what you would like your child to wear at school for safety. Children are still climbing and riding bikes so long sundresses and strappy sandals are not always practical!                                 Messy Play:   As the weather improves we take more and more activities outside. More water is used and play can become much messier. Please ensure clothes are play friendly and send in spares as children can become soaked if they pour water down their clothes, even with aprons on!

B. What are the children are learning about this week?

The theme this week is chicks.

In Catkins, the children will focus on the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and learning about the changes a caterpillar goes through. The children will also work on some simple caterpillar crafts with staff.

In the garden, the children will have lots of opportunities to work on their ball skills. They will be encouraged to do lots of kicking, throwing and catching large, soft balls. Staff will set up areas for the children to explore their skills and play.

In the Link, the staff will show the children how to use sponges to create a new painting effect. They will use their sponges to create and decorate caterpillars. As they work, staff will talk about The Very Hungry Caterpillar book that we have recently read.

In Room 3, the children will use their scissor skills to practice making snips in paper. They will be encouraged to make snips around large circular shapes. The children will add googly eyes to create simple chick pictures.

In Room 1, the children will be learning about chicks. The eggs will arrive in an incubator and staff will talk to the children about the importance of them staying inside and warm. Staff will explain to the children that later in the week, the eggs should hatch and we will meet the chicks. Children will use their cutting and sticking skills to create work on the lifecycle of a chick.

Outside, the children will focus on ball skills. They will be encouraged to challenge themselves to use a bat and ball. Staff will support the children with their coordination and model how to hit a ball with a bat. They will explain how helpful it is for the children to track the ball while it is moving towards them. The water tray will also be outside, weather permitting, so please remember spare clothes and shoes.

Nursery News 25th March 2024

NURSERY NEWS

25th March 2024 – Edition 329

Find out About

A. Term dates. Last day of Spring Term Thursday 28th March. School Re-opens Monday 15th April 2024 for the Summer Term.

B. Confirming parents choices for:

Catkins Class Offers for 3+ Nursery in September 2024 for children with dates of birth from 01/04/21 to 31/08/21 AND

Catkins Class Offers for 3+ Nursery in January 2025 for children with dates of birth from 01/09/21 to 31/12/21

C. What the children are learning about this week?

A. Term dates. Last day of Spring Term Thursday 28th March. School Re-opens Monday 15th April 2024 for the Summer term.

The last day of term for all children is Thursday 28th March. The Nursery is open for normal hours on this day. School re-opens for the Summer Term on Monday 15th April.

B. Confirming parents choices for:

Catkins Class Offers for 3+ Nursery in September 2024 for children with dates of birth from 01/04/21 to 31/08/21 AND

Catkins Class Offers for 3+ Nursery in January 2025 for children with dates of birth from 01/09/21 to 31/12/21

Thank you to all our parents who responded in a timely fashion when I sent out letters offering a place in our 3+Nursery. Parents were able to select which attendance pattern ‘Option’ they would like to choose for their child.

This is confirmation that all parents who returned their Options Form were able to have their first choice option.

We give parents in Catkins Class first choice of spaces for 3+ Nursery. We then go to our waitlist to fill all remaining spaces. All options forms are retained carefully and I begin building pupil lists.

Parents will receive 3+ Parent Packs, information about allocated Keyworkers and your child’s start date just before they begin in 3+ Nursery. So children joining 3+ in September 2024 will receive 3+ Parent Packs in July 2024. Children joining 3+ in January 2025 will receive 3+ Parent Packs in December 2024

C. What are the children are learning about this week?

The theme this week is Easter

In Catkins, the children will be using Lego to improve their fine motor skills. They will work hard to build with the Lego, while the staff talk to them about the colours of the bricks. Staff will model how to push and pull the pieces together and apart while encouraging the children to build big and small structures.

In the link, the children will be learning about Easter and decorating egg baskets and Easter cards. They will use fine motor skills to decorate simple baskets and bring home an egg from the Easter Bunny. Children will also be using pom poms dipped in paint to decorate cards and pictures to share with their families.

In the garden, staff will hide toy eggs for the children to find. They will look all around the garden for the collection of eggs and staff will model lots of language to describe where they might be hidden. Staff will explain to the children we sometimes we celebrate Easter with chocolate eggs.

In Room 3, the children will be retelling and acting out stories that we have learnt recently. Staff will support the children with remembering storylines and characters. The children will have access to toys, books and puppets to support their play. They can re-read some of these stories throughout the week.

