NURSERY NEWS

15^th December 2025 – Edition 394.   Last Newsletter of 2025                                                                                (Next Newsletter Monday 12th January 2026)

Find out About

A. Reminder –Big Nursery- Applying for Primary School.

B. Winter Illness

C. Christmas Parties

D. The Elf on the Shelf……

E. What the children are learning about this week?

F. Notes for the end of term /dates for beginning of Spring Term

 

A. Reminder –Big Nursery- Applying for Primary School.

Who needs to apply?

Children born between 1st September 2021 and 31^st August 2022 are due to start Primary school in September 2026.  You need to apply before 15^th January 2026

 

B. Winter Illness.

We are currently experiencing an increasing number of pupils with flu like symptoms. This winter virus seems to be very contagious, as it seems to sweep through each Keyworker group, affecting a good proportion of the pupils. For some children it is taking a number of days to get better. It is affecting the staff too. This cold has been around for about three weeks now. I’ve had three staff off for a few days each, and the majority of the staff have been experiencing symptoms. In some cases, after a few days of feeling unwell, we are finding children and staff are complaining about the feeling of an upset tummy. Some children are having diarrhoea.

The Autumn Term is the longest term. Children and staff are tired, which makes us all susceptible to going down with illness. The staff are very committed to keeping the school fully operational, as they know if they take time off for illness, it adds to the workload for the staff who remain in school. Staff are only absent if they feel very unwell.

The Local Authority Early Years Team has asked nursery settings to send out NHS advice to families. Key information is:

If your child has a high temperature they should not be in school.

I know the majority of our families are working families, and it can be difficult for you to find care for a sick child, but I do ask you to help protect the other children and the staff, by keeping your child at home, until they are well.

 

Is my child too ill for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they’re unwell.

There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about health protection and managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.

If you do keep your child at home, it’s important to phone the school or nursery on the first day. Let them know that your child won’t be in and give them the reason.

If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.

What to do about other conditions

High temperature

If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.

Feeling anxious or worried

It’s normal for children to feel a little anxious sometimes. They may get a tummy ache or headache, or have problems eating or sleeping.

Avoiding school can make a child’s anxiety about going to school worse. It’s good to talk about any worries they may have such as bullying, friendship problems, school work or sensory problems. You can also work with the school to find ways to help them.

If your child is still struggling and it’s affecting their everyday life, it might be good to talk to your GP or school nurse.

Find information and advice about how to help children with anxiety

Coughs and colds

It’s fine to send your child to school with slight cough or common cold symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat or headache, as long as they’re otherwise well and do not have a high temperature.

But if they have a high temperature, keep them off school until the temperature has gone.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.

Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don’t need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis, unless they are feeling very unwell.

Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

COVID-19

If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school.

Your child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they either:

• have a high temperature
• do not feel well enough to go to school or do their normal activities

What to do if your child has tested positive

Your child is no longer required to do a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if they have symptoms. But if your child has tested positive for COVID-19, they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test.

Ear infection

If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they’re feeling better or their high temperature goes away.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school, there’s no need to keep them off.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues straight away and to wash their hands regularly.

Head lice and nits

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

You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP.

Impetigo

If your child has impetigo, they’ll need treatment from a pharmacist or GP, often with antibiotics.

Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.

Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and not to share things like towels and cups with other children at school.

Measles

If your child has measles, they’ll need to see a GP. Call the GP surgery before you go in, as measles can spread to others easily.

Keep your child off school for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears.

They should also avoid close contact with babies and anyone who is pregnant or has a weakened immune system.

Ringworm

If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it’s on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP.

It’s fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment.

Scarlet fever

If your child has scarlet fever, they’ll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they’ll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.

Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Slapped cheek syndrome (fifth disease)

You don’t need to keep your child off school if they have slapped cheek syndrome because, once the rash appears, they’re no longer infectious.

But let the school or teacher know if you think your child has slapped cheek syndrome.

Sore throat

You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away.

A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.

Threadworms

You don’t need to keep your child off school if they have threadworms.

Speak to your pharmacist, who can recommend a treatment.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).

 

C. Christmas Parties

Are Finally Here!

 

These parties are for all our children regardless of the days you attend.

Little Nursery Party.

Who is invited? Miss Gaffney’s Green Group, Mrs Chiriac’s/ Mrs Cashmores Red Group, Miss Allen’s Little Yellow Group

When: Friday 19^th December 

At: 9:00am to 10:00am

The Plan:

9:00 Doors Open

Children work in small groups for Christmas crafts.

9:20 Party Snacks.

9:30 Surprise visit from Father Christmas

Songs for Father Christmas

Father Christmas leaves gifts for all children.

9:35 Back to groups for music time.

10:00 Parents arrive to collect all children.

 

Big Nursery Party

Who is invited? Mrs Pattersons Blue Group, Miss Skai’s Orange Group, Miss Howe’s/ Miss Cashmore’s Yellow Group.

When: Friday 19^th December

At: 11:15am to 1:00pm

The Plan:

11:15 Doors Open

11:25am Party Food

11:45am Surprise visit from Father Christmas.

Songs for Father Christmas.

12:00 Christmas Magic Show

1:00pm Parents arrive to collect all children.

 

D. Elf on the Shelf…..

That cheeky Elf has been busy in Nursery again! Miss England has been taking photographs of him, so that I can share with you all the things he has been up to!

The Elf has been very wet. We found him under the sea, swimming with his new friend, purple Octopus.

He had disguised himself as a mermaid.

 

We then found him in the garden. It was very wet, but he had remembered to bring his yellow raincoat, so he was lovely and dry.

 

Our Cheeky Elf loves to dress up. He loves playing computer games. We came in one day to find him dressed as Mario!

Some of the children recognised the Elf was trying to be a character from K-Pop.

I think they liked the Elf’s purple hair.

The Elf arrived with a whole group of mini Santa’s, holding hands and playing games.

The Elf was dressed as a magician. He was waving his magic wand and saying the word ‘Abracadabra’. When we looked closely, the little Santa’s all had the staff’s faces!

 

E. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is Christmas and Winter

The learning intention this week is to recognise and describe special times and events for family and friends. It is the last week before we break up for Christmas and also the week of the Christmas party. We have been practising singing Christmas songs that we can perform for Father Christmas when he visits the nursery.

There will be lots of Christmas activities for the children to take part in, including dressing up as Father Christmas and Mrs Claus and having a Santa Fun Run in the garden. There will also be a nativity scene set up for the children to dress up and role play as key figures from the story of Christmas. The children will be able to act out different roles, take it in turns to dress up, help each other in and out of costumes and really explore the story of when Jesus was born.

The children will have the opportunity to share their own special experiences with staff and friends, including talking about what their cheeky elves have been up to at home. We have our own elf at school and each day and the children enjoy looking for him and seeing what mischief he has gotten into overnight; it has become a real talking point for everyone!

 

F. Notes for the end of term /dates for beginning of Spring Term

 

On Friday 19^th December the school will be open for the parties only. The school office will be closed on Friday 19^th December.

 

The staff would like to say Happy Christmas!

to all our families that celebrate Christmas.

We wish all our families a safe and happy break during the school holidays and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

 

Spring Term begins on Tuesday 6^th January 2026