welcome to our nursery
The Foundation Stage / Nursery & Reception
Haytor View Foundation Stage Unit consists of a maintained Nursery class and Reception class. Our Early Years Foundation Stage children work in a truly integrated unit. This means there is no Reception or Nursery side to the classroom space. All children access and use all areas of the room. The large room also has two doors that lead into the garden area. In addition the children also have regular opportunities to use various spaces across the school grounds, hall, cooking room, small rooms, field and studio space.
Every child belongs to a small ‘family’ group that will have a number of children from Foundation 1 (F1) and Foundation 2 (F2). The children work in a mixed age group to support their personal and social development. The unit is staffed by a Specialist Leader in Early Years Education, a teacher, four level 3 qualified nursery nurses/ foundation practitioners. The staff are experienced, and work closely alongside all the children in the unit. Your child will have their own key worker but will also spend time working with all of the staff across the unit.
Session Times: 15 hour and 30 hour offer
The Foundation Stage at Haytor View consists of a 52 place Nursery class 26 each session and a 30 place reception class, which means we can accommodate 56 children at each session.
All children can access provision the term after their third birthday, they are entitled to universal 570-hour entitlement up to 15 hours a week of FREE Early years provision organised across 38 weeks of the year. Some children are entitled to two year old funding, we can admit children in receipt of funding from their third birthday. We also offer paid sessions for 3 year olds.
Sessions are arranged across the week in units of three hours, patterns of attendance are agreed with parents primarily, taking into account the educational, development and needs of the children.
Families that have an 11-digit code because they are working and eligible for the FREE extended entitlement can have up to 1140 hours stretched across a year. This equates to 30 hours a week over 38 weeks of the year.
Session times are:
• Morning sessions of 8.30am to 11.30am and
• Afternoon sessions of 12.20pm to 3.20pm and
• All day sessions of 9.00am to 3.00pm during term time only.
If parents want to buy additional hours on top of the 15 funded hours or the extended entitlement as their children are not eligible for Extended Entitlement funding, they can do this during our opening times. For children accessing the full day session (9am – 3pm) we offer an extended day early start drop off at 8.30 am and a late pick up at 3.20am.
Hourly Rate Calculated at:
£13.00 per 3 hour session for children 3 years and above
£26 per 6 hour all day session for children 3 years and above
£30 per extended all day session for children 3 years and above
Early Years provision is from the term after their third birthday until the term after their fifth birthday. The table below shows when children become eligible to access the Early Years entitlement.
| On or after | And on or before | Funding starts: |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September | 31 December | Spring (after Christmas) |
| 1 January | 31 March | Summer (after Easter) |
| 1 April | 31 August | Autumn (after Summer) |
Get in Touch
We welcome the opportunity to meet children and parents, we can offer a tour of the setting, talk to you about our offer and our provision. Your child can explore our environment and get a taste of the space and opportunities on offer.
This provides you and your child with the opportunity to spend some time in our provision, speak with our team and ask any questions you have.