In Room 2, children will be doing some still life painting. There will be some beautiful daffodils in a vase for the children to look at and paint. Staff will encourage the children to look closely at the colours of the flowers and the vase and to work carefully. They will be encouraged to really take their time and create a detailed piece of work.

In Room 1, the staff will be recapping the phonics sounds that the children have been learning while they play the ‘Bunny Hop’ game. Staff will encourage children to consider the sounds that each letter makes, and think of words that begin with those letters.

Outside, the children from Big Nursery will go on an Easter egg hunt, they will go out into the garden in small groups and search the area for a chocolate egg. When they have found their egg, the children can sit together in their group and eat their prize.

Throughout the week, the children will be making bunny hats. They can use these hats to pretend that they are the Easter Bunny. Children will be having lots of fun, taking part in Easter Bunny races and will be showing everyone how well they can hop.

Nursery News 18th March 2024

NURSERY NEWS

18^th March 2024 – Edition 328

Find out About

A. Term dates. Last day of Spring Term Thursday 28^th March. School Re-opens Monday 15^th April 2024 for the Summer Term.

B. Willow Nursery School Academic Calendar 2024-2025 is now available on our website.

C. An Open School Event: Big Nursery ‘Phonics’.

D. What the children are learning about this week?

A. Term dates. Last day of Spring Term Thursday 28^th March. School Re-opens Monday 15^th April 2024 for the Summer term.

The last day of term for all children is Thursday 28^th March. The Nursery is open for normal hours on this day.  School re-opens for the Summer Term on Monday 15^th April.

B. Willow Nursery School Academic Calendar 2024-2025 is now available on our website:

If parents look on our website www.willownursery.co.uk  and click on the calendar tab, you will be able to see  our academic calendar for 2024-2025.

As a school, we always follow the calendar that Central Bedfordshire Local Authority suggests, however this year each school was required to select their own 5 training days.

(Training days are when schools are closed to pupils, to allow teachers and support staff to receive training.)

Therefore, please be aware that Willow’s training days may be different to other schools in the local area.

C. An Open School Event. Big Nursery ‘Phonics’.

Miss Howe would like to invite all parents of Big Nursery Children to come in and watch your child take part in their phonics session, during week beginning Monday 15^th April. Sessions run at three different times throughout the week. The school office will send emails to parents this week, inviting parents to attend on a particular day and time (wk beginning 15^th April), as groups are based on your child’s attendance days and not their Keyworker groups. Sessions last around 30 minutes.

We try to offer a variety of Open School Activities both during the school day and in the early evening, hoping that parents might be able to attend some of them. We understand parents have different family and work commitments, so we do not expect all parents to attend. It is just another option….

D What are the children are learning about this week?

The theme this week is ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’

In Catkins, the children will be listening to the story of We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen throughout the week. They will also be taking a look at some colour matching skills, where they can post different coloured balls into pockets, pots and boxes. Staff will help the children name the colours as the children play.

In the Link, the children will be making binoculars and creating simple maps. The children will include simple representations of each area that the characters from our story visit as they go ‘on a bear hunt’. Staff will retell the story to the children as they work.

Outside, the staff will create an area for the children to collect and transport balls. There will be guttering slopes set up for the children to roll balls down and into trays, as well as buckets for them to practice throwing and posting balls towards targets. Moving the balls around the garden will support the children with their gross motor skills.

In Room 3, the children will have a small world story area set up where they can begin to retell the bear hunt story. There will be characters and scenes from the book for the children to use as they play. Staff will model language from the story to extend the children’s vocabulary and encourage them to join in with repeated refrains. (Repeated refrains are the sentences that are repeated over and over again in stories. The repeated refrains in this book include: ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ and ‘We can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, oh no, we’ve got to go through it.)

In Room 2, the children will have story scenes and characters set up in the builder’s tray so that they can retell the ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’ book through play. Staff will work with children to help them recall key scenes from the book and they will emphasise phonics letters and sounds that we have been learning. Children will begin to recognise that words such as ‘swishy’, ‘swashy’ and ‘scared’ all begin with the letter ‘s’.

In Room 1, the children will make very detailed sensory maps that retrace the steps taken by the characters from the story. They will be encouraged to talk about what they can remember from the story and what the different scenes might have felt like to walk through. Staff will use descriptive language as they talk to the children.

Outside, the children will look for scenes from the story that will be placed around the garden. The children will take staff around the garden on the lookout for some bears. As the children hunt for bears, they will be encouraged to retell the story through song and actions.

On Wednesday, Mrs Patterson will take over Room 2 completely, and create a wonderful large scale sensory bear hunt trail for all of the children to take part in. Small groups of children will get to walk through sensory scenes that include, grass, water, mud, trees and snow until they reach a cave. They might even find a bear at the end of the trail!

