Little Kinder Nursery
If you would like a tour of our lovely setting, please email the school office who would be more than happy to arrange this.
Our Nursery Pupils
Our School Nursery Class is called Little Kinder. We want our children to develop knowledge and respect for the world around them. Our long term vision revolves around each child’s connections within families, communities and the natural world.
Little Kinder offers Nursery education to children aged from 3 to 5 years of age. Depending on our overall numbers, we do often take 'rising threes' which means pupils can start with us at the start of the term in which they turn three. Most of our children live within the Hope Valley area, but some also travel to Hathersage from Sheffield and Chesterfield.
Our Nursery pupils do not wear uniform, but instead come in clothing that you are happy to get wet, muddy and stained in paint.
Our Nursery Staff
The Nursery class is led by Mrs. Watson (known to all by Amanda), a qualified teacher, who is supported by teaching assistants who all work very closely together to provide the best possible start for all of the children in their care.
Our Nursery Environment
Our Nursery is based in our main school building in our 'EYFS Unit'. They share this space with our Reception Class. The space consists of a large Continuious Provision room which is zones into different areas, including: a role play area (theme of this changes each half term), a home corner, construction area, craft area, easle, sand, water, small world play, reading area, writing area.
We then have a small classroom that is used for snack time for our Nursery children.
We have a second classroom that is used for carpet time. We share stories together in this role, have our singing sessions and complete our maths learning in here.
We also have an extensive EYFS yard, which is used in all weathers for all children. We are very lucky to have such extensive school grounds and in our dedicated EYFS yard we have: a large sandpit, a large mud kitchen area, large water play, construction, bikes and trikes, a wooden climbing frame and sloped adventure area, a reading shed and lots of nuture observing!
Our Nursery Curriculum
Our children in our Foundation Stage unit learn different topics each half term as part of a three year cycle. We use these topics as a vehicle to ensure that pupils are supproted and guided in developing all of the skills and knowledgde outlined in the DfE document 'Development Matters'.
At the heart of our EYFS curriclulum is the EYFS Characterisitics of Effective Learning which encourages learning through playing and exploring, active learning and thinking critically.
Our Nursery Sessions
What times are the Nursery sessions?
Morning session starts at 8:40am and finished at 11:40am.
Lunchtime is 11:40am-12:30pm.
Afternoon session is 12:30-3:30pm.
Pupils can attend the sessions that suit your needs. This may be full time, morning sessions, afternoon sessions or a mixture of sessions.
Nursery pupils can also attend our wraparound care 7:30am-6:00pm.
What age can pupils start Nursery?
We are registered to take pupils from the term after their third birthday. We can take children who are two years old in the term they turn three ('rising threes'). We have to cap the number of ‘rising threes’ we have each term to 5 children due to adult ratios. Once the 5 places are full, your child will be placed on a waiting list and allocated a place based on date of birth.
Can my child come full time?
All newly enrolled children will come to Nursery on a reduced timetable for a few weeks prior to their agreed pattern starting to help them to settle in. Once ready, pupils can come to nursery full time, if there is availability. To come full time we would generally expect pupils to no longer need an afternoon nap on a regular basis and have increasing levels of independence with tasks such as putting on coats, using the toilet and eating their lunch.
Do children attend forest school?
Forest school sessions will still happen every Thursday. ‘Rising threes’ will not be able to attend Forest School, but they will be able to attend Nursery on Thursdays and they will stay in the EYFS unit with a member of staff who is known to them.
What happens with lunch?
If your child stays for lunch, they will need to bring a packed lunch everyday.
Do you have to live in Hathersage to attend Nursery?
No, we have children who attend who live in the village, and many from outside the village, including as far afield as Sheffield and Chesterfield.
Nursery Fees
Free Government funded places are available for all 3+ year olds and qualifying 2 year olds.
To find out if you may be eligible for up to 30 free hours of childcare please visit the Childcare Choices website
https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
Additional sessions are charges at £20 a session and £4 for a lunchtime.