If you wish to arrange for a visit or have any questions please get in touch:
School email address: admin@haytorview.devon.sch.uk
Speaking with school staff via telephone 01626 203040
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Relationships
Supporting children to settle
A child’s voice
Playing / Learning
“Just Playing” You may think that children are “Just Playing” when you see young children working in the Foundation Stage Unit. However, if you look closely you will see a whole world of learning happening. This is because young children are ‘active learners’ and the experiences we offer are specifically planned to enhance the all around development of the child. We want to enable each child to be a successful achiever in a safe, secure environment. Spontaneous learning opportunities are recognised and extended by the teachers as they occur. We encourage children to be active learners, to play with materials and through their play to explore and discover new ideas, skills and concepts. It is often during this the active process that learning is taking place and sometimes there may not be a visible end product. The process involved is the most important aspect of the learning. What have you done today? Is a question frequently used when children are collected to go home. However, when children come home from working all day in the Foundation Stage a common reply is “ I’ve done nothing” . The children have often been engaged in so many different activities it is difficult for them to recall and sequence them all. Allow them time they will recall important moments later in the evening or the next day.Settling in / Transitions
Independence skills
Key Worker
Learning Journals
Each child’s has a learning journal that is completed by your child’s key person and other staff members. We hope you will enjoy being involved in talking about your child’s learning at home as sharing these experiences helps us to plan activities to suit your child’s needs. You are welcome to look at your child’s journals at any time. Your child’s learning journal goes home with them permanently when they leave the Foundation stage and move into Y1.What to wear/ to bring
Snacks
Bookbags
All about me’ Bags
All children have a white bag on their peg. You can use your bag to bring things in. We ask that children do not bring in their toys from home instead please share photos, things they have collected on a walk to the park, beach etc. This sharing and talking is a great way of encouraging children to speak and listen to each other in small groups. Please do not allow your child to bring toys into the setting as your child’s special toys can get lost or broken in a busy Foundation Unit.Nursery F1 induction
Timetable
8.30-8.50 / 12.20-12.35
Welcome Time – Time to Think Children arrive and register with their key Worker. Staff and parents have time to chat and children can show parents what they have been learning. Children can meet up with their friends and talk about what they have been doing at home and what they might do that day.9.00-9.30 / 12.40-1.10 Monday to Friday- Key Worker Group Time Adult directed activity in their small key worker group, focused around a key skill. Learning is based on what the children already know; their skills and knowledge. We then move onto a group discussion where we focus on what the children want to know; the thing or topic that is motivating them to learn, or our previous days learning. After the guided activity the children plan what they are going to do during the main part of the session some children choose to continue the group time activity. The key worker supports the planning process and monitors the children’s involvement and choices. Wednesday AM: in base 1 we use the hall for P.E sessions. Thursday PM: session base 2 use the hall for P.E sessions
9.35–10.30 / 1.10–2.30 Main Session Children are able to access the whole of the Foundation Stage Unit, inside and out. Staff are based across the areas, while others are working on focused activities with individuals or small groups of children, based around our play based curriculum.
10.30–10.40 / 2.30–2.40 Tidy up Time This is an important part of the session as it encourages children and staff to have respect for the Foundation environment, the resources and each other as they tidy up together making sure everything is back in the correct space and clean, ready for the afternoon class.
10.40-10.55 / 2.40—2.50 Review time We gather together at the end of the session in their key groups. Individuals or groups of children may want to share some learning that has taken place during the session and to plan for our next steps for the following day. Snack is shared together as they recall the session and their learning.
11.00-11.25 / 2.50—3.10 The children are gathered together in small groups to focus on skill leveled phonics and language development. The staff plan around a core book for the language session; this may be presented in a range ways for example- a told story time a or sensory activity etc.
11.30am Morning F1 children are collected to go home.
3.15pm Full time F2 children are collected to go home
3.20pm Afternoon F1 children are collected to go home
Full time children in F2 11.30am -12.00 F2 children stay for lunch in the school hall. The children then return to the unit.
12.00- 12.30 The children listen to a story which is presented through a core book, story square or told story. They also engage the handwriting rhymes for that day.
12.30pm the afternoon session starts :- see timings and structure linked to the morning sessions.
The Butterfly
I remember one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the back of a tree just as a butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing to come out. I waited a while, but it was too long in appearing and I was impatient. I bent over it and breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The case opened, the butterfly started slowly crawling out, and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled: the wretched butterfly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them. Bending over it. I tried to help it with my breath, in vain.
It needed to be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual process in the sun. Now it was too late. My breath has forced the butterfly to appear all crumpled, before its time. It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hands.
That little body is, I do believe, the greatest weight I have on my conscience, For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm
(from Zorba the Greek, Kazantakis).
Remember this quote when you think of young children starting school. We always make sure the butterflies in our care have a chance to let their wings dry out so that they can REALLY TRULY FLY…….
Some can fly higher than others
But each one flies the best it can
Why compare one to another?
Each one is different
Each one is special
Each one is beautiful