Harmans Water Primary School

In the Autumn Term 1 we encourage the children's independence by entering Nursery and beginning to remove their coats independently. Our first topic in Nursery is ‘Me and My Community’. This is where we draw pictures of our families, make self-portraits and hand prints. Then we start looking at people who help us and are fortunate enough to have a visit from the school cook. We also look forward to having a Police Officer coming in to see us to talk about how to keep ourselves safe. And finally during this half term we learn about Autumn and the changes it will bring over the next few months.

In Autumn Term 2 we begin the topic ‘Once upon a time’. This is where we look at the key texts ‘The Three Little Pigs’, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, as well as ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’. We have a number focus of counting three items, and learning mathematical language linked to size and 2d shapes. Our next topic is ‘The Celebration of Christmas’. We explore how different people celebrate Christmas, and if they don’t celebrate Christmas we learn about what they celebrate instead. We have a trip to post box where we send a letter home to each of the children’s houses, to give their writing a purpose. We then end this topic with a Christmas Concert that the parents are invited to watch.

In the spring term we encourage the children to enjoy listening to stories through the topic of ‘Big Wide World’. Our key texts this term are, ‘Dear Zoo', ‘We’re going on a Bear Hun’, ‘Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs’, ‘Shark in the Park’ and a range of non-fiction books about dinosaurs. We engage in imaginative role-play based around dinosaurs and go on scavenger hunts, which allow the children to engage with each other and join in with their own ideas. We also have 'dinosaur eggs' in the Nursery, which we watch grow and escape. To help our children engage with the story ‘Shark in the Park’, we will take a trip to the woodlands, taking our telescopes we have made in Nursery, to see if we can find a shark in our 'park'. We also begin to use a variety of technological equipment this term, allowing the children the opportunity to learn and use new skills, whilst sharing and taking turns with others.

During the summer term we enjoy learning about ‘Sunshine and Sunflowers, as well as ‘Starry Night’ with a focus on space. Our key texts are ‘Jasper’s Beanstalk’, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, 'Whatever Next’, 'How to Catch a Star’ and a range of farm animal stories. We have caterpillars in the nursery and we get the chance to watch them turn into butterflies, which we then release into the Nursery garden. The children have the fantastic opportunity to observe and learn how baby ducks are born and how to care for them in their early stages of life. We also arrange for a farm experience to take place this term, where a company brings the farm animals into school to allow us to feed and brush animals such as donkeys, goats, ducks and rabbits. This term we will also focus on preparing for the transition into Reception, continuing to gain independence and setting up the opportunity for children to spend time in the Reception area.

Our Nursery currently offers 39 places per session - children are admitted the term after their third birthday.  We offer three types of sessions for children who are aged 3 and 4 :

•  5 Mornings 8:30 am - 11:30 am  (15 hours per week)
•  5 Afternoons 12:15 pm - 3:15 pm  (15 hours per week)
•  5 Full days 8:30 am – 3:15 pm (30 hours per week)

We provide 15 universal hours free childcare for children aged 3 and 4. To check your eligibility for 30 hours funding for free childcare (15 universal funded hours plus 15 extended hours).

To see if you are entitled to 30 hours please take a look at the government website, this can be split between 2 providers.

https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare

If you are not eligible for extended hours funding  but wish to pay for the additional 15 hours, you may do so - invoices are issued half termly and are payable in advance.

Admission to Nursery does not guarantee a place at our school and parents must apply via Bracknell Forest Borough Council for a school place.