Our Early Years Mission

At St St Margaret Mary Catholic Primary School and Nursery we:

• Promote the welfare of children.

• Promote good health, preventing the spread of infection and taking appropriate action when children are ill.

• Manage behaviour effectively in a manner appropriate for the children’s stage of developmental and individual needs.

• Ensure all adults who look after the children or who have unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

• Ensure that the premises, furniture and equipment is safe and suitable for purpose.

• Ensure that every child receives enjoyable and challenging learning and develop experiences tailored to meet their needs.

• Maintain records, policies and procedures required for safe efficient management of the setting and to meet the needs of the children.

• Ensure that all children in the EYFS have access to water and they have a healthy snack each day.

Nursery

We are fortunate to have a fantastic dedicated Nursery classroom and outdoor area, which enables us to offer Nursery provision for up to 24 children, including 30-hour provision.

Nursery provision is delivered in morning and afternoon sessions. Mornings sessions begin at 08:45 and finish at 11:45. Lunch runs from 11:45 until 12:30. Afternoon sessions then run from 12:30 until 15:30. 

If you would like your child to stay for lunch and they bring their own packed-lunch, there is an additional cost of £1.50 per session. Alternatively, if you would like to order a hot meal the cost is £3.50 per session. 

If you would like to apply for a place, please complete the application form below and return to the school office, or alternatively email to schools@stmmary.cumbria.sch.uk. If you would like to discuss Nursery provision further, please contact the school on 01228 401800. 

The Early Years Foundation Stage is organised into seven areas of learning and development, which is split into 17 aspects.

These seven areas are as follows:

PSED - Personal, social, emotional development (developing self-confidence and self-awareness, making relationships as well as managing behaviour and feelings).

CL - Communication and Language (speaking, listening and understanding)

PD - Physical development (moving and handling as well as health and self-care)

LIT - Literacy (reading and writing)

MATHS - Mathematics (numbers, shape, space and measures)

UW - Understanding the World (people and communities, the world and technology)

EAD - Expressive Arts and Design (exploring and using media and materials as well as being imaginative!)

Children are also observed to see how they learn.

Preparing for School

Working at home with your child

Here are some ideas of things to do with your child in the lead up to starting school. Key things which will really support the transition for your child are:

• Going to the toilet by themselves
• Getting dressed by themselves - taking off and putting on jumpers and socks particularly, these are the trickiest!
• Holding writing tools correctly (it can be fun for children to practise using lots of different mark making tools such as pencils, crayons, biros, felt tip pens, gel pens etc)
• Holding and using scissors correctly

Below are lots more ideas split up in to the areas of learning in EYFS (Communication and Language is embedded within all these areas through talking with your child):

Personal, Social, Emotional Development

• Encourage your child to say please and thank you.
• Encourage your child to take his/her own coat on and off.
• When playing with your child, support them in sharing toys.
• Allow them to choose some toys themselves and reflect on opinions about these toys; e.g. this is my favourite doll/car.
• Ensure that your child is able to go to the toilet unaided.
• Try to support your child in taking turns with others.
• Encourage your child to talk about their feelings.

Physical Development

• Encourage your child to handle small and large equipment.
• Allow your child to use scissors and develop their skills.
• Allow your child to run, hop, skip, jump and find different ways of travelling.
• Play games such as follow the leader and change actions to develop motor skills and coordination.
• Discuss changes to their bodies after exercise; heart beating faster, feeling hot etc.

Reading and Writing

• Allow your child to select books for themselves; ones that interest him/her. Picture books with repetitive and basic language such as those by Julia Donaldson.
• Encourage your child to ‘read’ what is happening in the pictures. Prompt them to tell you a sentence about what is happening.
• To increase vocabulary and identify sounds: play word games such as I spy.
• Sing alphabet songs and talk about the names of the letter and the sounds that they make.
• Make shapes of letters out of play dough; write them in sand, write their own name in the air etc.
• Begin to practise recognising their name.
• Encourage your child to sing/say songs and rhymes and tell you their own stories.
• Ask your child about words that rhyme, e.g. house and mouse.

Mathematical Development

• Practice counting groups of objects in pictures and stories; pose questions such as how many altogether? Which number is one more?
• Count out loud with your child saying the names of numbers clearly.
• Show numbers to your child (perhaps on number cards).
• Sing songs or rhymes with numbers in them; 10 In The Bed, 5 Little Ducks, 10 Fat Sausages etc.
• Read stories with numbers in them, e.g. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
• Use mathematical language; add, take away, number names.
• Count using fingers.
• Point to and say numbers around the house.
• Encourage children to identify shapes around them; do a circle spotting hunt, square spotting etc.
• Apply mathematics to real life; shape, money, amounts of objects etc.

Understanding the World

• Talk to your child about special times; birthdays, baptism and other key events in their lives and the lives of others they know.
• Encourage them to explore their surroundings; particularly in the outdoor area.
• Allow your child to observe animals and describe them.
• Allow them to use simple tools; such as a small hand trowel.
• Encourage them to feel different textured objects and describe; rough, smooth, soft etc.

Expressive Arts and Design

• Allow your child to listen to and sing songs and rhymes.
• Engage in role play with your child.
• Explore different media; paint, pencils, crayons.
• Using scissors and glue; encourage cutting and sticking activities.
• Dance to songs and make up actions to complement; e.g. Wheels on the Bus.