EYFS – Reception & Nursery
Starting school is a huge and exciting step for both you and your child. Our aim is to provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere, reassuring you that your child is in the safest of hands and will receive the best possible educational start, closely matched with learning which fosters the development of valuable social skills like how to be independent, how to share and how to follow directions, alongside a firm pastoral philosophy.
At Witton-le-Wear, we aim for all our children to become independent, happy, enthusiastic and engaged learners. We strive for them to develop a curiosity, a love of learning and a confident start to school life. We support the children in establishing good learning behaviours and endeavour for every child to create and build firm foundations for their educational journey.
We hope that this information will help to put your mind at rest and answer any questions you or your child may have. Our priority is that your child is happy and enjoys coming to school. We pride ourselves on having an open-door policy so please feel free to come and speak to us. We’re always here to listen!
Our Aim and Ethos
Our aim is to create a safe, secure, happy, stimulating, well-disciplined and purposeful environment where all children feel motivated and develop as independent, enquiring learners.
At Witton-le-Wear we:
- Value each child and encourage every child to respect and value themselves and others. Forming positive attitudes, developing a sense of right and wrong, promote good behaviour, consideration for others and the environment.
- Build upon experiences, helping children to acquire knowledge, skills and concepts relevant to their lives now and in the future.
- Provide all children with ample opportunities for rich learning experiences, developing imagination creativity and self-expression.
- Promote play – learning through play helps kids develop social, emotional, creative, physical and cognitive skills. It strengthens the brain connections essential for future development.
In our EYFS Unit, assessment of children’s learning is carried out informally, with staff playing alongside children and making regular observations of what children do and say. Photographs, jottings and annotated pieces of work are collected to record children’s individual progress and inform future plans for learning. All learning is captured within our children’s portfolios, stored on Class Dojo.
We prioritise making strong and secure relationships with the children in our care so we can adapt our interactions to get the most out of each and every child in our EYFS unit.
EYFS Induction
We are a combined Nursery & Reception EYFS Unit. We accept children into our Nursery from the start of the term after their third birthday for both 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare, depending on parental eligibility.
For details of how to register for 30 hours, please use the government eligibility checker to find out if you would be eligible – https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
Our Nursery will nurture and help your child to grow, develop and become familiar with their future school environment plus the routines of our school day. We offer a ‘Welcome’ visit, a ‘Stay & Play’ session as well as an informal home visit before welcoming your child into Nursery.
New Reception children and parents will be invited to participate in our 2-day induction session held annually during June/July. The first ‘Stay & Play’ afternoon provides parents with the opportunity to chat with staff and receive information about our school day alongside guidance about how you can prepare your child for starting school. The following afternoon, we invite you and your child to join us for a school lunch before leaving your child in our care for the afternoon, allowing them to familiarise themselves in our setting and begin to form new friendships.
| Date of birth | Term in which birthday falls | EYFS Unit – Start Date |
| 1st January – 31st March | Spring | Summer Term (after Easter) |
| 1st April – 31st August | Summer | Autumn Term (September) |
| 1st September – 31st December | Autumn | Spring Term (January) |
Early Years Curriculum
In our EYFS Unit, you will see: play, scaffolding, modelling, observing, guided learning and direct teaching. Children may play alongside or with their peers, deciding on resources and choosing how to spend their time. Our passionate staff play with and alongside our children scaffolding their learning, modelling how to achieve success or teaching a new skill. Becoming a co-creator helps a child go from ‘what they know’ to ‘what else they could learn’ enabling our children to solve problems, carry out a task or achieve a new goal.
Nursery and Reception education is referred to as the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Early Years is a foundation for every child’s future learning and development. It emphasises that every child is unique; children learn through positive relationships and benefit from an effective, stimulating learning environment. The EYFS Curriculum is developmental, aiming for all children to achieve success and forms attitudes about learning that will last a lifetime.
Children who receive the right sort of support and encouragement during their early years will be creative and adventurous learners throughout their lives. At Witton-le-Wear, our staff and environments nurture the characteristics of effective learning: playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically, promoting the Prime and Specific Areas of learning.
Prime Areas lay the foundations upon which all further learning can develop. The prime areas are also extremely important for ‘igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving’, as stated in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The three prime areas are:
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Specific Areas are intended to also strengthen learning and development within the prime areas. The four specific areas are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
School Uniform
Play and learning in our EYFS Unit is lots of fun, but often very messy, so each child has a box of spares, just in case! We all work indoors and outdoors each day, and in all-weathers, so all children need uniform which is simple, easy to put on and comfortable.
Essentials for all
Worn to school each day:
- Warm, waterproof coat
- School uniform
- Suitable shoes
To be kept in school (returned home at every holiday):
- Pair of wellies
- Waterproof all-in-one suit
- Spares: pants, socks, bottoms, t-shirt and jumper
Nursery Uniform
- Red sweatshirt/jumper/cardigan or fleece
- Dark/black joggers/leggings/trousers/pull-on-skirt or shorts
Reception Uniform
- Red sweatshirt/jumper/cardigan or fleece
- Dark grey/black trousers/shorts/skirt
- White polo shirt
- PE Kit: Bag, white t-shirt, black shorts, elastic/velcro plimsolls
Please make sure ALL clothing items/shoes are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Admissions
Many three & four year old children are eligible for 30 hours free childcare in our Nursery.
You can now check if you are eligible for 30 hours childcare at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Free childcare is available between 8:45am and 3:15pm in term time. If eligible, please complete both the Application Form and Parental Declaration Form, which are available to download below, and return to our School Office. Your child’s name will be placed onto our waiting list.
Families who are unfortunately not entitled to a 30 hours free childcare place will still be eligible for a 15 hours free Nursery place.
2-year old Nursery Place Application Form
3-year old Nursery Place Application Form
