Pre Prep (Early Years 2-4 Yrs)

The Nursery and Reception classes are referred to as the Foundation Stage of learning. This is an important stage, as it is during this time that attitudes to learning are formed and social skills developed which lay the foundations for future education.

Children mostly develop the three prime areas first, these areas are communication and language, physical development and personal and social development. These prime areas are those most essential for your child's healthy development and future learning.

Young children learn most effectively through a balance of structured and child initiated play. We work together as a team and plan for children’s learning to ensure that all areas of development are covered within an interesting, stimulating and supportive framework. We also ensure that children progressively develop their skills and knowledge throughout this phase of their learning life. The children are taught directly and also have a choice of planned activities so that they are able to develop independent learning habits.

Prime Areas & Early Learning Goals at St Pius X

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development Specific Areas
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding of the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

We follow the EYFS statutory framework but we also implement elements of the 'Curiosity Approach' and 'Reggio Emilia' which greatly impacts our environments. We see the environments as the 'third teacher' - they are set up and enhanced in a way, that even in the absence of a teacher/practitioner our children will still be learning.

Instead of constantly directing children and telling them what to do, the curiosity approach is based on a balance of childled learning. Therefore, children make their own choices, and figure things out for themselves which leads to enhanced confidence, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

A classroom implementing the curiosity approach will look very different from a traditional setting. In contrast to the bright colours and paintings you would usually see at a nursery, these classrooms are decorated in neutral tones. This creates a peaceful, tranquil environment which does not distract away from a child’s learning but instead places full focus on the various loose and natural items which children can play with.

Resources are easily accessible in the classroom and are placed at eye-level. They are made from natural materials such as wood to encourage children to think of their own ideas when it comes to play time.

Instead of giving them a plastic toy with an obvious identity, and therefore hindering a child’s imagination, these natural toys give children full freedom to make up their own games. They are challenged to use all of their senses to discover how something feels, sounds, and how they can interact with it. This naturally prompts their imagination, their curiosity and their communication skills.

By following the Reggio Emilia philosophy, a child's point of view is completely respected and the child is encouraged to follow their own educational path, to some extent.

It is believed that a child's driving sense of curiosity, along with their inherent potential will foster an interest in learning, allowing them to learn and succeed long-term. It is that curiosity and potential that should ultimately set the path and the direction that all learning will follow. This allows staff to plan activities which following the children's individual interests and fascinations. It also allows for ‘in the moment’ planning, so that staff are instantly engaging in the child's own excitement and involvement in a topic or area of learning.

The EYFS department also has strong links to the main school and all the nursery children get the opportunity to participate in weekly Physical Education, Music, ICT, visits to the Library, Dance, Art, Forest School and French Lessons with specialist teachers.

Many of our nursery children move on to the main school which is a leading independent school in Preston. We believe that every child, whether progressing into our school or moving to another, should be given the same attention and assistance to ensure that they are given a highly advanced level of education.

Children aged two to three years old will begin their journey in our 'Little Acorns' setting. The children have access to high quality provision and planned activities. These are prepared by the experienced childcare practitioners to enhance learning and development.

Children are introduced to numbers, colours and shape recognition. Social interaction is constantly encouraged through play and yoga lessons. Children take part in circle time, singing nursery rhymes and joining in with morning and afternoon registration.

Outdoor play is encouraged through well-planned outdoor activities in our secure play area where they have access to sand and water play, a selection of tricycles and a planting and growing area.

Children aged three to four years old will move up from 'Little Acorns' to 'Great Oaks' where they are led by a fully qualified teacher. Children in Great Oaks participate in focused activities planned for by the class teacher and they have access to high quality provision.

The Great Oaks classroom has access to a large outdoor area which is perfect for developing the children's gross motor skills. There is a large allotment for planting herbs and vegetables, a mud kitchen and a large scale sand, water and construction area.

The children will participate in daily Phonics and Maths activities planned and delivered by the class teacher, as well as French lessons, music lessons and BSL lessons.

