Welcome to
Elder 1 – Nursery
In our EYFS we aim to provide a challenging and stimulating environment with an engaging curriculum designed to enable all children to reach their potential.
Below you will find all the information needed about our fabulous nursery. Throughout the year Class Dojo will be updated with news and pictures to show you the fun we have in our nursery class.
Our Nursery offers both 15 and 30 hours provision. This is free for parents who are eligible – check www.gov.uk to find out if you may be eligible. If you aren’t, we can still offer 30 hours at a cost. Please speak to Mrs Scarr in the office or any member of the EYFS team if you want more information about Nursery provision.
Autumn letter 2025
We warmly welcome all new and returning parents and children to our Nursery (Elder 1) at the start of this new school year. The main staff working in Nursery are Mrs Thompson (Class Teacher – Mon-Thu), Miss Addy (Class Teacher – Fri) and Miss Summers (Class TA).
Our main aim during this first half term is to settle all the children into Nursery and to ensure that they feel happy, safe and secure. We also carry out a number of activities and observations which form our baseline assessments of the children in Nursery. This enables us to work out the next steps in learning for each of the children, which we use to inform our planning. We will also send home a half-termly topic web which will give you an overview of what your child will be learning each half term.
Our topic this half term in Nursery is ‘Bears’. As part of this theme, we will be exploring and learning through a selection of well-loved bear stories, including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? These stories will provide a rich foundation for our learning across all areas of the Early Years curriculum. We will keep you updated with current learning through our Class Dojo.
If you have not yet returned your form to be added to Dojo, please do this as soon as possible so you will be able to see what your child and the class are doing. Please remember to check your child’s Dojo regularly and contribute to it as much as possible. (If you need any extra help or information regarding the Dojo app, please speak to a member of staff.) It is a great way for parents to be involved in their child’s learning and keep up to date with what’s happening in Nursery. Once the children are settled we will invite parents in for a stay and play session, the children will be so excited to show you their classroom.
Our PE day is a Friday, so please try to send children to Nursery on Fridays in suitable clothing and footwear for PE. We also ask for all children to bring spare clothes in a separate named bag. We take part in Welly Wednesday (forest school activities) on a Wednesday afternoon so please could wellies be provided every week or left in school and waterproofs, as we aim to get out in all weathers! Thank you to the parents who have already provided these items.
Every morning, the Nursery door will be opened at 8.50am and will be locked by 8.55am. Please arrive at school between these times. Children can then enter the building as they arrive with an EYFS member of staff. We hope this will allow a calm start to the day for all children. Our aim is to make Nursery as happy, enjoyable and memorable as possible and we are really looking forward to the school year and working with you and your children.
Book Bags
Each day the children will choose a book from the Nursery book box to bring home in their book bags. Please try to share the book your child has chosen with him/her and return it to Nursery the next day. Pictures and letters might also be in your child’s book bag when it comes home. These can be taken out to keep at home.
Activities to help your child at home
- Practise some self-help skills; encouraging your child to use the toilet independently, recognise their coat and shoes, put on and take off their shoes and coats etc.
- Talk to your child about the activities they have been doing at Nursery, sharing photos posted on Dojo to prompt conversation.
- Read lots of books with your child. Discuss the pictures with them and talk about what is happening.
- Sing songs and nursery rhymes with your child. See if they can remember some of the songs and rhymes we are learning in Nursery.
- Practise counting objects with your child by touching them as you say the number names. Count socks, spoons, carrots, stairs, cars – anything… make it fun! Start with counting objects to three and extend this as your child is able to count to higher numbers.
- Talk to your child when you are outdoors – look at the changing trees and other signs of the different seasons.
Finally, the whole team values the philosophy of working closely in partnership with parents. If you have any worries, concerns or celebrations of your child’s achievements, please do not hesitate to share these with us either via Dojo or we are available most evenings after school.
Mrs Thompson, Miss Addy and Miss Summers
This term our themes are ‘Winter Woodland’ for the first half term and ‘Superheroes’ and ‘Easter’ for the second half term.
As part of our Winter Woodland topic, we will explore the woods and create natural art with sticks and leaves.
As part of our Superheroes topic, we will be thinking about people who help us.
We will also be exploring signs of winter at the start of the term, signs of spring towards the end of term and continuing to plan around the children’s interests and experiences.
In Literacy we will focus on listening to stories, talking about stories and characters and settings. Our stories will include:-
First half term – The Christmas Pine, Stick Man and The Gruffalo’s Child (all by Julia Donaldson) and other stories set in the woods.
Second half term – Supertato and the Easter story.
We will also provide different opportunities for mark making in our topics.
This term we will be continuing with the seven aspects of Phase 1 phonics, in which we explore different types of sounds, rhythm, rhyme and alliteration. A few children will be working on Phase 2 phonics.
In Maths we will continue with all aspects of counting and problem solving with numbers, with a focus on the numbers 3, 4 and 5. We will explore three and four-sided 2D shapes and sort 3D shapes. During the second half term we will exploring Measures (height, length, mass and capacity.)
Please keep an eye on our Dojo stories to find out more about what we are doing each week.
As the weather has been very wet and is getting colder, please could you ensure your child has appropriate clothing for the weather. Please make sure all coats, hats, scarves and gloves are named and help your child to practise putting them on and taking them off.
We will be sending our new families an invitation to join Class Dojo. This will enable parents to read messages, see class stories of activities we do and to see your own child’s individual profile.
If any of your contact numbers have changed please tell Mrs Scarr in the office.
Thank you
Mrs Tholen and Mrs White
Meet our
Teams
Lisa White
EYFS HLTA
