Term 1 Newsletter

It has been a privilege to welcome children and families into Redcliffe Nursery School over the last few weeks. We are seeing the benefits of the home visits and settling in sessions which have enabled the children to build relationships and confidence steadily and securely, so thank you for letting us in to your homes. We know the children benefit from this, as it supports them to build a relationship with their Key Person and feel excited about coming in. It also enables us to gain a better understanding and be able to celebrate their home life, culture and heritage.

Key reminder - drop off and pick up windows

Doors will open from 8.55am - 9.15am and from 2.45pm - 3.05pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

On Wednesdays, the doors will open from 8.55 - 9.15am and the morning session finishes at 11.25 - 11.35am. The afternoon session starts at 12.25 - 12.35pm and finishes at 2.45 – 3.05pm. 

Please stick to these times as they are important. We would especially like to encourage you to arrive before 9.15am. The small group time in the morning is a valuable teaching and learning opportunity and it is important that your child arrives before 9.15am, to make the most of this group time and also to ensure that this time is not interrupted.

If you arrive before these times, please can we ask that you wait outside until the doors are open.  If you need to collect your child before the end of their session, early pick up will need to be before 2.40pm. You will be asked to sign your child out early and a member of the reception team will collect your child and bring them out to you. If you arrive after this time, you will be asked to wait until the doors open at 2.45pm.

From the Seagulls Team

It has been a really positive start to the year in Seagulls.

For children who are new to the nursery, as well as for our previous Blackbirds intake, joining a new key group in a large and busy room will inevitably seem a little daunting. This can also be the case for parents, too. This is why we feel having a home visit before starting is so important in terms of forming vital relationships which will support the children’s time with us at Redcliffe. Plus, the children have loved going back to them through the family displays in the key group nest spaces.

Settling has been notably smooth this year for the majority of the children. We have been steadily refining our transition processes for those coming up from Blackbirds [the 2-year-old room], and this has meant that all children have benefitted. Having introduced them and their parents and carers to their new group and Key Person before starting in September seems to have helped them to feel confident early on. This has also given our Redcliffe starters excellent models to follow, particularly in terms of getting used to the daily routine, finding their way around the indoor and outdoor spaces and building confidence in their play. We have also used ‘mini mes’, miniature personalised figures of each child, to help create a sense of belonging within the key groups, as well as providing safe contexts for imaginative small world play.

Coordinating home visits with the inclusion team has helped hugely in getting to know the families and the children and establishing the best level of support we can offer. This has led to responding quickly to the need for adaptations to routines and provision, whether that be through small group activities in the Rainbow room, 1:1 support or support within key group times.

While PSED [Personal, Social, Emotional Development] has been a major focus of learning over the term, the play generally has been rich and diverse, both inside and outside. Particularly amongst the returners, role-play in the home area, sand pit, the outdoor kitchen and within the array of communication-friendly spaces across the environment, has been very popular. There has also been considerable creative exploration in modelling and artworks with the paint, paper and glue.

As a whole room, practitioners have used Black History Month to promote the achievement of standout figures in history, as well as celebrating our rich cultural diversity within the nursery community. This includes creating sets of ‘mini-me’s’ and setting up an interest corner with a range of stimulating books to prompt rich conversations with the children.

Noticing and feeling the seasonal change has been a feature within the children’s experience. We are all looking forward to the start of trips to the forest after half term, but the piles of leaves in the garden and on the children’s journeys to and from home have occupied the interests of many, and this has been built on by the adults in the room, providing many links to different areas of the curriculum. Our very own apple tree in the courtyard has also had a bumper crop!

Along with collecting leaves and apples, there have been many willing hands over a number of days to help with transporting a delivery of sand from their giant bags by the fence to the sand pit.

As a room team we were delighted to welcome back Lauren from maternity leave in September and she now job shares the key person role for Purple group with Lucy. Kelly and Lou continue with Orange Group, Daisy with Yellow, Sara with Green, and Billy and Hugo with Blue. We have Emma, Jessie, Paula, Socheat, Gemma and Jeanette in our inclusion team and Carys leads the Tea-club team.

The Seagulls Team wishes you a happy half term break.

Primary Applications

Just as we are welcoming you all to the Nursery, I want to remind those of you whose children were born between 1^st September 2021 and 31^st August 2022 that you can now apply for your child’s school place in a reception class. You may want to start visiting schools this term. The deadline is 15^th January 2026 and all applications have to be made online at:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/primary-apply  

We all wish you a happy half term break and we are looking forward to the year ahead with you. Please keep an eye out for further communication from myself and your child’s key person.

Warm wishes,

Head Teacher