Welcome to Richmond Hill Nursery 3's 

Who are we? 

Richmond Hill Nursery 3's is open to children from the term after their 3rd birthday until the term after their 4th birthday when they move into Reception.

Places are available for the 15 hours Funded Education and 30 hours Funded Education as well as for those paying fees who are not eligible for the full 30 hours.

We operate term time only in line with the school days.

Session times: 9am - 12pm and 12pm-3pm

Session costs: Funded places or £12 per session (£4 an hour.) 

Lunches: School lunch can be ordered at £2 per day or parents can provide packed lunches.

For more information regarding Funded Education for 3&4 year old's please follow the link below:

https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/childrenandfamilies/cfis/freeearlyyears.asp

and to see if you are eligible for 30 hours funding please follow the link below.

https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/  scroll down to the 30 hours section. This is where you can apply for the 30 hour code which needs to be given to school admin each term.

Meet the Nursery 3's Team!

Class Teacher:                          Miss Megan O'Neil

Senior Teaching Assistants:    Mrs Kyffin

Nursery Apprentices:              Miss Taylor Hardon   

We work very closely within our Early Years team so you also may see:

Miss Claire Ostle, Miss Kelly Dickinson, Mrs Kerry Scott, Mrs Amanda Coates, Mrs Jill Mossop, Mrs Sarah Little and lunchtime staff Mrs Christine Thompson and Mrs Jane Donnelly

Our routine is very flexible and very much based on the children's needs. However, as we feel it is very important to establish routines we have a very flexible timetable which is as follows...

• Welcome and Self Registration
• Free Play/In the moment Planning
• Outdoor Play (we make the most of our outdoors at all times)
• Home or Lunch

 Toileting is carried out as and when needed and we understand that these needs will be different for each child.

We will often be outside for most of our session. The benefits of outdoor learning and exploration are huge.

Our approach to the curriculum

In Richmond Hill Nursery children are at the centre of everything that we do. We believe that children learn best when they are interested, curious and deeply engaged, which at this age and stage, is best achieved through play. We highly value the importance of play and use this at the heart of our curriculum to ensure the children come first! 

Through our approach to a rich, play based curriculum that responds to the needs and interests of the children, alongside high level and playful adult interactions, we believe children receive quality, fun filled experiences, which enable them to become 'school ready' and develop a love of learning! 

In 2018 we adopted an 'In the moment planning' approach to our teaching and learning to coincide with this ethos. This approach allows our children to become highly engaged in their learning, without limits or adult agenda. The role of the adult therefore looks a little different. When interacting with children, adults will observe what the children are doing, assess what they need to do/learn, next and plan their teaching, which will be delivered there and then. 

We use the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) within our curriculum, which sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old. 

All schools and Ofsted-registered Early Years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes.

Early Years Foundation Stage Profile

There are seven areas of learning and development and these are a fundamental part of all the planning and teaching that occurs.
 
They are split into Prime and Specific Areas:
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first.
These are:

• Communication and language
• Physical development; 
• Personal, social and emotional development

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
 
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas.
These are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

We also are very keen to find out and plan in the moment for a child's Characteristics of Learning. This describes how they like to play and learn, such as what motivates them and how their play allows them to learn and develop.

These are split into 3 areas...

Characteristics of Effective Learning

Playing and exploring – engagement

Finding out and exploring

Playing with what they know

Being willing to ‘have a go’

Active learning – motivation

Being involved and concentrating

Keeping trying

Enjoying achieving what they set out to do

Creating and thinking critically – thinking

Having their own ideas

Making links

Choosing ways to do things

To read more about the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Early Years Outcomes please follow the links below...

https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2017/03/eyfs_statutory_framework_2017.pdf

https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2012/03/Early_Years_Outcomes.pdf

Early Learning Goals

The Early Years is a continuum of learning from birth to the term after their 5th birthday and sets out the Early Years outcomes that children will typically be learning throughout the ages. 

In Nursery 3&4's children will range from working within the 22-36 month age range to the 30-50 month age range and then may enter into the 40-60 month age range where they will move through to reception and continue with this learning to the Early Learning Goals.

Below is a document for parents to have which sets out what you can expect and when if your child is following typical development.

What to expect, when? Guidance to your child’s learning and development in the early years foundation stage

https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/03/4Children_ParentsGuide_2015_WEB.pdf

Tapestry Learning Journals

Continuing on from Nursery 2's and through to the end of the Reception Year your child will have an online learning journal. For this we use a provider called Tapestry see https://tapestry.info/ for more information.

Tapestry allows us to capture some of the most precious moments from your child's day which otherwise we may not have been able to share with you. It allows us to record and track your child's learning and assess this against the Early Years Outcomes which then allows us to plan for further progression.

We also find Tapestry is an excellent way for you to be able to share some of the learning that your child has been doing at home and encourage parents to access it and upload information as often as possible.

Parents are a child's first and most important educators and when we work together the possibilities are endless.

What is a Key Worker?

Children thrive from a base of loving and secure relationships. This is normally provided by a child’s parents but it can also be provided by a key person. A key person is a named member of staff with responsibilities for a small group of children who helps those children in the group feel safe and cared for. The role is an important one and an approach set out in the EYFS which is working successfully in settings and in Reception classes. It involves the key person in responding sensitively to children’s feelings and behaviours and meeting emotional needs by giving reassurance, such as when they are new to a setting or class, and supporting the child’s well-being. The key person supports physical needs too, helping with issues like nappy changing, toileting and dressing. That person is a familiar figure who is accessible and available as a point of contact for parents and one who builds relationships with the child and parents or carers.
Records of development and care are created and shared by the key person, parents and the child. Small groups foster close bonds between the child and the key person in a way that large groups cannot easily do. These groups allow the key person to better ‘tune into’ children’s play and their conversations to really get to know the children in the group well. Children feel settled and happy and are more confident to explore and as a result become more capable learners.