Great Heath Nursery serves the children of Mildenhall and the surrounding villages including Beck Row, Icklingham, Lakenheath, Red Lodge, Tuddenham and West Row. If you are considering applying for a place, click here to find our Nursery Admissions document.
Nursery Staff
Miss Gemma Clarke – Class Teacher
Mrs Paula Murphy – Nursery Nurse
Mrs Alison Delgado – Teaching Assistant
Nursery Times
We offer part time places –
Mornings only (Government funded 15 hours a week) and
some Full Time places (Government funded 30 hours a week)
The full time places are subject to eligibility. You can check if you are eligible for the government funded 30 hours place on the gov.uk website, which can be accessed here.
Morning Session – 8.45 am – 11.45 am
Afternoon Session – 12.15 pm – 3.15 pm (for full time places only)
Children who attend full time are able to access our Lunch Club.
Please note that there is an additional cost for Lunch Club as this does not form part of the government’s 30 funded hours.
Curriculum
Your child’s Learning Journey
Your child’s progress and future learning needs are assessed and recorded through our online platform, Tapestry. This is a secure website, which staff use to update observations of your child’s learning and information about the curriculum offer in Nursery. Parents are invited to contribute to their child’s learning journey – they are always accessible to you and we welcome any comments made and reports of achievements at home too. At the end of your child’s time in the Nursery, their Tapestry will be passed on to their next school.
The Nursery Environment
The Classroom
Our Nursery is part of the whole school and is called Apple class. The routine within a session is;
- Children arrive, register, independently put coats and bags on peg
- Teacher Led activity
- Children are then encouraged to independently select activities and resources, both indoors and outside.
- A healthy snack is available throughout the session, with a choice of milk and water.
- At the end of the session we have another Teacher Led activity
The activities are extended in the afternoon, if your child attends full time, and take place in our Reception Early Years environment. The children continue to be supported by their Nursery adults.
All activities are planned carefully; some are adult focused and others are child initiated. We have small group times where children work with their adults on developing and extending concepts and skills necessary to enable their further development. Activities may include basic literacy work, looking at simple mathematical ideas such as numbers or shape, singing and social skills. Activities are of a practical nature and accessible to all children.
Snack Time
The Nursery participates in the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Each child is provided with a piece of fruit and a carton of milk that they are free to choose during a session. Water is always available and accessible to the children. During snack time the children converse with the other children and their adults, perhaps talking about what they have done that day, or what they like doing at home. There are also opportunities to experience different snacks that promote independence too – buttering toast and hot cross buns is a firm favourite!
Lunchtime Club
We run a successful lunchtime club in the Nursery, from 11.45 am until 12.30 pm. The club is run by two lunchtime supervisors who report to the Nursery staff. Each session costs £3.00 and the children are required to bring their own packed lunch. Session fees are expected to be paid half termly in advance, using the school online payment system. Lunchtime club is extremely popular so please speak to a member of the Nursery team if you are interested and your child’s name can be added to the waiting list.
Teeth Brushing
Our Nursery is keen to promote good oral health. We participate in a toothbrushing programme, once a day. Parents can choose if they would like to give consent for their child to participate. Children are supervised to safely brush their teeth, with their own toothbrush supplied by school, with a fluoride toothpaste.
Ways to help your child
- Think positively! Try to be relaxed about the new experience of the Nursery. Keep any fears to yourself and then discuss it with a member of the Nursery team, but please, not in front of your child. Nursery will be a new experience for both of you.
- Don’t arrive too early. Just a few minutes before the start of the session is fine.
- It may help to tell your child what they will be doing while they are at Nursery. Knowing that your normal routine will continue is reassuring. Some children worry about their parent being lonely if they are not at home.
- You are welcome to stay and settle your child. When you are ready to go, tell a member of staff so that they can be with your child. Please then leave promptly.
- Don’t worry if your child is reluctant to let you go. Our Nursery staff will be there to help. Some children settle well initially, and then may express slight reluctance to stay on occasions. Please be patient – we all have an “off day” from time to time.
- Always be on time to collect your child. He/she expects you to be there at the end of the session.
- If you are not collecting your child please tell the staff who will be. If you are unavoidably running late, please let the Nursery know so we can reassure your child.
- Encourage your child to dress/undress independently at home. Do provide clothing that your child can manage when he/she goes to the toilet.
- Try to ensure that your child is toilet trained. If you have worries about this, please speak to the Nursery team.
- Most important of all, if you have any worries at all about your child, his or her progress or general development, come and discuss them with the Nursery staff. We are here to help.
