Typical Day
This section will hopefully give you some idea of what a typical day might entail, if such a thing as a typical day existed, which it doesn't.
If you wonder why we don't have typical days, imagine bringing together nursery children, school children, staff, several new activities, a flurry of phone calls, the occasional mishap and the sort of surprises that only eager under-fives can deliver.
But if there was a typical day, this is what it might be like.
Start the Day
The before school starts at 8am, Monday to Friday. School children (and some 'wrap-around' nursery children) arrive and start the day with quiet play.
Most of the nursery children arrive at 9 o'clock, just after the school children have been escorted across the old playground to their classes.
Nursery: Activities
The morning gets under way. Everything we do is carefully planned to be fun. The children usually have no idea that their key learning skills (such as listening, concentrating and working together) are being developed along with their abilities in early communication, language, literacy and maths. It is important to remember that the guidance and encouragement we give to each child does not begin and end with the main activity of the session. Our staff encourage the children to develop and learn as they play throughout the day. This is the main reason why we never employ inexperienced students to care for the children. Before and after each child takes part in a planned learning activity they play with the toys, books, art materials, dressing up clothes, building blocks, musical instruments, puzzles and games kept permanently within their reach on low shelves.
Nursery: Fun and Games
Ask most young children what they did at nursery today and you might proudly be shown a drawing, or a model, or be taken to see a wall display. But it is more likely you will get a shrug, or the simple answer "Nothing". And the reason is quite simple: the one thing that young children enjoy most of all is play. At such an early age they don't differentiate between play and what they will later come to know as schoolwork. For that reason we don't differentiate either - instead, our curriculum is made up of activities that will encourage them to learn as they play, and we surround them with toys, musical instruments, art materials, games and equipment designed to stimulate and stretch their imaginations.
As a vital part of that educational environment, we staff the nursery with motivated people who have modern qualifications in early years education and a thorough understanding of children's needs and the foundation stage of the national curriculum. So whether a child is playing a game that has sprung from a scenario we created ('planned play', like the green grocer's shop), or one that is entirely of his or her own making, we can watch with a professional eye, and occasionally join in. Properly qualified staff will support children's learning in planned play and extend their learning in spontaneous play.
Our flexible curriculum allows games that the children have initiated to form the basis of planned activities in later sessions. And the observations we make while the children play are part of the careful monitoring that takes place in the nursery to ensure that each child's needs are being met.
But from the child's point of view it's all just play. Little wonder, then, that the most common response to '"What did you do at nursery today?" is "Nothing!"
Nursery: Stories and Books
Our book corner is without doubt the most dog-eared part of the nursery - for the simple reason that the children are encouraged to get the books off the shelves and enjoy them. We teach the children to respect books and to care for them, but they are being looked at so often and the pages are turned over by so many small, sticky fingers, that replenishing our book corner is a constant process.
Books play a major part in many of the planned activities in the nursery. We might imagine we are in a favourite story, or explore the feelings of the characters, or build a maths activity around the story itself. Alongside their favourite storybooks there are plenty of information books that the children are encouraged to use too. Free access to books, together with lots of colourful wall displays, signs, lists and labels all help a child to understand the importance of language. And, of course, every session has its story time. The children gather round and listen to stories, rhymes or poems.
Nursery: Outdoor Play
The outdoor space is every bit as safe and inviting for the children as the inside. We have our own securely fenced and gated grass area surrounding the building. We also use the school's playground and field. Children can play outdoors in summer and winter.
Noon At noon, the nursery children either return home with their parents or, for those using the 'wrap-around' service, are escorted into the school for lunch followed by their afternoon session at the school's nursery. Home time is a chance for parents to discuss things with their child's keyworker and to discuss their progression towards the Early Learning Goals that underpin our curriculum. We encourage parents to call into the nursery at any time to discuss anything relevant to their child. Our 'open door' promise means there is no need to make an appointment.
School Ends At 3:15 - 3:20 the kids club children are escorted from school into the nursery building (infants) or junior school room (juniors). After roll call the children play to their hearts content until their parents collect them. At 6:00 - all is quiet as the last child has disappeared and the club is cleaned and tidied.