Our Nursery is different to a Pre School as it is a legal requirement to have a qualified teacher in a maintained Nursery. As well as a focus on social, physical and language development, there is a clear learning focus to all that takes place and as we have the same group of children 5 sessions a week, we are able to have a structured and clear approach to the teaching of phonics. The progress children make in our nursery, both socially and academically, is excellent and this ensures that the children have built a very strong foundation before starting school.
The Nursery is staffed by a teacher and two teaching assistants. Admission to the Nursery is arranged the school term after the child’s third birthday, according to places being available, and is for either five mornings or five afternoons each week. Additional sessions may also be available.
At Nursery, we are thrilled to be delivering an innovative new programme, known as ‘Story Time Maths.’ This initiative has been thoughtfully crafted to seamlessly integrate storytelling with foundational early mathematics concepts, thereby enriching your child’s overall learning experience. We recognise the importance of the early years in education and we aim to create a dynamic environment where children can explore mathematical concepts in a playful and engaging manner.
Research illustrates that rich language interactions play a vital role in a child’s learning journey, emotional wellbeing, and cognitive development. From the moment of birth, children naturally engage with their caregivers, and it is through these precious interactions that the groundwork for language acquisition is firmly established. Facilitating mathematical discussions, particularly through the medium of storybooks, can significantly strengthen children’s comprehension of mathematical ideas and foster a deeper understanding of numeracy.
We truly value parental engagement, we believe it is instrumental in your child’s learning, and we appreciate the strong home-school links we maintain with our families here at Prestbury CofE Primary School. To strengthen these connections further, we are delighted to sh
are your child’s achievements with you through their interactive learning journal, Tapestry. We also warmly invite you to upload your child’s achievements at home into their journals, helping us create a holistic view of their development.
Each week, we will post a brief activity on Tapestry that you can engage in with your child at home. These activities will be thoughtfully designed to directly link to the skills we are building in class, ensuring that there is valuable continuity between home and school learning environmen
ts. By collaborating in this manner, we can foster not only a love of learning but also strengthen both your child’s communication capabilities and their mathematical skills. Together, we are committed to providing the
 best possible educational experience for your child, setting a solid foundation for their future learning.
At our Nursery, we place a strong emphasis on the Foundations for Phonics programme, which is delivered through our comprehensive whole school phonics initiative, Little Wandle. This approach is designed to build a robust foundation for children, ensuring their success in phonics as they progress into Reception and beyond.
To achieve this, we support our children in developing phonological awareness through engaging listening games, singing a variety of songs and rhymes, and exploring syllables. Additionally, we foster their phonemic awareness by encouraging them to listen for and identify initial sounds, recognise alliteration, and practise oral blending skills.
Phonics is crucial in helping children make connections between the sounds (phonemes) of spoken language and the letters that represent those sounds in written form. In preparation for formal phonics teaching in Reception, we aim to help our children grasp the concept of a phoneme. During Nursery sessions, we focus on different types of sounds, playing interactive listening games and thoroughly enjoy singing a variety of songs and nursery rhymes. This emphasis on music and rhyme not only enhances children’s awareness of phonological patterns but also establishes a joyful foundation for their future reading journey.
For further information about our curriculum, please see our EYFS Page.
Below you will find our application form which you should return to the School Office or to nurseryadmin@prestbury.cheshire.sch.uk
We can provide paper copies of any information free of charge upon request.
Prestbury CE Primary School
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