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Nursery News 26th September 2022

NURSERY NEWS

26th September 2021 – Edition 272

 

Find out About:

A: Big Nursery and Little Nursery.

B. No changes to sessions for children attending Big Nursery

C. Applying for Primary School.

D. Parent consultations for Big Nursery

E. What are the children learning about this week?

F. Lunchtime in Big Nursery

 

A. Big Nursery and Little Nursery

We have everyone here now, well almost, we are just waiting for a few more two year olds to start in the coming weeks. I can now begin explaining things about Nursery to all parents.

There were some government requirements we had to follow in order to keep children safe during the Covid pandemic. One requirement was to keep different year groups in separate bubbles. We found some real positives in the practice of keeping year groups separate, so this is something that the staff chose to continue with.

We needed to find language that everybody could understand when describing particular groups of children/ physical areas of the building.

We decided to use terms that the children can understand.

Big Nursery is for the children in their final academic year at Nursery. So, current Big Nursery children are Mrs Patterson’s Green Group, Miss Skai’s Red group, Miss Howe’s and Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group. All the children in Big Nursery are entitled to 15 hours Universal funding because they are 3 or 4 years old. Some are entitled to 30 hours funding if both parents are working.

Big Nursery children all queue outside the school on the pavement between the front gate and the school car park. All these children will leave Willow Nursery School in July 2023 to join their chosen Primary School in September 2023. The physical areas of school used for this age group are Room’s 1, 2 and 5 and part of the outside area.

No additional children will be added to Big Nursery once the year begins. Big Nursery becomes very settled and we can really move the children forward as the year progresses.

Little Nursery is for all the children younger than the Big Nursery children. The children in Little Nursery will leave Willow Nursery School in July 2024, or for the very youngest two year olds, July 2025. At the moment all the children in Little Nursery are Catkins age children. Children who are Catkins age are not yet entitled to the universal 15/30 hour funding that children receive in the term after they turn 3 years old. The oldest children in Little Nursery turn 3 years old in September 2022.

Some Catkins age children are entitled to 15 hours funding for two year olds. Parents entitled to this funding are usually informed by the Local Authority- Central Beds Council. (This funding is based on parents with a low income or in receipt of certain benefits).

Little Nursery will have additional children added to it as the year goes along.

Little Nursery children who turn 3 years old between the 1st September 2022 and 31st December 2022 will be entitled to Universal 15 hours or 30 hours funding in January 2023. They will stay in little Nursery until July 2023 In January 2023 they will cease to be known as Catkins children, and will become known as Blue Group. Blue Group’s Keyworkers will be Miss Gaffney and Mrs Watson. Some children from our waitlist who are Blue Group age will join Little Nursery in January too.

Little Nursery children who turn 3 years old between the 1st January 2023 and the 31st March 2023 will be entitled to universal 15 hours funding or 30 hours funding after the Easter Break from the 17th April 2023. They will stay in Little Nursery until July 2023. In April 2023 they will cease to be known as Catkins children, and will become known as Orange Group. Orange Group’s Keyworker will be Mrs Brinkley. Some children from our waitlist who are Orange Group age will join Little Nursery in April too.

Little Nursery children who turn 3 years old after 1st April 2023 will remain as Catkins age children for the entire academic year from September 2022 to July 2023.

 

B. No changes to sessions for children attending Big Nursery.

We have had a few enquiries from families in September regarding having additional sessions either now or perhaps in January. When I make offers to families I try to offer a choice of 15 or 30 hours to as many families as possible. When you make your choice of sessions, I add this to a big timetable. I then ensure we have enough staff on duty to meet ofsted adult to child ratio’s in every session. We cap the number of children in lunch due to the space we have available. Within two weeks of the start of term I begin looking at the next intake of children, and these will join Little Nursery in January.

At this time, we are unable to offer any additional sessions in Big Nursery. If we decide to offer additional spaces in January, I will let you know through the newsletter.

 

C. Applying for Primary School.

Apply for a lower or primary school place in Central Bedfordshire

When to apply for starting school in 2023

Children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 are due to start school in September 2023.

You need to apply before 15 January 2023, even if your child already attends a nursery or pre-school on the school site.

How to apply

· if Central Bedfordshire is your council, you need to apply through them

· 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.

This applies to all children in Big Nursery.

Hadrian Academy has organised some visit days to their Early Years Foundation Stage. Please see the flyer attached for more information.

 

D. Parent consultations for Big Nursery

We plan to offer Parent Consultations to parents of children in Big Nursery during the week beginning 10/10/22. These consultations are offered to talk about how your child is settling in to Big Nursery. 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.

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

Monday 10th October Miss Howe’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultation between 3:15pm and 4:20pm

Tuesday 11th October Mrs Patterson’s Green Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm

Wednesday 12th October Miss Skai’s Red Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm

Thursday 13th October Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm

Parent Consultations for Catkins children will follow later in the term: more details will follow nearer the time.

 

E. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme throughout nursery this week is ‘All about me’.

