Vision and values

We aim to provide a broad, balanced and progressive curriculum which will enable each child to develop personally, socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually to their full potential.

Each child is valued as an individual, and teaching and learning is based on the understanding that children develop at different rates and at different times. Children in our nursery enjoy joining in with daily or weekly whole-school events, such as worships and lunchtimes, and special events and trips, such as church celebrations and sports days and feel included within our school community where they can learn to live and learn to shine.

 

The Daily Routine

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) classes, Nursery and Reception, welcome children each day during term-time from 8.45am until 3.15pm.

Nursery children can attend mornings, afternoons or a full day and families can use their 15- or 30-hour government-funded hours to pay for this. Additional wraparound care is available in our breakfast and after-school provision, from 7:45am and until 5.30pm. Please email or telephone the school office for more information. Contact details can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Daily routines are flexible according to the needs, ages and stages of the children in our care, with the greatest flexibility for our youngest or most vulnerable children. The balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities changes over time and always reflects the learning needs of the children.

Nursery Times

Morning session: 8:45-11:45am

Afternoon session: 12:15pm – 3:15pm     

 Full day session: 8.45am-3.15pm

All new parents/ carers will receive a login to our School Hub app when your child starts with us at Beaconside CofE Primary School and Nursery, where you can order and pay for lunches. This is also where you would book and pay for nursery and wraparound care sessions, and trips.

Breakfast Club from 7:45am

After-school Club until 5.30pm

Funding and costs:

EYFS government funding provides 15 to 30 hours of free childcare per week for children. At Beaconside we accept children from the term after they turn 3 years old. All 3-and 4-year-olds receive 15 hours, with 30 hours available for eligible working families. Please check the following link for eligibility criteria for 30 hours funded for working families https://www.gov.uk/free-childcare-if-working/check-youre-eligible and more information on early childcare support can be found here https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/family-help/best-start-life-new-parent-hub

Please note: the closing dates to apply for 30 hours of government funding for eligible working families are as follows each year:

September intake – 31st August

January intake – 31st December

April intake – 31st March

If you need to pay for your child's hours with us at Beaconside, we charge £4 per hour for nursery hours. Wraparound care prices and information can be found here in the wraparound care section on our website. 

Admissions

Please see the 'Joining our Nursery and School' section on this website, under the tab 'Our School and Nursery'.

Clothing

Children should come to nursery dressed in comfortable and practical clothing that enables them to be as independent as possible when using the toilet or putting on coats, mittens, etc. Children have the option to wear a nursery sweatshirt or cardigan embroidered with our nursery logo.  These can be purchased from either Lakeland Embroidery or Sam Scott's in Penrith. 

Please ensure that these are clearly named to help us ensure that children go home with their own clothes.  We encourage children to play and learn outside in all but the most severe weather, so it's important that children come to nursery with appropriate outdoor coats.  We do have spare wellies and waterproofs for wet days.

Food and Drink

Dietary requirements are obtained on admission, and information is passed on to all staff and shared with our school catering company by the office administrator. Children have the option to choose a school dinner or to bring a packed lunch. All children are provided with a named water bottle and have constant access to water.

Parents as Partners

At Beaconside, we recognise the vital importance of building strong, positive relationships with parents and carers, as a child’s first educators, and we understand the significant role you play in your child’s learning and development. Practitioners actively encourage parents to share their unique knowledge and insights, helping us to build a holistic picture of each child.

We do this through:

• Talking to parents about their child before their child starts school.
• Finding opportunities for children to spend time with their teacher in the setting before starting school or nursery,
• Finding opportunities for parents of preschool children to meet with the Reception team at planned transition sessions or in individual meetings, to support them with the transition to full-time education in Reception class.
• Inviting all parents to a welcome meeting during the term before their child starts in Reception class.
• Inviting parents to stay and play sessions with their children and the current Reception class in the last weeks of the summer term.
• Offering parents regular opportunities to talk about their child’s progress.
• Encouraging parents to talk to their child’s teacher if there are any concerns.
• Having flexible admission arrangements for nursery-aged children.
• Encouraging parents to stay if a child requires a longer settling-in period.
• Offering a range of activities throughout the year that encourage collaboration between child, school, parents and their extended families.
• Providing various activities that involve parents, i.e. regular communication through weekly homework sheets in Reception and exchange of information.
• Offering parent/carer information sessions that may have a particular focus; phonics, BUSS group, OPAL, etc.

Approaches to Learning and Development

Practitioners are ambitious for all children. They consider the individual needs, interests and development of each child in their care. They use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all areas of learning and development. There is particular importance placed on developing language and extending vocabulary.

At Beaconside we use the guidance contained in the non-statutory Development Matters documentation to formulate our own, bespoke Beacon Curriculum and have carefully mapped out the progression of skills and knowledge from Nursery into Reception and beyond. This informs our planning and allows us to monitor children’s needs and stages of development, with the aim of providing everything a child needs to learn. A thematic approach provides an overview of suggested learning experiences, taking account of events in the calendar year and the children’s own interests. An overview of this can be found under the curriculum overview section on our website.

Play in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Well-planned play is important. It gives children opportunities to practise using their knowledge and skills to explore and make sense of the world around them, learn to focus their attention and learn to communicate and cooperate with others. (Strong Foundations in the First Years of School, 2024)

The Statutory Framework clearly states that play is essential for children’s development. Children learn by leading their own play or taking part in play and learning that is guided by adults. Practitioners decide what they want the children to learn and the most effective ways to teach it. They must stimulate children’s interests, responding to each child’s emerging needs and guiding their development through warm, positive interactions and secure routines for play and learning.

These are the principles that underpin the teaching and learning in the Early Years at Beaconside CofE Primary School. We firmly believe that through play and carefully planned, focused activities, all our children explore and develop learning experiences to help them to make sense of the world. Children practise and build up their ideas, learn how to self-regulate their emotions and begin to understand the need for rules. They have opportunities to think creatively both alongside other children and on their own. They communicate with others as they investigate and solve problems. This helps to prepare children for their move to Year 1.

Children not only begin nursery and school with different starting points but are likely to progress at different rates, they may need different amounts of teaching and practice to succeed. Where a child has a special educational need or disability (SEND), staff carefully assess whether additional or specialist support is required. This includes working closely with the school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and, where appropriate, liaising with external agencies to ensure every child receives the support they need to thrive.

The Learning Environment

All children deserve high quality early education and care, which requires a quality workforce. Our well-trained, skilled teaching team helps every child achieve the best possible educational outcomes. The children build strong attachments with our EYFS staff, promoting children’s confidence and well-being and a deep understanding of individual needs is developed alongside children’s safety and welfare. Staff help families engage with more specialist support when appropriate, with qualified teachers taking the lead for planning the care and education of all the children. We plan learning environments, both indoors and outdoors, that encourage a positive attitude to learning, using materials and equipment that reflect both the community that the children come from and the wider world. All EYFS children have access to a large, purpose-built outdoor play area where large-scale learning and development can take place. Reception and Nursery classes share this outdoor area, and we believe that this helps to promote a smooth transition from nursery into school for the children in our care.

 

Our Nursery Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

           Mrs Gill Smith

      Early Years Lead and

     Nursery Class Teacher

 

If you have any questions or queries, please email us on office@beaconside.cumbria.sch.uk 

or call on 01768 840868