Nursery 2024 - 2025

Dear Families,

A very warm welcome to St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School. We are excited to share important information about your child’s learning journey with us.

Staff                                                                                                               

My name is Mrs. Calderbank, and I am thrilled to be teaching Nursery this year. Supporting me in the classroom are Mrs Oakes and Miss Islam, who will assist with learning activities throughout the day. During lunchtime, your child will be cared for by our midday assistant, Mrs  Elsmore.

We are now operating as a combined Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) unit, so your child will also have the opportunity to learn alongside the Reception class. They’ll become familiar with Mr Rothwell (Reception teacher) and the Reception Teaching Assistants, Miss Cocking and Mrs Elsmore.

Topic for Autumn 2, our topic is ‘Fantastic Festivals’

Understanding the World: We’ll be learning about Bonfire Night, Diwali, Remembrance Day, Christmas, and special people and places. These festivals provide opportunities to explore diverse faiths and beliefs, emphasising that we are all unique. Activities will include making firework art for Bonfire Night, creating diva lamps for Diwali, and making Christmas decorations.

Religious Education (RE): Our focus will be on Prophecy and Promise. We’ll learn about the Christmas Story, discuss Advent, and participate in our own Nativity story.

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development: We will continue developing group skills, learning to follow rules, and understanding how our behaviour affects others. With support, children will begin resolving minor conflicts, such as taking turns. We’ll also show respect for others by sharing family traditions and customs.

Physical Development: Children will learn about the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, good sleep, and personal hygiene. Fine motor skills will be developed through activities involving various materials to prepare for future drawing and writing tasks. Outdoor activities will focus on gross motor skills like running, jumping, and climbing.

Communication and Language: Daily story time will include extended conversations about what we read, helping us build longer sentences. An inviting role-play area will give children the chance to take on roles and share ideas with peers.

Literacy: Through story time and phonics, we will work on recognising our names, understanding print, and enjoying phase 1 phonics activities, such as rhyme and alliteration. The “letter of the week” will also be introduced to help recognise letters.

Maths: We will continue to practice counting and number recognition through number songs. Through practical activities related to our topic, we will learn how to count up to 5 objects using 1:1 correspondence, saying one number for each item in order: 1,2,3,4,5. We will continue to use our fingers, objects and five frames to deepen our understanding of number. We will begin to record numerals, experimenting with our own symbols and marks.

For more on the Nursery curriculum, please visit the St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School: Nursery webpage.

Uniform and Clothing

As we learn outdoors in all weather, please send your child with a waterproof coat and wellington boots, which can be kept at Nursery. To ensure lost items are returned, please label all clothing and footwear with your child’s name. Additionally, we ask for a spare set of clothes for each child, which will be stored on their peg.

Snacks

Healthy snacks, such as fruit and milk, are provided daily. Children may bring their own water bottles, clearly labelled with their names. To support our commitment to health, we kindly request that bottles contain only water, not juice.

Nursery Fund

We greatly appreciate any contributions to our class fund, with a suggested donation of £1 per week. This fund supports extras that enrich your child’s experience, such as additional snacks, cooking ingredients, and learning resources. Your donations make a difference, and the children truly benefit from them.

Learning Journeys

Your child’s learning journey will be documented weekly through observations on Evidence Me, showcasing their development over the term through photos, notes, and focused tasks. Their achievements will also be displayed on their personal Learning Journey in the ‘Nursery Cave’ on our display wall, which parents and carers are welcome to view at the end of the day once all children are safely dismissed.

You are encouraged to send in any home learning or significant achievements, which we will add to your child’s Learning Journey.

The new EYFS curriculum focuses on understanding each child’s unique development and includes both individual and group play, with practical assessments at key developmental stages.

Home and Nursery Partnership

You will receive a login and consent form for our Evidence Me observation application, allowing you to view significant moments in your child’s learning. You can comment on your child’s progress, and the class teacher may set "Next Step" targets to work on at home. Additionally, we’ll provide WOW cards for you to record impressive achievements. These “WOW moments” help build confidence, expand vocabulary, and support speech development as children share them with peers.

Finally, if you have any concerns or wish to communicate with us, we operate an 'open door
policy.' You can speak to us during Nursery drop-off, but pick-up is preferable once all the 
children have been dismissed. Alternatively, you can reach us via email at 
admin@st-pauls-hyde.tameside.sch.uk. For longer discussions, it’s best to schedule an 
appointment. If someone other than yourself will be collecting your child, please inform us when you drop them off in the morning or contact the school. Children will not be released to an unfamiliar adult without prior notification.We look forward to working with you and your child throughout the coming year and appreciate your valued support.                                                                                                                                                                           

Mrs Calderbank and Mrs Oakes