In Catkins, the children will be looking at pictures of themselves and people that are special to them. The children will talk to staff about who they can see in their pictures and what is happening. Children will then be provided with face templates and can draw pictures of themselves using mirrors and appropriate colours.

In room 3, Mrs. Brinkley will be sharing the story of ‘My Day’ with the children. The story is all about routines and what happens in a typical day. Mrs. Brinkley will then talk to the children about their own daily routines and who helps them through their daily tasks.

In the link, Miss Gaffney will be looking at personal pictures brought in by the children, she will model lots of descriptive language for the children and encourage them to talk about what they can see in their picture.

Outside, Mrs. Watson will be looking for pictures of people, that are hidden around the garden. When the children spot all of the pictures, they will try to talk about the similarities and differences that they can see between themselves and the people in the pictures. Mrs. Watson will use descriptive language to talk about the pictures and praise the children for joining in with her discussion.

The theme in big nursery this week is ‘All about me’.

In room 1, Mrs. Patterson will be looking at family pictures that the children have brought in. she will ask the children to share their memories and talk about what is happening in the picture. Mrs. Patterson will support the children with language If they are unable to express themselves or are too shy. Celebrating the similarities and differences between the children will help them to establish a sense of self and pride.

In room 2, Miss Skai will have the easels set up for the children to use. They will be painting self-portraits using mirrors to help them remember details such as hair and

eye colour. Miss Skai will ask the children to think about details when they are painting, including hair type and any prominent features.

Outside, Miss Howe and Mrs. Cashmore will be teaching the children about the importance of sharing and taking care of nursery resources. They will explain to the children that it is important to share and take turns, but that it is equally important to respect our equipment and replace it after use.

 

F. Lunchtime in Big Nursery

Lunchtime at Willow is a busy part of the school day. Assisting up to 36 children aged 3-4 years to eat a packed lunch is quite a challenging task. I (Mrs Davies) choose to lead the lunchtime session myself, to ensure the 30 minutes or so for lunch runs as smoothly as possible.

The purpose of this letter is to:

· Remind you to label lunchboxes, drinks bottles and food containers with your child’s name

· Inform you about how lunchtime is organised in Big Nursery.

· Suggest contents of an appropriate lunch.

· Ask you to consider Health and Safety of foods provided.

Organisation We ask that lunchboxes are placed on the lunchbox trolleys at the front gate when your child first arrives at Nursery. All children need access to drinking water throughout the day. All children will need to bring their own drinking bottle to school, filled with clean water each day. This bottle should be labelled with your child’s name. Their drinking bottle should be placed in the boxes on the top shelf of the lunchbox trolley. Children will be able to access their water bottle throughout the day. Children will only have access to the food in their lunchbox at lunchtime.

At lunchtime we rearrange Room 2 and Room 5 to provide seating for 36 children. At the end of morning all children staying for lunch are invited to use the toilet, then wash their hands. Children then sit at a table for 6 children. One adult supports two tables. Children then collect their lunchbox and their drinks bottle from the trolleys. They are asked to open the lunchbox themselves, take out the contents and return the lunchbox to the trolley. Staff then assist children to open their packaging and ensure all children have a drink. We encourage children to eat their lunches, preferably savoury foods first. At the end of lunch, children are asked to dispose of their own rubbish, pack their own lunchboxes with any food to return home, used spoons and empty tubs and then place them back on the trolley. Drinks bottles are returned to the boxes on the top shelf of the lunchbox trolley, ready for the afternoon session. Please name all containers.

Suggested contents of an appropriate lunch. You know your child best. Whilst as a school we encourage all parents to provide a Healthy Diet for your children, we do understand young children can be fussy about what they choose to eat. We are not ‘food police’, and we accept that you provide a lunch suitable for your child. Here are some suggestions of what you might like to put in your child’s lunchbox: Savoury ideas: A small sandwich- For most children one slice of bread is enough. Some cheese.

Savoury crackers, cocktail sausages, chicken nuggets, carrot sticks. Sweet ideas: A yogurt. A jelly. A piece of fruit. A small cake or biscuit. Malt loaf. Please, No Sweets!

Parents may choose to provide an additional drink, such as a carton of fruit juice, in your child’s lunchbox for them to consume with their lunch (nothing fizzy please). Please provide a spoon if your child needs one. This list is not meant to be prescriptive, there are lots of other ideas parents have, but please remember not to send in too much food. It is better to send in a small amount of food that you expect your child to finish, rather than providing lots of items from your child to choose from. Three or four items of food are generally enough for most children.

Health and Safety of foods provided. Please consider the size of individual pieces of food. Grapes must be cut lengthways as these are a choking hazard. Consider the size of other foods- Cherry tomatoes can be large too. Do not provide any foods containing nuts or nut products. We have a child with a nut allergy who stays for lunch. So please be careful as some chocolate spreads contain nuts,or European style chocolate biscuits contain hazlenuts in their chocolate coating or wafer filling.

