Hello and welcome to our

Introduction to Nursery Page

Terrific Turtles 

🐢🌟🐢🌟🐢

Thank you for your interest in our Nursery.  

We currently offer 3 and 4 years old nursery places for either 15 or 30 hours dependent upon your entitlement.  Timings for these sessions are as follows:

15 Hours       

Every Day       

Mornings       8.45am to 11.45am  or

Afternoons    12.20pm to 3.20pm

30 Hours     

Monday - Thursday    8.45am  – 3.20pm

Friday                        8.45am  – 11.45am

Further details on 30 Hour Places can be found by following the link below:

We would also like to invite you to have a look at our Home Learning Pages also on our website.  Here you will see the support and activities we have put in place for all our children, including Nursery, during both school lockdowns.  You and your child can have fun exploring some of the activities and video fun on the Year Group Pages or enjoy our Bedtime Stories Library - all these video stories are read by members of our school staff so it is a great way of getting to know our faces.  Links to all these pages are right here ........

How to Apply

• Print and complete the Application Form below and return either direct to school or email to enquiries@bracebridge.lincs.sch.uk 

• Telephone school and we will be happy to discuss and complete an application with you.

• Arrange a visit and we will discuss your application whilst you are here.  

We understand that there may be a lot of questions from parents as they begin to prepare for Nursery and we understand that at the moment it is particularly difficult for parents as we are unable to do all of our usual meetings and visits.

To help ease your worries and concerns we have tried to provide answers to some of the typical questions we get asked.

How can I help my child have the best start in Nursery

First of all, you are your child's first teacher and you have already been doing great things together. Nursery is just a new step on your journey. From school's point of view we would love it if every parent did the following:

• Provide a good routine in the mornings so that children are not late or hungry.
• Make sure your child knows who is picking them up after nursery.
• Read and share lots of  books and stories with your child.
• Start to count with your child and talk to them about numbers.
• Keep updated via the school website.
• Talk to them as much as you can. If they can't say it then they won't read or write it!
• Make sure your child gets enough sleep. They will find Nursery very tiring.
• Be understanding of any difficult behaviour at home. Children can find starting nursery tiring and challenging and home is often where they choose to show this. Ask for support if you feel you need it.

How do children learn in Nursery?

Most of what we do is very practical and play based but we do have daily adult led activities for letters and numbers.

You can follow your child's learning on SEESAW which is an online learning journal we will set up for you. Information about this can be found below in the Parent's Information Documents.

Where do I drop off my child each day?

Our school gates open at 8.45am and children come into nursery school with a member of staff independently.  We have found from experience that this is the best way for children to settle. 

Where do I pick up my child?

At their classroom door in the playground. The teacher will open the door and let each child out in turn to you. Please stand back so we can see you properly and so that we can see each child reaches their grown-up safely.

What time does school start and finish?

This depends upon your child's session, Nursery timings are shown above.

Do you provide before and after-school childcare?

This is unfortunately not available for Nursery children but starts from Reception onwards.

What do I need to provide for my child?

• We encourage all children to wear our school uniform (details below) 
• A warm waterproof coat – we go outside everyday unless it is pouring with rain.
• A named water bottle containing water only please.  We are proud of our Healthy School status which promotes drinking water and not juice or squash
• A change of pants, socks (or several) and clothes is useful as most children will have the odd toileting accident at some point. These should be kept in your child's bag on their cloakroom peg.

We cannot stress enough that all items of clothing should be clearly marked with your child’s name – sew on or iron on printed labels are best.

We will not have a chance of finding and returning lost jumpers or cardigans that are not clearly name labelled.

What will school provide?

• A book bag
• A healthy fruit or vegetable snack and drink of milk daily

What happens if my child has a toilet accident?

Wet ones will be dealt with as soon as we know about it and we will discreetly hand you the wet clothes at the end of the day. We will try our best with dirty ones but we may need you to come and clean your child up if they need more than a few baby wipes!  Please wash and return any spare clothes school provides as soon as possible as we have a very limited supply.

Of course, we will not change your child if you have not given consent for us to do this. Consent forms are in the pack which you will be given when your child starts school.

My child is not fully toilet trained yet. What should I do?

First of all, please do not worry. We do know that some children find this trickier than others so please let us know on the day that your child visits if this is the case. We will always support toilet training in any way we can. We prefer that children wear pants to school if possible (provide lots of spares and some spare clothing and wipes) or your child can wear pull-ups. 

Whilst we will provide support with toilet training, this is something that parents need to do.

How will I tell you who is picking up my child?

• There will always be a member of staff available in the morning, please tell them.
• or Telephone the school before the end of the nursery session.

What happens if my child is crying when I drop them off?

We're used to it! Most children will cry at dropping off time at some point in the year as tiredness gets to them or they realise that they have to come to Nursery everyday!  We will ask you to try and release yourself from them ASAP and we will help you with this by trying to distract them with stickers etc so that you can get out of the playground area. Please do not hang around, we promise you that they will be ok within minutes. We will call as soon as we can to let you know they have settled. We do understand how upsetting this can be for all concerned but from experience we know that, usually, the best thing to do is to hand your child over to a member of staff, say see you later and go.

My child does not speak much English yet, is this an issue?

We love that many of our children come from a variety of cultures. We are not concerned at all if your child is not speaking much English. However, the following English words and phrases are useful when they start nursery and it would be a good idea to practise them at home:

• Hello
• My name is...
• Toilet, please
• Help, please

Will my child come home really dirty after a day at school?

We will use paint, chalk, water, sand, mud and the outside area can be dusty, so be prepared! We do provide aprons and water-proofs but children will be children and inevitably there will be some mess. Fortunately, we don't expect a pristine uniform after the first morning so don't put that pressure on yourself! Just know that they were having fun while they were learning. Rest assured that staff often get messy too and find that soaking clothes in cold water and using a stain remover usually gets most things out.

When will I hear about how my child is doing?

We regularly upload photographs and observations to your child's Seesaw Journal for you to see and comment on.  We will always speak to you and update you on how your child is settled and doing and staff are always available to discuss matters or to make an appointment for longer discussions. 

Great things to do before your child starts Nursery:

• Practise going to the toilet independently,
• Practise putting on socks and shoes independently,
• Learn how to put on and fasten coats independently. 
• Talk, chat and talk some more.  Language skills are amazing!