Welcome to BHSA Nursery

A very warm welcome to you and your family to our BHSA Nursery where we encourage girls to flourish and grow from 3 years old. Our Nursery is an integral and important part of our primary school, situated within our main primary school building. Our nursery is the first building block to many successful years through our unique all-through girls’ school. Our nursery children are fully immersed into primary school life which ensures a smooth transition into our Reception. 

Choosing the right early years setting is an important decision for parents/carers and they must be confident that the setting will meet their child’s needs. Be assured that our dedicated staff are committed to supporting your child through every stage of their education and development. We are committed to supporting families in every area of development for your child. Here at BHSA we don’t just focus on a child’s educational development but their personal, social and emotional needs too. Our wonderful grounds and specially designed building offers an engaging learning environment, within which our children are happy, motivated and challenged. We aim to provide a homely feel for our children, a place where they can relax, be themselves, explore freely and thus reach their full potential. Our Nursery has a warm, friendly atmosphere and we enjoy close relationships with families and our local community. 

The children in our Early Years Setting are at the heart of what we do. We ensure that all children are given the opportunity to develop and learn through play. Through carefully selected and embedded school values we aim for all children to be happy, responsible and confident in their first stage of their education. 

Transition throughout Early Years and Beyond...

 

At BHSA we recognise that when transitions in the early years are managed sensitively it lays the foundations for positive feelings towards the many other transitions children will face through life. Whether your child is joining us in our Nursery or starting their journey with us in Reception we ensure that your child is fully supported along the way. We ensure that every child feels ‘known’ and their individual needs are catered for. 

Transition into Nursery or Reception can not only be a challenging time for some children but also their parents or carers. Starting school and the changes that this brings can impact the whole family. We ensure we are here to support everybody in this process. We enable children and their families to become as familiar as possible with where children are going and with whom they will be building relationships, before any move actually takes place.

 

At BHSA transition is not an event but a process. It starts the minute your child enters our setting. Our dedicated EYFS staff play an important role in ensuring that they get to know every child. Our Reception teaching assistants support our Nursery weekly which means that friendly faces are already known before they move to Reception. The Early Years Lead, Mrs Bass, spends quality time in Nursery weekly playing and reading to the children. Our Nursery children enjoy an enhanced transition from May where they have a weekly stay and play session with our current Reception children. Our Reception children support the younger children and ‘show them the ropes’ of our classroom. This peer support is invaluable. 

We recognise that some children will feel vulnerable during times of transition. We encourage open communication with parents in order to best support that individual child. Transition for children who are more vulnerable is effectively supported as they are given additional time and opportunities to make the necessary readjustments to the changes ahead. We ensure their emotional development and wellbeing is prioritised. If you are concerned about your child, your class teacher will support you with this. 

We are fully invested in transitions throughout the school and understand the big change it can be moving from the Early Years to Year 1. We believe that as children move from the EYFS into KS1 they need continuity of experience, with the ways in which they learn successfully in their Reception class continued into Year 1. This does not mean that what they learn will be the same, but how they learn will be very similar and familiar. Our Reception children enjoy visiting Year 1 throughout the year and playing with the Year 1 children during lunchtime. From May, the children enjoy a weekly reading session in their new classroom with their new teacher. Transition and moving up is seen as a positive process, highly anticipated by many children. This is actively encouraged through our carefully chosen stories. 

Some of the ways we support transition:

• Weekly stay and play sessions

• Nursery visits by EYFS lead, meeting the child’s Key Person

• Nursery phone call home

• Parent welcome meetings for Nursery and Reception - usually in June

• Collecting data prior to your child starting, medical information is key

• Reading sessions led by Early Years Lead

• Use of SeeSaw to enhance communication

• Professional dialogues between current teacher and new teacher

• Children are provided with a picture booklet to help them familiarise themselves with our setting, something they can look over at their pleasure during the summer holidays

A Guide For Pupils Starting Reception - click here