Nursery News 19th September 2022

NURSERY NEWS
19th September 2022 – Edition 271

Find out About:
A. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral- School Closed Monday 19th
September
B: Operation Encompass
C. Keeping Children Safe.
D. Milk and Fruit time.
E. Can you help with some Tissues?
F. Progress so far….
G. ‘All About Me Week’.
H: Job Vacancy: School Cleaner

 

A. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral- School Closed Monday 19th
September

B: Operation Encompass
The school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly
between schools, Bedford Borough Council and Bedfordshire Police
Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school
day, when a child or young person has experienced or been exposed to any
domestic abuse.
Operation Encompass will ensure that a member of the school staff, known as a Key
Adult, is trained to allow them to liaise with the police and to use the information that
has been shared, in confidence, while ensuring that the school is able to make
provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have
been experienced a domestic abuse incident.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this
will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.

C. 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 into 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.

D. Milk and Fruit time.
The government provides all children at Nursery with a carton of milk. We ask all
parents to donate fruit or vegetables, so we can share these at the snack table
alongside the milk we provide. We ask parents to donate a bag of fruit such as
apples, satsumas, pears or bananas, or vegetables such as peppers or carrot sticks.
If every parent was to donate a bag of fruit every half term we will have lots to share.

E. 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.
We have a tissue bin in each classroom, stored near to tissues and hand sanitiser
and posters reminding children to ‘catch it, kill it, bin it!’ 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.
So, I am asking if all parents could donate a box of tissues for the children to use, to
help keep everyone healthy.

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 £300, or 53p 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.

F. Progress so far….
All 3 and 4 year olds are now attending Nursery. All 49 children have enrolled. It is
amazing the progress the children have made in the past week. At the beginning of
last week I walked into Room 1 to work with the children after lunch, and the children
were having a great time. Children were exploring all the toys and equipment. I could
hardly see the floor! Every drawer of equipment had been accessed, tipped onto the
floor, played with for a bit then left behind. We had dinosaurs, trains, dressing up
clothes, magnetic numbers, the entire contents of the home corner, puzzles, duplo,
dolls house furniture, binoculars and magnifying glasses strewn all around the room.
I encouraged the children to help me tidy up, and we had a tidy room back after
around 30 minutes! We have been steadily explaining to children that they can
choose whatever they like to play with, but they should tidy up after themselves. This
is an important lesson to learn and we will help the children with this. As time goes
on we hope the children learn to independently look after the toys and equipment,
enabling us, the staff to spend more time playing and learning with them, rather than
tidying up after them!
‘Lunch’ with 40 children has been interesting. There are four staff on duty working
directly with the children at lunchtime. So that means that 1 member of staff is
generally looking after 10 children. We have a variety of levels of self care that the
children present with. Our most able children collect their own lunch box and water
bottle from the lunch trolley and unpack it onto the table. Staff then help them to
open their wrapped food and storage tubs. The children get on eating their lunch,
with little support needed from the adults. They put their rubbish in the bin, they pack
their lunchboxes away, returning them to the correct lunch box trolley and go to the
bathroom to wash their hands.
At the other end of the scale, we have children who require a lot more support…
Some children struggle to sit at the table without getting down to wander off. Some
children have difficulty not touching other children’s food. Some children have
difficulty deciding to eat. Some children require prompting to take every bite of their
sandwich. Some children wet themselves as they sit down to lunch, after just being
asked to use the toilet. Some children tell us they dislike the food their parents have
given them. (Which we can never quite believe!). Many children expect 1:1 attention
as they are not used to being part of a larger group.
Our challenge is to help and support all these brand new children, for them to gain a
good level of self care and independence during lunchtime. We have seen progress
in the last week. We are getting to know the individual children, working out how to
seat the children into table groups to maintain an ordered dining area. We give as
much support to individual children as we can but we cannot give everyone’s child
1:1 support.
We are already realising that we have some wonderful little characters emerging in
this year group. We are looking forward to the journey with them in the coming
academic year. The children have so many skills to learn, but they are making a
good start.

G. ‘All About Me Week’.
The week beginning 26/09/22 is ‘All About Me’ week. We have weekly themes that
we work on with the children. We begin with learning about something all the
children can be familiar with and contribute to discussions about. This work will be
happening with the older children in Nursery, which we refer to as ‘Big Nursery’ in
these newsletters. (that is Mrs Pattersons Green Group, Miss Skai’s Red Group and
Miss Howe and Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group.) The adults will be working with the
children on various activities and talking to them about their own life stories and
family history. To help the children understand we would ask if you could send in a
family photo that they can share with everyone. Mrs Patterson would also like to
include these photo’s as part of a display. So, if you would like to send in a photo,
please do so during this week (20/09/22) 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 display down later in the year.

H: Job Vacancy: School Cleaner.

