Nursery

Welcome to Nursery!

👧🏼🧒🏾🖍️🎨📚

2025-2026

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Vision

Castle Hill Primary School

‘Belong, Believe, Achieve & Grow’

Vision Statement:

At our school, we envision a nurturing environment where every child, regardless of their starting point, flourishes and reaches their full potential. We recognise the unique challenges presented by our children’s' baseline levels, particularly in communication and language, personal, social, and emotional development, and writing. With dedication and compassion, we aim to foster rapid progress and holistic growth in every aspect of their development.

Our Vision:

We envision a school where every child feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. Despite the challenges they may face, we believe in their inherent potential and are committed to providing the necessary tools and support to unlock it. Our vision is centred around the following principles:

1. Nurturing Environment:

· We strive to create a nurturing and inclusive environment where every child feels safe, respected, and valued.

· Through strong relationships and positive role modelling, we aim to instil a sense of belonging and confidence in each child.

2. Holistic Development:

· We recognise the importance of addressing all areas of development, including communication and language, personal, social, and emotional development, and writing.

· Our approach focuses on nurturing the whole child, fostering their social skills, emotional resilience, and academic abilities in tandem.

3. Rapid Progress:

· We are committed to accelerating the progress of our students, particularly in areas where they may be lagging behind.

· Through targeted interventions, tailored support, and high-quality teaching, we aim to facilitate rapid progress and bridge the gap between our students' starting points and age-related expectations.

4. Empowering Learning:

· We believe in the power of education to transform lives and empower children to reach their aspirations.

· Our curriculum is designed to be engaging, relevant, and inclusive, providing opportunities for children to explore, discover, and succeed.

5. Experiential Learning:

· We are dedicated to providing our students with enriching experiences that expand their horizons and broaden their perspectives.

· Through carefully planned outings, immersive activities, and guest speakers, we aim to expose children to experiences they may not encounter in their everyday lives, fostering curiosity, resilience, and a love for learning.

6. Collaborative Community:

· We recognise that achieving our vision requires collaboration and partnership between staff, parents, carers, and the wider community.

· By working together, sharing expertise, and supporting one another, we can create a nurturing ecosystem where every child thrives.

In summary, our vision is to create a nurturing school where every child makes rapid progress and achieves success, regardless of their starting point. Through dedication, compassion, and collaboration, we will empower our students to overcome barriers, fulfil their potential, and embark on a journey of lifelong learning and fulfilment.

Hi, my name is Mrs Vickers and I have been a teacher at Castle Hill for 15 years. I started my journey in the EYFS unit where I spent the first 7-8 years. (Having a year in the middle split between 3 months in year 1 and 6 months with my newborn baby girl who is now 11!!) After my 7th full year in EYFS, I moved up to year 1 with my lovely Reception Class, where I spent the next 4 years. After my 4th year in year 1, I moved up to year 2 with my class, and spent 2 years there! Despite loving these years, I am delighted to say that I am now back in the EYFS unit where my passion for teaching began! I am now the Nursery teacher and am in class Tuesday-Friday every week. I cannot wait to spend the year with your wonderful children! Our door is always open and any questions please don't hesitate to pop in! You can also message us via Tapestry if needed! 😃

Hi, I’m Miss Ratcliffe and I have 9 years EYFS experience as I have previously worked in a private nursery, before starting my journey here, at Castle Hill, 3 years ago. During my first year here, I supported a child with SEND on a 1:1 basis in Reception and was given the honour of transitioning to year 1 with her.  I then came back in the EYFS unit last year, working with Mrs Vickers as the Nursery Teaching Assistant, and leading the class on a Monday whilst Mrs Vickers was away. I gave birth to my second child, a beautiful baby girl in April so am currently on maternity leave. I can't wait to come back in February, and see how much you have all grown and meet all of our new friends! 😃

Hi, I’m Miss Hargreaves and I have had around 12 years of experience as an EYFS and KS1 teaching assistant. Prior to this I worked as a nursery nurse in a private day nursery for 5 years. I also have experience working 1:1 with a child with Autism. I started my journey here, at Castle Hill, in April last year as I am covering Miss Ratcliffe while she is at home with her new baby girl. I am really enjoying being in the EYFS unit, working with Mrs Vickers as the Nursery Teaching Assistant. I also lead the class on a Monday whilst Mrs Vickers is away. I can't wait to spend the beginning of this academic year with you all, learning together and having lots of fun! 😃

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Observations of your wonderful children are being uploaded weekly! Be sure to check the APP so that you don't miss a moment! 🥰

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We are implementing the Brush Bus tooth brushing scheme in our EYFS in order to increase exposure to fluoride among the children at our school.  We are participating in this scheme and we are incorporating tooth brushing into our daily routines and use it as part of the curriculum.

Regular daily brushing with family fluoride toothpaste is highly effective in preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Good oral hygiene practice needs to be established at an early stage in life and become an integral part of normal daily hygiene. 

Let's work together to promote good oral health for our children! 

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As part of our Nursery provision, your children will be offered milk and fruit every day! The fruits provided are often raisins, apples, tangerines, bananas, pears or pea pods. If you would like to send your children with anything extra, please may we request that drinks bottles contain WATER ONLY and that snacks are healthy and nut free. Crisps, sweets and cookies will not be allowed at snack time but fruit, crackers, cheese or yoghurts would make great choices for snacks! Also, as we have a few children in our school with nut allergies, we are strictly a nut free school. Unfortunately, anything that "may contain nuts", including birthday cakes, will not be allowed to be consumed in order to keep our children safe. Thank you so much for your cooperation with these matters! 🙂 

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Formal PE sessions don't start until Reception and the children will not require a PE kit or be getting changed. However, on Thursdays, in Nursery, we look at moving in different ways. We play a few physical games and we practise our throwing and catching skills. Please can you ensure that on Thursdays children come to Nursery wearing appropriate footwear such as trainers in order to participate safely! Thank you so much! 

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Autumn 1: Knowledge Organiser

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Helpful links for learning at home!

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