Nursery 2025 - 2026

Welcome to Cavendish Nursery!

At Cavendish Nursery we are an enthusiastic team who strive to provide a foundation of exciting and engaging learning opportunities for our youngest learners as they start their journey into school life. 

There are two classes in Nursery: the Bee Group and the Ladybird Group.

The Bee Group teacher is Mrs Carter-Penney and Teaching Assistants are Mrs Roberts and Ms Rickenback.

The Ladybird Group teachers are Mrs Neild (Monday to Wednesday) and Mrs Doogan (Wednesday to Friday) and the Teaching Assistants are Mrs Hussain and Ms Rickenback.

What happens in Nursery?

The Nursery day starts at 8:40am for all children. If your child has a part-time place (15 hours) then home time is at 11:40am. If your child has a full-time place (30 hours) then home time is at 3:10pm.

In the morning your child's teacher and TA will be at the door to welcome them into the classroom and help them settle in e.g. hanging their coats up etc. During the morning there are two carpet sessions: the first at 9AM focusses on literacy, communication and language; the second, at 11AM, focusses on Phonics and Reading (letters and sounds). These sessions last between 15 and 20 minutes and are designed so the children can explore specific concepts to these curriculum areas.

When the children are not participating in a carpet session they are in 'continuous provision', where they cement and expand on their learning through play. The nursery classrooms and outdoor area are set up so that children can choose where they want to play and access the resources independently. There are different areas which have specific intended learning experiences, such as reading, mark-making, role play, sand, water, maleable, small world and creative. This encouraged independence and allows children to approach challenges at their level. Resources for independent play are carefully planned so that there is approrriate challenge at all levels. We aim to be outside in all weathers and encourage the children to explore their surroundings using all of their senses (please see link 'common play beahviors skills progression' at the bottom of the page for more information).

Part time children are collected at 11:40am from the front of school.

Lunchtime is at 11:30am until 12:40pm and the children have their lunch in the main dining hall. The lunch time supervisors are: Miss Jo, Miss Fartun and Miss Halima

During the afternoon session we have another carpet session focussed on numeracy. This session enables the children to develop their understanding of number and numerical patterns as well as shape and size.

Following the session, the children return to continuous provision until 2:30pm when we either read stories or sing nursery rhymes.
We then start the home time routine.

Full-time children are collected at 3:10pm from the front of school.

*The children also have access to a snack which is a piece of fruit or vegetables, as well as some milk. 

Our Curriculum:

Through adult led sessions, and enhancement of the continuous provision, we strive to offer our children a well rounded and challenging curriculum where they can deepen their understanding of the world around them. 

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum has seven areas:

Communication and Language Development (CL): the focus is on speaking, listening and understanding. The children will be actively taught speaking and listening skills through guided talk and class discussions.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED): a continuous process with a lot of nurturing, discussion and modelling talk and behaviour. The focus is on relationships and being confident, responsible and independent.

Physical Development (PD): includes fine and gross motor skills, both indoors and outdoors. Nursery children will have hall time fro P.E sessions. Cutting, playdough, small construction, bikes and the climbing frame are all acttivities which develop motor skills. Children will also leasrn about health and self-care.

Literacy (L): includes comprehension, reading and writing. In Nursery, the focus for reading is rhythm and rhyme, enjoyment of stories and noticing print in the environment. Daily Phonics teaching underpins reading in both Nursery and Reception. Writing begins as mark making, in Nursery on a small or large scale, using a variety of tools and resources.

Mathematics (M): the emphasis in Nursery is on practical activities, using a variety of manipiulatives to learn to count, problem solve and learn about shapes, space and measure.

Understanding the World (UW): children will be encouraged to investigate, explore, and talk about what they can find out in their envireonments, within their family life , and school visits. This alo includes technology such as cameras, microphones, programmable toys, i pads and lap tops.

Expressive Arts and Design (EAD): this includes music, art, dance, design, construction and role play.

Lending Library:

As we start the Spring Term we send a library book home with your child. This is our Lending Library. Once a week your child will choose a book and bring it home. We encourage the children to keep this book for a week so you can share the story together, discuss the pictures and plot and as they get to know the story better, they may start to tell you the story using the pictures. The aim of the Lending Library is for the children to develop a love of stories and offers a chance to explore different books.

How to communicate with us:

Class Dojo is the best way to contact your child's teacher. If you wish to get in touch please send us a private message and we will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible. We are also available at the beginning and end of the day. If you feel you need a more in depth chat we can arrange a time when we can meet and discuss any concerns at length. For urgent matters, contact the office directly on 0161 4451815. Miss Sarah Conway, our Assitant Head, and Mrs Sarah Hookes, our SENDCo are also always happy to help.

  Access here: Class Dojo Website