Our Nursery

The Culloden Nursery is a warm and welcoming setting that’s the ideal place to give your child the best possible start to their school career.

It’s consistently rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and run by our friendly team who act as good role models and continually interact with the children.

Our Nursery is part of the main school building, and has four separate registration bases. Children are able to access the whole Nursery throughout the day, and enjoy free-flow access to our vast EYFS outdoor space. It’s a colourful and stimulating indoor environment that’s specially designed for children of this age; everything is on their level, from the toilets and sinks to the countertops and seating, and there are different areas for roleplay, art, music and much more.

Beginning Nursery

We know that starting Nursery is a big step for the children – and parents! To make it as easy as possible for everyone we start with a home visit by two members of the Nursery team a few weeks before your child is due to join us. One person will interact with the child, using a selection of activities including storybooks, while the other member of staff will have an informal discussion with you.

We’ll ask about the child’s interests and strengths as well as any areas that they may require support. We will also discuss any medical needs, dietary requirements, previous childcare settings and any other information that gives a good all-round assessment of their child before they begin Nursery. All this will help us prepare and make sure we can do our best for your child.

This meeting is also a time when you can ask us any questions you have about the joining procedure, or anything else on your mind.

Settling in

When it comes to the first day at nursery, we have developed a timetable which we’ve designed to help children adapt quickly. On the very first day we always ask that parents stay with their child for the whole session then, depending on the individual child, we decide whether they can stay without parents the following day.

In the first week, two or three children from each Nursery class will attend a morning or an afternoon session for the first week and leave after a couple of hours. The time they’re with us gradually increases throughout the second week and the children will have a practice lunch before leaving at 1pm. At the end of the second week they will stay for the whole day.

Learning

Over the course of the year our curriculum covers several topics, including ‘Marvellous Me’, ‘Celebrations’ and ‘Dinosaurs and Fossils’. We make learning as interactive as possible, through a mix of adult-led and independent activities, and we have a weekly music session with the Culloden music teacher who is a member of the organisation #Love2sing. We also go on educational visits in the local area and further afield to places such as the seaside, aquarium or zoo.

Our guide to preparing your child for nursery:

Toilet training

Ideally children will know how to wipe themselves properly and pull up their underwear, as well as flush the toilet and wash their hands afterwards, but obviously we always allow for (and expect) accidents. If your child does occasionally have mishaps then it’s a good idea to let their teacher know and pack spare underwear in their school bag.

Eating with a knife and fork

This is particularly important if your child will be having school lunches. We will have supervisors on hand to help, but they can’t help everyone at once. It also helps your child feel more confident if they’re able to cut up their own food.

Getting dressed

If your child can fasten and unfasten buttons, zips and Velcro, they’ll be able to go to the toilet without help and change for PE lessons.

Get into a routine

Help your child get into the habit of getting their uniform and school bag ready every evening. It’ll help the mornings feel less rushed.

Dry run

Before their first day at school, have a practice run of getting ready. It’ll prepare you both for the big day and might even generate some excitement.

Asking for what they need

It’s important your child has the confidence to communicate their needs, such as requesting to go to the toilet or asking another child if they can borrow something.

Sitting still

Children have to sit still and listen at school, and they’re far more likely to manage this if they’ve got used to doing it at home first. Getting them to do it as you read them a story is a fun way to practice.

Taking turns and sharing

Being able to take turns and share is essential. Help your child develop these skills by playing games with them that involve taking turns and encouraging your child to share their toys when they have play dates.

Dealing with losing

Some children find it hard to lose (as do some adults!) so it’s helpful if they’ve had this experience before starting school. Help them by playing games where they’re not always the winner, and encourage your child to congratulate others.

Please and thank you

Remind your child to use good manners with their teachers, friends and when they’re at home.