• EYFS Weekly Newsletters
• Reception Phonics
• Mathematics
• Useful Websites

Welcome to our Early Years Foundation Stage

The Nursery/Reception staff are a happy, close-knit team who endeavour to make the children's transition into school an enjoyable and fun experience.  We pride ourselves on the nurture we provide the children in our care.  Children learn best when they are content and feel secure.  Settling the children into school life is our top priority when they start.  Building solid relationships with the children and parents alike is the key foundation to starting the learning journey.  

Class Teacher Mrs J Madden (Full Time)	Teaching Assistant  Mrs W Hampshire        (Full Time)	Teaching Assistant Mrs H Bradbury (Mornings)	Mrs Boyd HLTA

                                                                                                                                                                         Mrs Madden by Dorrie

Our Learning Area

Our learning area is made up of a classroom with their own toilets within and an outdoor area. We also use the Woodland Garden and field area in the school grounds.  Our Nursery and Reception children work together during the morning session.  This helps our older children to develop their personal and social skills, helping and supporting the younger children.  It ensures the younger children settle into Nursery quickly as they have excellent peer role models to learn from.  The mixed age class also provides a seamless transition from Nursery to Reception for our youngest children.

The Nursery & Reception provision is enhanced regularly in response to the children’s changing needs and interests.  We carefully plan to ensure the children are continually learning through their play.  Writing, reading and mathematical skills are planned into the learning environment each week.  Children are provided with many opportunities for developing their personal, social and communication skills within their play.

Our Timetable

We offer 30 hour Nursery provision at Byley Primary School and Nursery.  We take children the term after their third birthday.

Nursery children can attend a morning session (8:50am - 12pm) or a full day session (8:50am – 3.00pm).

The Reception children start their day at 8.50am and Home Time is 3.20pm.

Our Timetable is fluid due to the nature of Early Years children.

Our Learning

You can find out more about Our Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework on our website.  You can also find out more about our weekly activities on our Newsletters Page.  We have a personalised curriculum based on the assessment of each child’s learning.  The children in Nursery and Reception learn indoors and outdoors through supported play, group work and one to one work with an adult.  We closely monitor the progress of each individual child to ensure they reach their full potential.  

Phonics

We follow the Twinkl Phonics programme at Byley.  We begin with our youngest children in Nursery who learn to hear and distinguish different sounds around them in Level 1 of Phonics.  This provides them with a strong foundation for the more “formal” phonics sessions, beginning in the Autumn Term of the Reception year.  Phonics is taught for 20 minutes each morning.  Phonic knowledge is consolidated throughout the day through the provision and adult support.  In Level 2 our Reception children begin to learn the letters and sounds they need to be able to read and write simple words.  Level 3 provides the longer vowel sounds, such as “ai, ee, igh, oa and oo”.

A guide for the correct pronunciation of the phonics sounds can be found here.

Mathematics

Mathematical skills in Early Years can be developed in every area of provision.  Each day the children take part in a more formal, short session where they sing number songs and learn about number sense.  The children use a variety of resources including Numicon to help them to develop their number skills.

Parent Feedback

“When I first saw Byley Nursery I knew it was special.  I had looked at other nurseries but this was the only one that felt like it was run by not only professionally qualified teachers, but also mums and genuinely compassionate people.  To illustrate, on day one, my daughter went into nursery with expected hesitation.  What I didn’t expect was a call from Mrs Madden to tell me she was just fine and she was hoping I was ok too.... Where does that happen - it was so amazing!  It’s a huge thing leaving your precious child with other people, but at Byley my daughter not only learnt more than I could teach her, but she and I both fell in love with her teachers.  This is no ordinary nursery - we are so lucky to have it here so locally. I couldn’t recommend their love, care and learning enough.”

K. Flatman

"Byley School EYFS class was the perfect start to my son's school life.  The staff are welcoming, kind and nurturing.  They really care about the children, focus on what the children need as individuals and give many wonderful learning opportunities.  They encourage the children to develop independence and an eagerness to learn more.  My son thrived in the early years setting with Mrs Madden and her team, he has many fond memories of learning with them." 

C. Walker

Thank you for visiting our class page.  If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our Nursery & Reception provision, please contact us via the school office or make an appointment to visit us.