We are still looking for a school cleaner……..
Job Vacancy at Willow Nursery School
Job Title: Cleaner
School Name: Willow Nursery School
Location: Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, LU5 4QU
Salary Range: NJC levels 1-2, £10:50 per hour (subject to confirmation by payroll provider)
Hours: 3:30pm to 5:00pm Monday to Friday, term time only.
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: Friday 23rd September 2022
Interview Date: Week beg 26th September 2022
We are looking for a part time cleaner to join our staff team here at Willow Nursery School.
Main Purpose of role:
 To clean classrooms, toilets, cloakrooms, corridors and staff areas to a good
standard.
 To ensure the cleaners cupboard is kept clean and tidy.
We are a dedicated and committed team of early year’s specialists who are passionate about what we
do. We aim to give our children the very best care and education in a positive, fun environment. We
aim to provide clean and hygienic spaces for children to grow and learn.
This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will have to
meet the requirements of the Person Specification in order to be offered the post. DBS Disclosure at
Enhanced Level and a qualification check are required for this post
How to apply:
For further details and an application pack, please visit the school website at:
www.willownursery.co.uk, and click on school information – vacancies.
We will accept electronic or paper applications.
Electronic applications to be sent to the email address below.
Paper copies to be sent to Willow Nursery School, Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, Beds, LU5 4QU.
Or contact:
Name: Trina Evans
Tel: 01582 662600
Email: office@willownursery.co.uk

 

Nursery News 12th September 2022

NURSERY NEWS

12th September 2022 – Edition 270

 

Find out About:

A. Department for Education update – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral

B: Newsletters

C: School Term Dates

D: Labelling belongings

E: A Good Start

F: Job Vacancy: School Cleaner

 

A. Department for Education update – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral

I have received the following communication from the Department of Education:

Following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the death of our sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a period of National Mourning has started and will continue until the end of the State Funeral. This is a period of time for reflection in response to the death of the Sovereign.

The official date of the State Funeral is 19th September 2022. This day will be a bank holiday and settings that are normally closed on a bank holiday should close on this day as a mark of respect. This will include Schools and Colleges.

Willow Nursery School will be closed on Monday 19th September

 

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.

Be aware that sometimes the Local Authority adjusts school holiday dates. I would recommend you check the holiday dates on their website before booking a holiday.

 

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?….

To start the year we spent two days, on Monday and Tuesday last week, holding stay and play events with all our three year old children and their parents. We used the first two days of term to allow all these parents and their children to visit the school, meet all the staff, and have a chance to play in the school together. We feel that this works well, as parents can share up to date information with staff, and children have their stay and play visit quite near to their start date.

On Wednesday 7th, the school reopened to pupils. We have a staggered approach to inducting all our pupils. We try to get all children started as soon as possible, and have quite a short time frame in which we try to enrol everyone, but we do have to make decisions about who can start when, so that we can meet all the children’s needs appropriately.

So on Wednesday 7th, we welcomed back all children who were already attending Willow in the Summer term. We also invited some new Yellow Group children to start, those that would be attending for 15 hours at the end of the week, so they could attend on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday.

What happens next?………….

During this week we will induct the rest of Yellow Group, with 6 children joining the school on Monday, 4 children on Tuesday and 1 child on Friday. All of our 3+ children will then be enrolled, a total of 49 children in the year group, with around 40 children attending in each session.

Catkins class begins to add new pupils this week. We add a maximum of four new children to each session, to enable staff to give their keyworker children their full attention. This means that it will take us two and a half weeks to induct the 20 new Catkins children.

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.

 

E: Job Vacancy: School Cleaner.

We are in need of some help!

Could you help us to keep our school clean and hygienic for our pupils?

Our staff take great care of our school and our resources. Mrs Brinkley is a full time Teaching Assistant in Little Nursery, but she is also our Caretaker. She does a fantastic job of keeping the school clean and well maintained. We are a small school, but it is too much work for one person after school. So Mrs Brinkley is assisted by Ms Gaffney and one other cleaner. Our former cleaner, Chloe has left because she took a full time cleaning position after completing her full time college course in July.

So in the short term, I have been helping out at the end of each day. The job is quite nice, cleaning two classrooms, their cloakrooms the nursery corridor and the two front offices. The pay is: £10:50 per hour (subject to confirmation by payroll.) Hours are 3:30pm to 5:00pm Monday to Friday, Term time only.

We will be advertising the position on the school website willownursery.co.uk and on a website where jobs in schools in Central Bedfordshire are advertised. ‘The Academy for Central Bedfordshire- Vacancies’. The full web address is: https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/118/the_academy_-_inspiring_futures/687/the_academy_-_vacancies

(Please note the advertisement may take 48 hours to appear on the Academy for Central Bedfordshire website).

We aim to have the advertisement/ person specification/ job specification/ application form on our school website by tomorrow, Tuesday.

The closing date for applications is Friday 23rd September 2022

 

Job Vacancy at Willow Nursery School

Job Title: Cleaner

School Name: Willow Nursery School

Location: Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, LU5 4QU

Salary Range: NJC levels 1-2, £10:50 per hour (subject to confirmation by payroll provider)

Hours: 3:30pm to 5:00pm Monday to Friday, term time only.

