NURSERY

Despite being a very different year with the lockdowns, the Nursery remained open throughout, with the children continuing to develop well and thrive. It felt as if every day was a celebration of some kind; a baby taking its first steps, the awe and wonder of toddlers noticing that ladybirds can fly, when discovering them in the long grass, or a child mastering the skill of letter writing. These may seem like small steps; however, they are actually ‘giant leaps’ and well worth celebrating.

Nursery life, as always, was busy with many new starters joining our groups. New friendships were made in abundance and plenty of learning took place as they shared their ideas and developed new skills. The children enjoyed counting together as they filled their buckets with conkers, sharing stories, sitting together on the logs and chatting or running freely as they chased each other around the fields. These early friendships have continued to grow and blossom.

The theme for Harvest Festival was ‘Weather’ and the Memorial Hall was decorated with brightly coloured rainbows. The children stood proudly and sang to the watching audience; it was a fantastic event.

As we approached Christmas, our older children staged the annual Nativity event. After much rehearsing, costume fittings, and expertly applied face paint, they put on the most amazing performance of the First Christmas. ‘Away in a Manager’, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘Little Donkey’ were among the many familiar songs that filled the hall on that winter’s day.

The Nursery is never put off by a challenge, and when it was suggested that we held a sponsored walk to raise money for Red Nose Day, the staff and children jumped at the chance! With a smile on their faces and a skip in their step, the children set off to walk around the School fields, raising a whopping £400 for charity.

The weather on Sports Day was glorious and despite the Covid-19 restrictions, parents were able to watch from a safe distance and to cheer their children on. There were flat races, races with buckets and bean bags, egg and spoon races and, of course, the Teddy Bear race for our youngest members.

“It felt as if every day was a celebration of some kind; a baby taking its first steps, the awe and wonder of toddlers noticing that ladybirds can fly, a child mastering the skill of letter writing. These may seem like small steps; however, they are actually ‘giant leaps’ and well worth celebrating. ”

The summer was a fantastic time for dressing-up and celebrating the Queen’s birthday. Flags were made and food prepared to mark our Monarch’s special day, with sticky fingers the norm as everyone tucked into a wonderful spread and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Her Majesty.

Over the course of the year, our classrooms, woodland, orchard and meadows were filled with the sounds of laughter as the children have enjoyed doing what they do best: exploring, being creative and having lots of fun!

Mrs Powell Nursery Manager

Harvest Festival

Celebrating the Queen’s Birthday

Exploring Outside

“Nursery life, as always, was busy with many new starters joining our groups. New friendships were made in abundance and plenty of learning took place as they shared their ideas and developed new skills. ”