Nursery News 25th September 2023

NURSERY NEWS

25^th September 2023 – Edition 307

Find out About:

A. Progress so far….

B. Keeping Children Safe.

C. Milk and Fruit time.

D. Can you help with some Tissues?

E. A Display of Family Photographs

F. Early Years Pupil Premium

G. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Progress so far….

Things are going well. The new children are really enjoying exploring the school. This generally means that every piece of play equipment is taken out of the drawers, and explored on the floor. The entire school floor is covered in toys! The staff are very patient. They begin by teaching the children where all the toys and equipment can be found, and where they should be returned to. 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 carton of milk. However, this year in Big Nursery we have a child who is very allergic to milk. We carry out rigorous risk assessments in these situations. So this year, to keep this child safe, we have decided not to give Big Nursery children milk at snack time.

Children in Little Nursery will receive milk at snack time.

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. Can you help with some Tissues?

Sometimes we ask parents for some specific donations that help our school. During Covid, we were asked to provide ‘Tissue Stations’ in every classroom and to teach the children about the importance of using tissues hygienically to blow their nose. As a staff we discussed which elements of the previous Covid requirements we would like to continue with. We think that the hygienic use of tissues, combined with frequent handwashing helps maintain a cleaner, healthier school environment. We have a tissue bin in each classroom, stored near to tissues for the children to use. So, I am asking if all parents could help us by donating a box of tissues for the children to use, to help keep everyone healthy.

E. A Display of 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. The staff would also like to include these photo’s as part of a display. So, if you would like to send in a photo of your child and their family, please do so during this week (25/09/23) 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 when we take our displays down later in the year.

F. Early Years Pupil Premium

What is Early Years Pupil Premium?

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

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.

All children aged 3 and 4 who meet the eligibility criteria will benefit from the funding. It will be paid to early years providers on an hourly rate basis, linked to claimed hours for eligible children. The annual value for a 15 hour place over a full year will be just over £350, or 62p per hour.

Any provider registered to offer funded early years places will receive the EYPP if they have entitled children. All parents will be asked to supply details to allow a check to be run by the local authority, eligible parents will trigger a payment direct to the childcare setting.

Eligibility criteria

Children will be eligible if:

• they are 3 or 4 years old and receiving government-funded Free Entitlement in any OFSTED registered childcare provider and their parents are in receipt of one or more of the benefits used to access eligibility for free school meals
• parents receive Universal Credit
• parents receive Income Support
• parents receive Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• parents receive Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• parents receive support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• parents receive the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• parents receive Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• parents receive Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credits

or if they have been:

• looked after by the local authority for at least one day
• have been adopted from care in the local authority
• have left care through special guardianship; and subject to a child arrangement order setting out with whom the child is to live (formerly known as residence orders) in Central Bedfordshire

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?

Little Nursery

In Catkins, the children will be learning about cleaning and tidying away their toys after use. They will begin to learn that when they hear the ‘tidy up song’, it is time to clear the toys away. Staff in Catkins will remind children to pick their toys up when they have finished with them.

Outside, the children will see the adults tidying up and sweeping the garden, they can join in with this by using smaller brooms to clear away some leaves. As they work, the staff will talk about why the leaves have fallen from the trees.

The children in little nursery will also focus on keeping their area clean and tidy. Staff will explain that we must take care of our toys, so when we finish playing, we should tidy up. The adults will explain that if we keep our classroom tidy, it will be a safe place for us to be. Lots of praise will be given to the children as they work together as a team to tidy their area.

Big Nursery

In Room 1, there will be a focus on loose parts play. This means there will be a variety of smaller objects for the children to explore and arrange however they would like. These will be set out with purpose but the children can change this and expand their play and the adults will follow their lead. There will also be an area for some Duplo that the children can build and create with, the adult will follow the interests of the children as they play and use lots of language to describe what they are building.

In Room 2, the easels will be set up to allow the children to paint in a different style. They will be shown how to hold their paintbrushes effectively and make marks on their paper. The children will be shown where they should put their finished art work for it to dry and be taken home. Staff will talk to the children about their creations and the colours that they are using, this will help expand their language skills and build their confidence when talking to new people.

Outside, the children will learn how to play safely in the sandpit and when using the wooden equipment. They will be encouraged to include other children in with their activities as they play and explore the playground equipment. Throughout the week, adults will model inclusive behaviour by inviting others to join in with games and activities, they will use lots of positive language such as ‘kind hands’ and ‘let’s play together’.