Welcome to Peterhouse Nursery!

At Peterhouse Nursery you are assured of a warm welcome for your child and family. Our environment is warm, welcoming and nurturing and enables children to take their first steps away from home, whilst teaching them the skills necessary for starting school. Our children feel secure, confident and happy and demonstrate an eagerness to learn.

Peterhouse Nursery is a maintained school nursery, providing care and education for children aged 3-4 years. It is led by a qualified teacher - Mrs James. She teaches within the nursery for two and a half days a week and is supported by a team of well qualified and experienced practitioners to deliver wonderful provision. 

We are a provider of Government funded early years education entitlement and offer both the universal 15 hours and extended 30 hours entitlement to all eligible 3 and 4 year olds. 

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS), which continues in our school Reception classes. 

Parents and the wider family are important to our work and we offer regular opportunities throughout the year to join us for play sessions and information evenings. 

Our Day

This is what a “typical” day looks like under normal circumstances, however, routines can change according to the time of the year and specific celebrations or events that may be happening, for example Chinese New Year, World book day, etc.

Morning session

• 8.45 am: Settling in class, self-registration and choosing a job in the areas.
• 9:15 am: Maths - days of the week song, listening games class session/ small group work
• 9.30-10.30am: Snack
• 10.30am-11.15: Free flow activities both inside and outside (Planned activities/child-initiated activities)
• 11.20-11.35am: Story/singing/funky fingers
• 11.45 - Home time for AM session

Afternoon session

• 11.45am-12.30pm: Lunch time

• 12.30pm - 1.00pm: Free-flow activities indoors
• 1.00pm - 1.10pm: Maths, days of the week song, singing nursery rhymes- linked with maths.
• 1.10pm: Free-flow activities (Planned activities/child-initiated activities both inside and outside)
• 2.15 - 2.35pm: Story/ song time/ reflection on our learning
• 2.45pm: Home time

AM session 8.45am-11.45pm

PM session (includes lunch) 11.45pm-2.45pm

What does my child need to bring?

These are the items your child will need when they start at Ladybirds Nursery

• Uniform is optional, please check school website for more information.

• Bag: Your child will need to bring a bag of spare clothes, socks, underwear for occasional accidents or water play. These all must be labelled with your child’s name. You can take this bag home after each session, or you can leave it at the nursery if nothing further needs adding. Your child will have their own peg at nursery where they can leave their bag, coat and any other belongings. Children will be assisted to do this as they arrive.

• Nappies, wipes and creams: If your child is not toilet trained by the time they start school, it is important that we have a stock of any items you use at home. We can apply cream when its required, once you have completed the necessary form, which can be found at the main reception.

• Named water bottle for the classroom-water only please. Juice and squash are allowed for lunchtime.

• If your child brings in a pack lunch box please ensure this is also labelled.

• Coat: All children can access the outdoor environment every day. Whilst time outdoors may be reduced to extreme weather conditions, they will still go out in light rain. Therefore, it is important that children have the appropriate clothing to do so, this includes; hat, gloves and wellies.

• During the warmer seasons, Parents/carers will be asked to bring in their own sun cream for their child when at nursery. This removes any issues that may occur with sensitive skin or allergic reactions. Please ensure that you keep some sun cream in your child’s bag and please ensure that you provide a sun hat to protect them when outside in hot weather conditions.

Joining our Nursery

‘It’s Child’s Play’

We are supporting the Social Mobility Commission’s campaign, ‘It’s Child’s Play’. This campaign aims to encourage parents to chat, play, read, write and count with their children. It’s the little things that make a big difference and will go a long way to getting them school ready!

The key messages of the campaign are;

• A little bit goes a long way! The simple things you do together can make a big difference to your child’s development.
• Getting them school ready is easier than you think- even 5 minutes of play together will help to give them a head start.
• Did you know that chatting helps children make sense of the world around them and playing can help them understand shapes and names? It doesn’t matter what you talk about or play with- it’s all helping them learn!
• Reading doesn’t always have to be sitting down with a book- why not look out for easy words around you whilst out and about together?