Nursery
Introduction
Our Southsea Nursery looks after a maximum of 28 children each day between the hours of 8am and 5.30pm, 51 weeks a year. The Nursery is split into two age groups: the Rockets (2 – 3 years), and the Stars (3 – 4 years), each enjoying their own special learning and play areas. Attendance can be sessional, term time only, or full-time.
Our Southsea Nursery is situated on the same site as the main school, allowing us to make use of the fantastic range of facilities including the Sports Hall, music rooms, playgrounds as well as specialist teaching staff. However we still enjoy the intimacy and warmth of being housed in our own listed, Victorian building with our own secure and enclosed play areas.
As well as weekly 'Globetrotters’ sessions (multi-sensory French lessons), Nursery enjoy weekly specialist music and movement. Nursery are very much included in main school life and join together with the Reception class for outings and trips, playtimes, shared stories and many other activities. They also join in with our termly concerts and productions, including our Infant Nativity and Spring Concert.
We work in partnership with our parents and will always talk over any query you may have. Our key worker system provides a member of staff who will have a particular interest in your child’s development. Regular parent consultation meetings keep you up-to-date with your child’s progress.
Our staff are dedicated and well-trained, with everyone being qualified in Early Years Education to NVQ Level Three or above (this exceeds the government’s recommendation). All staff undergo an enhanced CRB check and period of induction before commencing work.
Our Aims
- To create a relaxed and happy atmosphere and a safe, warm and stimulating play and learning environment.
- To promote and advance the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of the children, with equality of opportunity for all.
- To plan and carry out activities in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum.
- To provide a well-managed and resourced environment.
- To encourage and enable children to acquire, through their play, the skills for confidence and independent learning.
- To help the child become an independent, co-operative member of the group with a sense of care and responsibility for others.
- To equip the child with the necessary skills for entry into the Junior School.
- To treat every child as an individual.
- To be realistic in our expectations.
- To develop a child’s positive self esteem through praise and encouragement.
- To help each child develop self-discipline and respect for the needs of others.
- To make learning fun.
We value our youngest pupils and seek to provide them with opportunities to help them grow into happy, self-confident children with a love for learning. We equip children with all the necessary skills they need to make a smooth transition to school. We expect all our Southsea Nursery pupils to make the transition into our Reception class and spend a lot of time preparing them for this transition. As we move towards the summer term, children spend an increasing amount of time in the Reception classroom, finding their way round and meeting the staff who will be teaching them in the next year. In fact, our transition arrangements have been so smooth in recent years that children have seemed remarkably unhesitant about the start of the September term in Reception!