In the summer term, the highly experienced team will work hard to ensure that your child is 'school ready' as their next adventure awaits.

Our Pre Prep nursery has excellent provision both indoors and outdoors.

Inside we have a large range of provisions designed to help children with communication and language, physical development and personal and social development.

Our outside provides opportunities to develop children's gross motor control and broaden their knowledge of the natural environment. Children are encouraged to explore, discover and problem solve to extend their learning.

Indoor Provision Includes:

Creative area

Painting, drawing, colouring, sticking and model making.

Construction area

Construction toys, large and small wooden blocks, wooden train tracks and much more.

Small World area

People, vehicles, wild animals, farm animals, dinosaurs and sealife.

Sand and Water area

A wide range of self-selection sand and water toys.

Malleable Table

Access to a variety of modelling tools.

Music area

Different percussion instruments.

Book area

A selection of fiction and non-fiction books appealing to all interests.

Mark Making area

A variety of different mark making tools and a selection of paper, cards and  envelopes.

Large Scale Role Play

A fully equipped home corner and a selection of dressing up costumes.

Outdoors Provision Includes:

• Sand and Water
• Construction and Vehicles
• Herb Garden
• Mud Kitchen
• Climbing Apparatus
• Space to Run and Jump

All Pre Prep nursery children have access to our Independent School facilities throughout the week.

Children get to explore the main School Library on a weekly basis, Music Room, Art Room, School Hall, Forest School, Adventure Playground and the IT Suite. We have a specially designed Sensory Room for Wellbeing Time and Yoga Time. 3 to 4 year olds also receive French lessons and have access to Specialist Teachers.

Additional facilities available to Pre Prep Nursery children:

• Library Sessions (School Library)

• Music and Movement Sessions (School Music Room) *

• Art and DT (School Art Room) *
• Physical Development Session (School Hall or Field)
• Forest Adventure (Little Acorn Wood) *
• IT Sessions (IT Suite)
• Well-Being Time / Yoga (Sensory Room)
• French (Great Oaks - 3 to 4 year olds) *

* Sessions are taught by Specialist Teachers

We offer full-day sessions and half-day sessions. Our full-day session starts at 8:00 am and finishes at 6:00 pm. We also offer half-day sessions for either mornings or afternoons. The morning session is from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and the afternoon session is from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

We have particular focus on outdoor learning and many children learn best when playing outdoors. The nursery has strong links with our main school and children have an opportunity (as with the school pupils) to explore the Forest School environment on a weekly basis, with a fully qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader.

Each nursery room has an outdoor classroom, where the children are able to move freely between indoors and outdoors. They can explore their natural surroundings throughout the day.

Our commitment to child-led activities means that your child can choose to go outside whenever they want, whatever the weather. In fact, it is often the ‘bad’ weather that induces the sense of exhilaration and the desire to go outside. The temptation of splashing in puddles and squelching in mud is often irresistible to our young explorers.

The children also have access to two large school playing fields and an 'Outdoor Adventure Play Area'. The activity that is sure to bring the biggest sense of achievement to your child is tending the Herb Garden. Your child will have the opportunity to plant, care for and harvest their very own plants and herbs.

We are blessed with 4 acres of beautiful grounds, so we make sure that we take advantage of this remarkable opportunity every day. Your child will relish the opportunity provided by their very own Forest School, which is a stone’s throw from their classroom door. They are free to roam the woodlands to hunt for magical minibeasts, build extravagant dens and craft elaborate leaf crowns. We want to generate in your child a love of wildlife, respect for the natural environment and a sense of connection with the outside world.

Nursery Practitioners can influence the quality of care and education provided to children. We ensure that your children not only receive the best care but also a high quality of learning throughout the day.

The Head of EYFS, Miss Porter, oversees the Nursery and is responsible for completing the long term and medium term planning for all classes. Miss Porter was the Reception Class teacher at St Pius X Catholic Preparatory School for 15 years and has over 20 years experience of working in the Early Years. Miss Porter is a fully qualified Teacher and has Degrees in Education, English Literature and BSL (British Sign Language), she also has a Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification, Level 6 Outdoor First Aid qualification and Level 3 Paediatric First Aid Qualification.

