Welcome to our Nursery information page. Here you will find out all about the day to day information you need to know regarding your child's stay at our nursery. 

What you need to know day to day: 

All our sessions are carefully planned to meet your child’s needs and provide lots of exciting learning opportunities.  A typical day looks like: 

08:30 - breakfast, story time and must do task

09:20 – Free flow with specific targeted work

10:30 – singing

10:40 – Free flow with specific targeted work

11:20 – lunch

12:20 – Free flow with specific targeted work

14:30 – Story time, snack and end of day routine

Free flow tasks are changed regularly and specifically designed with an explicit learning purpose in mind. Alongside that, staff will be engaging in focussed targeted work which is specifically adapted to meet the needs of your child. This means that each child's learning that day will look slightly different but ensures that ALL of our pupils make great progress.

At Dunkirk, we go out whatever the weather! Each child has their own set of waterproof coats, trousers and Wellington boots provided by school. However, if you would like to provide your own please make sure that they are clearly labelled. 

Pupils have access to fruit and water at snack times during the day, however, we also recommend that your child have their own labelled water bottle in school to support them developing their independent skills. 

 

 

What can you do to support your child in being 'nursery ready':

One of the biggest questions we get asked is how parents can support their child in being ready for nursery. On your child's induction day, staff will talk to you in depth about your child's specific needs and how you can support them. However, here are a few general tips which apply to most children:

Get Social

If your little one is an only child, suddenly being thrust into a group of loads of other kids at nursery may come as a very unwelcome shock indeed! Before your child starts at nursery it is a good idea to up the number of play dates that they have with children of a similar age, or maybe attend some toddler groups to get your child used to the idea of being around other children, sharing toys and taking turns.

Read to your child

Sharing stories with your child and developing their vocabulary is one of the most important things you can do. Not only is it a great way to spend time together, it helps promote language, literacy and brain development. 

Set simple tasks

At nursery children are often expected to assist with tasks such as tidying up toys or handing out plates for snack time. Giving your child some pre-schooler-friendly tasks at home can really help with this and is also a great way of building up their confidence and independence in preparation for starting nursery.

Settling in and remaining positive

If necessary, take it slow! It can be a massive adjustment if your child hasn't been in a nursery provision before. We can be flexible in offering staggered sessions to support your child in settling in to their new environment. During these times, positive conversations about what your child likes at nursery can support them in settling in more quickly. 

Be on time

We know that life can be hectic, however, the first part of our nursery sessions are vitally important in supporting your child in settling in. From sharing a meal and a story with their friends, to covering the routine of the day, they ensure a calm and enjoyable experience. 

 

Our curriculum:

At Dunkirk, we take guidance from the government documents Birth to 5 Matters. As you can see, the Early Years Curriculum is more than just 'subjects' that your child learns, and we ensure that we consider the whole child when planning the learning of your child in school. 

Alongside this, we have also worked with our specialist subject leads to ensure that your child's learning follows a clear route of progression right from Nursery through to Year 6. This consistency and mastery approach across all subjects, means that your child will continue to know more and remember more throughout their time at Dunkirk. Take a look at our subject specific pages to find more about the specific progression in each subject. 

 

In Early Years, our curriculum is twofold. We consider the Characteristics of Effective Learning and specific Areas of Learning and Development. The specific Areas of Learning and Development are split into 7 main areas which then divide into 17 areas in total:

 

Communication with parents:

Communication with parents is a vital part of your child's learning journey at Dunkirk. We will work with yourselves as part of a team to make sure that your child's transition from home to school is a happy and enjoyable one. Alongside regular conversations with staff at pickup and drop off, we will also communicate with you in the following ways:

Communication Books:

Communication books are a great way for us to regularly update you on what we are supporting your child with at school. We will let you know your child's personalised, individual target and how you can support this learning at home. You can then let us know how your child is mastering this skill at home by writing messages or sharing photos with us on Class Dojo. 

Class Dojo:

When you join Dunkirk Primary School, your child will come home with a log in code for Class Dojo. Please do sign in and create an account as this is our main way of communicating with you.

Each week you will get an update, with photos, on what we have been learning that week. If you would like to send any photos to us, to show us any 'wow' moments from home, we would love to see them.

Within Dojo, you can also send private messages to your class teacher. This is a great way to communicate with us or ask us questions. We check our messages twice a week. Only the teacher you have selected to message can see the message. If you need to contact us urgently, as always, you can call the school office, and we will arrange to call you back as soon as we can. We are also on our gate morning and afternoon if you would like to catch us there! Please do let us know if you have any difficulty setting up your account, we are here to help.

Learning Environment:

Please take a look below at some photos of your child's learning environment. 

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