A day in Nursery

A day in Nursery

A typical day in Heriot’s Nursery follows a similar rhythm to the below:

Drop off and free play

• Before the Nursery day begins, pupils can attend Breakfast Club in the Refectory. Breakfast Club starts at 7.30am and pupils are welcome to bring a breakfast item to enjoy during this time. Activities to engage the pupils will be provided.  Staff then escort the pupils to the Nursery at 8.15am.
• Drop off is from 8.15am until 8.35am
• A member of the Nursery team will be at the door to greet Nursery pupils and there is the opportunity to pass on any information needed for the day
• Children are supported to hang up their coat and place items in their cubby, ready for their day
• Children come into the Nursery independently to enjoy free play and continuous provision.

Gather time and group time

• Gather times happen through the day. Bringing the children together on the central carpet, pupils take part in discussions about their learning, planning for future learning, listen to stories, sing rhymes or play number games
• Group times take place a couple of times a week. These are led by teachers and Early Years practitioners and focus on the development of Early Learning skills including number recognition, fine motor skills, phonetic awareness and social skills
• Pupils work in keyworker groups to plan their learning using ‘Talking and Thinking’ floor books, to document their ideas
• The Nursery day always ends with a gather time to share the learning from our day.

Indoor and Outdoor free play and activities

• The Nursery’s garden door remains open throughout the day. Pupils use the Mud Kitchen, Wildlife Garden and soft surface area through the day industriously completing free choice and planned activities.

Specialist lessons

• During the week, Nursery pupils enjoy specialist lessons in Music, Physical Education and Learning Enhancement.

Snacks and lunch

• Pupils are offered a snack in the morning, and this is served in the Nursery
• Nursery pupils go to lunch at 11.20am in the Refectory, supervised by Early Years staff
• Parents have the choice of ordering a 2-course hot meal from the Refectory or sending their child with a packed lunch
• Allergens and dietary requirements are catered. Please note Heriot’s is a nut-free site

Pick up

• Pick up is at 2pm and parents are welcome to come into the Nursery and speak to your child’s keyworker about their day

Wrap Around Care

• Children attending Wrap Around Care are collected by staff and walked over to the bespoke Nursery room in the Refectory building
• Parents can book their child into sessions with the latest finishing at 6pm

Communication

Ad hoc discussions and meetings with staff can be arranged on request

Daily, we communicate with parents using our online platform ‘Learning Journals’, sharing activities from the day and observations of learning

For each session, parents receive 2 written profiles and a written report at the end of the year

Parents are invited to 2 parent teacher meetings during the year

Come and visit our Nursery: we will be delighted to welcome you. Please contact Admissions to make an appointment