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: Friday 23rd September 2022

Interview Date: Week beg 26th September 2022

 

We are looking for a part time cleaner to join our staff team here at Willow Nursery School. Main Purpose of role: · To clean classrooms, toilets, cloakrooms, corridors and staff areas to a good standard. · To ensure the cleaners cupboard is kept clean and tidy. We are a dedicated and committed team of early year’s specialists who are passionate about what we do. We aim to give our children the very best care and education in a positive, fun environment. We aim to provide clean and hygienic spaces for children to grow and learn. This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will have to meet the requirements of the Person Specification in order to be offered the post. DBS Disclosure at Enhanced Level and a qualification check are required for this post

How to

apply:

For further details and an application pack, please visit the school website at: www.willownursery.co.uk, and click on school information – vacancies. We will accept electronic or paper applications. Electronic applications to be sent to the email address below. Paper copies to be sent to Willow Nursery School, Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, Beds, LU5 4QU. Or contact: Name: Trina Evans Tel: 01582 662600 Email: office@willownursery.co.uk

Nursery News 11th July 2022

NURSERY NEWS

11th July 2022 – Edition 268

Find out About:

A. End of Term arrangements July 2022

B. Leavers Day –Friday 22nd July- 8:50am-11:50am

C. A case of Head lice in Big Nursery.

D. Review of the year- Results.

E. What are the children learning this week?

 

A. End of Term arrangements July 2022

The last day of term in July 2022 for all children will be Thursday 21st July.

This day will run as a normal Thursday. Timings of the day will be the same as all Thursdays.

 

B. Leavers Day –Friday 22nd July- 8:50am-11:50am

On Friday 22nd July school will open only for the Big Nursery children that are leaving us. The session will be from 8:50 am to 11:50am. 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.

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:

· Make party hats, Ice Cakes and eat them, Have Ice Pops, Make cheesecakes,

· Play with Monster trucks, sonic the hedgehog, rainbow playdough, dolls, post office, superhero things,

· Have songs and music, musical instruments, Dancing, bubbles and balloons

· Play 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: crisps, pizza, party rings, chocolate biscuits, fruit, cake

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 Blue group first, followed by Orange group then Yellow group.

 

C. A case of Head lice 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.Review of the year- Results

I had two parents respond to my request to review the school year and to share their thoughts about things we do well and things we can improve. So thank you to those parents for taking the time to reply.

The children were very happy to tell me their views. I have collated their responses to the 5 questions I asked them. I have added the children’s views to the end of the newsletter. Some responses may make you smile.

Response to parents:

My first question to parents was what do we do well? One said “I feel (my child) has come on really well with his letters and writing his name. He recognises so many letters when we are out and about and the sounds they make when he puts them together”

I was very pleased to read this because the staff all spend a considerable amount of time teaching children about phonics. It is so exciting when children start to use their knowledge at home.

My next question: Is there anything we can do to improve? especially with regard to involving parents more.

One said: I really don’t think there is anything I can suggest to improve/ develop!! I’m sorry! I honestly feel that (my child) has had a great time at Willow and I don’t think there is anything I can suggest you need to improve on. I think the only way to get parents more involved, is to maybe once a term, invite parents to come and sit in on a session, but I know Covid is the only reason why this hasn’t happened. So again, I’m not really helpful lol! Just keep doing what you’re doing!!! Both X and X have both got on so well at Willow, so thank you for all you do.”

The other said: “The only thing I am thinking about is to make some WhattsApp group or place like dojo where we can see some photo’s/videos what kids are up to. It would be lovely to see them in action, interacting with other kids etc. Regarding parents in nursery even the ‘bedtime story’ will be great to see them listening as it was a few years back when (my son) was going to Willow.”

 

I am considering ways in which the school can become more open to parents in September. We have a very full structured program of open activities that we usually roll out across the year. I hope that early in the next academic year I will publish all those activities in a timetable so parents can see what we aim to achieve across the year.

Online videos/photos. We, as a staff have always felt very strongly about not putting images of our Willow children online. Mostly for safeguarding reasons, as you are not sure who has access to images and why they are watching. As adults we have say over what photos of us are published and shared, but children do not. Once an image has been added to the internet, it is there for all time. Our pupils are not old enough to give reasoned permission about their image being used.

Producing videos and photo reels is very time consuming. The Ofsted guidance regarding recording information about children’s progress has recently been updated to say that staff should not be recording lots of data about children, that assessment should not take staff away from actually working with the children. This is something I strongly agree with. Our staff create stimulating work environments, and challenge the children, by using language to intervene in the children’s learning, to stretch them, to get them to reflect on what they are doing and enabling them to move onto their next step in their learning. Staff should be busy interacting with children, in the moment, making the most of all the play experiences, not spending time uploading photo’s. My hope is that next year parents will be able to be in school more frequently, to see first hand the positive experiences their children have.

Willow Nursery School- Children’s Evaluation.

