Nursery News 29th June 2026

NURSERY NEWS

Monday 29th June 2026 – Edition 415

Find out About:

A. ICT systems and telephones now working.

B. Heatwave-last week.

C. Chickenpox update.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

A. ICT systems and telephones now working.

Our ICT technician arrived very early this morning to switch on all our ICT equipment and ensure it is all operating effectively and safely.

We are happy to say everything is all now working. Telephone and email communications have resumed as normal. Mrs Evans is no longer working from home.

B. Heatwave-last week.

I would like to offer my thanks to the whole school community for working together during the period of extreme high temperatures during the Heatwave last week.

We used our knowledge of how heat impacts our school to plan our days. It is possible to go outside for a short period of time in the morning before the day reaches its peak temperatures. Mornings have been hot, but fairly normal in terms of play, as children can access both inside and outside areas.

At 11:30 we chose to close outside and bring all children inside for the rest of the day. We ensured children drank more water, by having whole school hydration breaks (like in the world cup!)  at 10:00am and 11:30am, and the children have responded well to our request to drink lots more water than usual.

The afternoons have been very hot and sweaty for all those that were here, both adults and children.

Pressures on family life have changed in recent times. Funding initiatives from the government has meant that the majority of families attending Willow are now working families.

We decided we would try our hardest to stay open. We do always think about the impact closing Nursery will have upon all families, but we do give particular consideration to the stress closing Nursery would bring to those parents that work. Being a parent with a young child is a very demanding period of time in anyone’s life. Add to that the need to be in work, and have childcare close due to heatwave issues and this puts parents in a difficult and stressful position. I hope our flexible approach regarding normal attendance/ reduced attendance/ stay at home and get in the paddling pool, has met everyone’s needs.

For those children who were in school for full days last week they should be recognised as being real ‘troopers’. They have tried so hard not to lose their ‘cool’. The slightly reduced pupil numbers achieved by parents choosing to keep children at home, or choosing to collect children early really helped. Everyone in school just had a little more space. 

The staff team has been amazing throughout the challenges of last week. We have a number of staff with underlying health conditions that are exacerbated by hot weather conditions. The staff team pulled together, maintaining a fun play environment whilst meticulously monitoring individual pupils to protect their health and well-being.

As I am writing this today, we all finally experienced a cooler night, so had the opportunity for better sleep. I am hoping that the weather in the next few weeks will revert to seasonal ‘norms’ and provide us with more comfortable conditions for playing and learning in.

C. Chickenpox Update.

We have had another case of chickenpox reported this morning in the two-year-old class. So, please be aware that it is still transmitting at school.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is Peace at Last

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

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