1. What do you like to do at Nursery? Have a tea party, Do Puzzles, Do football Play with toys Go on bikes. I like to play with Fire engines. Play with X and X. Play with Cars,play with bikes. Play with X I like playing with X and the things she plans for us to do. Learning and playing Play outside I like going outside and when it’s a little day. I like dinosaurs Playing and Unicorns Painting and water Playing cars Bikes Cars, Lego, Crystals, Drawing I like the slide, I like the monkey bars, I like hanging off the Monkey bars. I like playing with my friends. I like drawing. Slide Nursery Rhymes, Nursery toys, playing with toys. Be happy Play with babies in the home corner I like the slide, painting.

Playing on the slide Balancing Play on the slide Play with my friend X I like playing with X Like playing with the special tray. I like the jewels. Like playing on the slide- Like the teachers. Like playing with friends. Hulk role play. I like to eat snack. Being Spiderman and other super heroes. Playing with cars, Drawing, I like the new fence, cos it’s nice and clean. I like playing with my friends. I play in the mud. Looking for stuff, bugs. Out in the garden, going on the bikes. Messy Play tray, slide Playing with X, cutting out things. Play cars, play with penguins and Ice, playing with snails. Pancakes, bikes painting more pancakes Dress up as Elsa. Lollies Play draw, The Kitchen, Playing on Bikes Drawing Making Bug hotels, painting Play bikes, water tray made a flag Play with the dinosaurs. Like having friends Play with the crates, drawing things, playing on the bikes with X Stamps, playing in the water, colouring, I like the screen, I like when I go outside’cos I made a flag.

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

When ‘X’ pushes me.

I don’t like going outside but sometimes I do go outside. Sometimes I miss my Mum.

Books aeroplanes and helicopters.

Cars

No

I don’t like that there is no stories.

Sometimes I miss my Mummy.

To play outside

Bananas

I don’t like my feet.

Unicorn

When my clothes get wet and I’m changing and changing. (water tray)

I don’t like going outside

Water tray, wet sleeves

I don’t like anyone pushing me or bullying me.

No

No, I like it

No.

No

I don’t like it when X is mean to me

Silly words

I don’t like swords to beat me.

I don’t like the hulk.

I don’t like playing with water cos my sleeves get wet.

I like nursery

When the kids are too noisy.

Painting.

No

Dinosaurs and cars

I don’t like playing in the water tray. I don’t like getting wet.

Children making really loud noises with the musical instruments, X running over my foot.

?

When X hurts me, I don’t like that,

I don’t like it when X is not my friend.

 

 

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

Reading

Basketball, Playing football

Puzzles colouring

Helping

Writing I’ve learnt to cut paper. I can paint. I can ride the bicycle with two wheels. Doing Painting Reading and writing I have learnt about Guinea Pigs. Writing Learning colours pink and purple Playing on the bikes I ride the fastest bike in school. Talking, riding Bikes Playing football, I’m very good at riding the tricycle Drawing now Listening, Making Music Painting Playing with toy dinosaurs, drawing pictures. Not hurting anyone Good at eating my lunch now. Balancing Good at getting clowns. Good at joining boxes together with sellotape Cutting out. Painting, playing outside. Star jumps, playing superheroes. Having Superpowers Running and faster running Playing games, playing outside. I am good at writing, I like writing words like dog. I’m good at writing numbers. Waterplay, colouring Writing, good at riding a bike. I’m good at numbers Listening with people, cutting and colouring Good at being happy On rope bridge- I can put my feet high up on the rope. Stories but I can’t read. Dancing Drawing I don’t like making Phonics Balancing on rope bridge. Can go upside down, jumping and colouring Good painting, making hats. Cutting

 

4.Tell me what you have learnt in Phonics:

Reading books

I need Miss Howe to teach me phonics. If Miss Howe wasn’t here I wouldn’t learn phonics.

A,m,d,b,c,k,

‘l,l,l,’

No

Letters

P,a,t,s

F,e,n,g

A, the sound

T,e

A,t,p

A,p

‘fffff’ action

A,p,d,r writing.

I’ve learned d,a,s,a,c,b

We make words with letters inside the pictures

T,t,t, tennis

Singing songs with Iggle Piggle

Numbers and letters

A new word. Letters

Letters, a lot of letters ‘s’ Learning

Numbers

Stories about the fish says ‘fff’

I don’t know.

Hairy Bear

I don’t know.

T l a c s r o b

Use letters to read and write n p t g

To learn letters Learning about Letters and numbers. Letters Biff and Chip Books. Letters Ive learned about reading I have learned about something but I don’t know H p e r colouring pictures, letters help you to read and write. Fff (does action) Letters are for reading and writing. Im learning phonics and we play word building-BAT

 

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

Don’t know.

All be friends

Switch the toys around, change the boxes.

I don’t want dinosaurs with Playdough. I like t rex.

I don’t know.

Switch toys, presents.

Make ball pits.

To learn hymns.

Make X’s little brother good. He needs to know abcd’s

Do the same things as we do.

More cars more bikes.

Nothing

More grown ups to play.

Play in the garden

More play , have lots of fun.

We can have some unicorns.

New Fishy toys for the water tray.

Coming to Nursery Makes me happy!

More toys LOL dolls and bottles.

Put a trampoline outside Inside Room 1 a ball pit

Put some dinosaurs out because my brother likes those.

Have a party.

Playdough- I like playdough.

Hulk Toys superheroes.

Bring my home here.

A house. My home here.

New toys- Elsa toys and Anna and Olaf and Sven and Christoff.

New painting aprons.

I don’t know.

Take (Willow Nursery) to Flitwick lower school.

More painting

Get some new stuff, go to the farm, come to visit me at my home: gave address.

A party, Dancing.

Make a show.

Maybe we could be kind to them.

 

E. What are the children learning this week?

The theme in little nursery is Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

In Catkins Mrs. Cashmore will be showing the children how to paint using forks. The children will have brown paint which they will dip their fork into. Mrs. Cashmore will then model how to pull the fork across the paper, making marks that will eventually look like bears. The children will add googly eyes and thumb print noses to complete their bear pictures.

In room three, Miss Gaffney will have the role play area set up for the children to act out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children will have bowls, beds and chairs for the children to use as props for their role-play.

In the link area, Mrs. Watson will be making porridge for the children to eat. The children will be guided through each step of the process and when they have made their porridge they can taste it. They will discuss what the porridge looks and tastes like and Mrs. Watson will support them in extending their vocabulary.

In the garden, the children will wear hats and gloves to look like the characters from the Goldilocks story. Mrs. Brinkley will support the children in retelling Goldilocks and the Three Bears, they will move freely around the garden acting out various scenes.

The theme in big nursery is an ice cream parlour/café.

In room one, Miss Howe will have a café set up for the children to play in. There will be a seating area for the children to role play as customers and there will be a kitchen area for them to make up the ice cream orders. Children will have pencils and paper available so that they can write down the customer’s order, they will then make the orders and deliver to the tables.

In room two, Mrs. Patterson will be getting messy with the children as they use glue and coloured paper to create ice lollies. The children will drizzle glue over paper to create colourful and shiny pieces of work to take home. Mrs. Patterson will also have Jelly Bath available for the children to investigate, they can explore the sensory texture by dipping their hands in and moving it through their fingertips.

Outside, Miss Skai will have a car wash. She will have the bikes out along with some buckets of soapy water and cloths. The children will be encouraged to work together to clean the bikes, they will then be able to ride their sparkling bikes around the playground and return them for the next person to have a turn.

Nursery News 4th July 2022

NURSERY NEWS

4th July 2022 – Edition 267

 

Find out About:

A. Arrangements for September 2022.

B. Reminder about consultations this week.

C. What are the children learning about this week?

 

A. Arrangements for September 2022.

We have finalised our plans for the beginning of term in September 2022. So this information is for all the families staying with us in September.

We had to make some changes to the way the school operates due to Covid in the last few years.

Some of the changes we have made have felt very positive. One of these changes was how we managed the first few days in September. So in discussion with the staff we have decided to roll out the beginning of the Autumn term in 2022 the same way as we did in 2021.

We are aware that a number of our parents are working parents, and look for the school to be operating for all children as soon as possible. We have made our plans trying to strike a balance for everyone’s needs.

Let us start with Catkins Class in Little Nursery…..

Little Nursery will reopen on Wednesday 7th September. In the Autumn term all children in Little Nursery are 2+ children known as Catkins Class. Children’s attendance patterns remain the same, unless you have spoken to me about additional hours for your child. New starters in Catkins Class have received paperwork advising parents what their child’s first day will be. In Catkins Class each Keyworker will settle only one of their new keyworker children in each session. New Catkins Class children have start dates somewhere between the 12th September 2022 and 23rd September 2022.

Catkins hours remain 8:45am – 11:45am for a morning session or 8:45am to 2:45pm for a full day session.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Big Nursery:

Monday 5th September 2022 and Tuesday 6th September 2022 have been scheduled as visit days. The school will not be open as usual on these two days. Attendance on these days is by invitation only. See details below:

Monday 5th September:

All children who are New Starters (have not attended Willow before) and will be in Yellow Group in September are invited to attend a Stay and Play session, lasting for one hour, with a Parent. Invitations were sent out on Friday 1st July to all these

parents. There will be 3 sessions during the day, so only 8 families will be invited to each session. Yellow Group have all been allocated a start date between Wednesday 8th September and Friday 16th September. These start dates have also been communicated to the brand new Yellow Group children, joining in September from our waitlist.

Tuesday 6th September.

This day will offer a transition session for all children (and their parents) in Miss Gaffneys/ Mrs Watson’s Green Group, Mrs Brinkley’s Red Group, and the Summer born children currently attending in Catkins class who will become Yellow Group in Big Nursery in September 2022.

We will offer a morning session or an afternoon session.

The idea of these sessions are that you and your child will arrive at school to have a scheduled meeting lasting ten minutes with your child’s current Little Nursery Keyworker and with your child’s new Big Nursery Keyworker

So, Green Group children will meet with Miss Gaffney/Mrs Watson and Mrs Patterson

Red Group children will meet with Mrs Brinkley and Miss Skai.

Yellow Group Children will meet with their Catkins Keyworker and Miss Howe/ Mrs Cashmore

You will arrive at your specified appointment time, meet with your child’s Keyworker’s and discuss anything you wish to share to enable the transition into Big Nursery to go as smoothly as possible. You will then be free to move around the school together, both inside and outside. Classrooms will be set up with activities, and we invite you and your child to explore their new spaces and chat to staff who will be available to talk with you.

Morning session: 10 minute appointments will be available to choose from between 8:50am and 10:20am. Parents may choose to stay and play after their appointment, but all parents and children should leave by 11:00am.

Afternoon session: 10 minute appointments will be available to choose from between 12:30pm and 2:00pm. Parents may choose to stay and play after their appointment but all parents and children should leave by 2:40pm.

All these meetings/ stay and play are optional. You do not have to attend, but it will be a way to see the school with your child. You may choose to just have the meeting and then you and your child can choose to leave to go home. You may choose to have the meeting and then stay for a short time and then go. We cannot offer meetings at alternative times or dates as we are looking to get the school up and running as quickly as possible for those parents who are working.

Parents must stay with their children at this event.

Parents can arrange these appointments for Tuesday 6th September with the Little Nursery Staff, during the telephone consultations that are scheduled for

this week. If you do not have a telephone consultation this week please do not worry as staff will get in touch with you regarding a transition session in September.

Wednesday 7th September – Big Nursery Re-opens for regular Nursery sessions.

Green Group, Orange Group and Yellow Group (who have attended in Little Nursery) return to Big Nursery, attending for their agreed attendance pattern. So for example, if your child currently attends for two and a half days at the end of the week, they would return on this Wednesday at 11:50pm with their lunch box.

Big Nursery hours are:

Morning session: 8:50am to 11:50am

Wednesday afternoon session: 11:50am to 2:50pm.

Full day session: 8:50am to 2:50pm

 

B.Reminder about consultations this week

We will have parent consultations for all the children on 5th, 6th and 7th July 2022 as follows: Little Nursery parents will have a 10 minute telephone consultation with their child’s Keyworker. They have been scheduled at the times below. Some of our staff work part time so will be unavailable at the times stated. Keyworkers have been in touch with parents to arrange appointments.

Tuesday 5th July- Catkins children. Telephone consultation, a 10 minute consultation scheduled from 3:15 onwards with your child’s keyworker.

Wednesday 6th July- Green Group Children, 10 minute Telephone Consultation with Miss Gaffney or Mrs Watson scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Thursday 7th July- Red Group children, 10 minute Telephone Consultation with Mrs Brinkley scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Big Nursery children will have a Leavers Consultation, where staff will hand over your child’s year book, so will have a shorter, face to face meeting.

Tuesday 5th July -Blue Group Children, 5 minute Face to Face meeting with Mrs Patterson scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Wednesday 6th July,- Orange Group Children 5 minute Face to Face meeting with Miss Skai scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Thursday 7th July –Yellow Group children 5 minute Face to Face meeting with Miss Howe or Mrs Cashmore scheduled from 3:15 onwards.

 

C. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme in little nursery is teddy bear’s picnic.

In Catkins, Mrs. McGrath will be baking biscuits with the children. The children will sit with a teddy of their choice at snack time and eat their biscuits.

In room three, Mrs. Watson will decorate biscuits with the children. Each child will get to decorate a biscuit with icing and sprinkles, they will then have a teddy bears picnic as they eat their tasty treats.

In the link, Mrs. Brinkley will provide the children with a variety of boxes and other materials so that they can create some box models. The children will be encouraged to create some large scale bears with the supplies that they have.

Outside, Miss Gaffney will focus on positional language by moving a bear in, around and on top of a box. Miss Gaffney will model the positional language to the children and then the children can take turns in placing the bear into different positions.

The theme in main nursery is transport – air and water.

In room one, Miss Skai will be working with the children on sequencing activities. She will work with the children to order the activities we do before we can go on holiday. The children will colour their work, use scissors to cut out the pictures and glue them down in the correct order.

The children will also have the opportunity to discuss any holidays they may have been on or be due to go on, as they make their own passports. Miss Skai will explain to the children that they need a passport if they are going on holiday on a boat or a plane.

In room two, Miss Howe will show the children what a hot air balloon is and explain to them how they function. The children will then be given the resources to create their own 3D hot air balloon picture. Mrs. Cashmore will focus on shape recognition and will support the children in making a boat using different simple shapes.

Outside, Mrs. Patterson will be encouraging lots of water play, there will be a range of boats and chutes for the children to explore. Mrs. Patterson will also support the children with some investigative science by exploring which items will sink

or float when placed in water. Children will be asked their opinions on why some items sink and why some float.