The minimum requirement for a nursery is to have a Manager that holds a Level 3 qualification and for there to be at least two Level 3 qualified staff members in each room, the remaining staff can then be Level 2 or unqualified.

Our nursery not only meets the minimum requirement but we exceed these requirements. We have a Level 6 qualified staff member, three of our staff are Level 4 qualified, two staff are Level 2 qualified, and all of our staff hold a Level 3 Paediatric First Aid Qualification.

In our Great Oaks setting (pre-school), we also have a fully qualified teacher on site Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm.

We ensure that our children receive the best care possible.

All children have their own individual learning journal online (Eylog), that parents have access to at all times through a smartphone app. Children are tracked in relation to the objectives taken from the Development Matters Framework.

Parents are updated daily with photos, videos and observations of their child's learning and development linked to the Development Matters objectives through a smartphone app.

Every child is assessed on entry with an informal baseline assessment, which is shared with parents. Throughout their time in Nursery and Reception, parents are informed if any child is working beyond the expected levels for their age or below. If we have any concerns in relation to each child's individual level of development, then we work in partnership with parents and other professionals (if needed) to put an individual targeted learning plan and/or interventions in place for each child.

Staff members plan for each individual child on a weekly basis and track whether their key child has met the targets / objectives for that week. If children have not met these expected targets then they will be revisited or extra support will be put in place.

We teach to each individual child's interests and needs, as well as to their preferred learning styles. This can mean, they learn best in the outdoors, in a practical, visual or an auditory manner. This ensures that every child is achieving their full potential.

At the end of the year parents receive a detailed report and are given the option to have a meeting in person if they want to discuss anything written on the report. At the end of the Reception class, children are assessed in relation to the Early Learning Goals - whether they are 'Emerging' or at the 'Expected' level for their age. For any child that is still emerging and has not met that goal, then this will continue for the first term in the year 1 class.

The early years are so important in establishing healthy eating habits as they can set the foundations for your child's future health and wellbeing.

All meals are prepared onsite by a team of experienced chefs, all dietary requirements (including halal) can be catered for. All of our nursery menus are nutritionally balanced, paying special attention to reducing salt and sugar.

Meal times are sociable during which children and adults spend time together. We plan the menus so that they provide the children with healthy and nutritious food.

Menus are displayed in nursery so that parents can complement their child’s diet with food served at home.

If you have a specific request please discuss this further with staff prior to your child starting with us. We try to provide a variety of fruit and vegetables for our snack table to encourage children to taste new foods. All children are provided with free milk, water and snacks during the day. A fee is charged for a school lunch at £3.00 per day and £1.50 per day for afternoon tea.

Children in Great Oaks (pre-school class) have their lunch within the main school hall with our Reception to Year 6 pupils.

St-Pius-X-Nursery-Lunch-Menu-Example.pdf

At St Pius X Catholic Preparatory School we have extremely high standards regarding uniform. This also applies in our Nursery setting. A school and nursery uniform gives children a sense of belonging, creates equality, self-confidence and provides an identity for the school within the wider community.

A school and nursery uniform teaches children to dress smartly and take pride in their appearance. It also reduces many distractions and allows pupils to fully concentrate on learning, sharpening focus on schoolwork and overall allowing children to perform better academically.

We take great pride in the knowledge that our school and nursery uniform identifies the children with our great Catholic Preparatory School and that it truly reflects our school ethos.

All children attending nursery must attend in their correct uniform and it is important that the guidelines are followed by parents at all times.

School and nursery uniform items can be bought directly from Monkhouse Schoolwear Specialists either online or by visiting the shop at the Fishergate Centre in Preston. We ask that all items of uniform are fully named (initials are not clear enough to ensure items can be returned to the correct person).

You will be provided with our uniform guidelines with full details once your child is registered.

We always advise that registration forms are completed and sent in as soon as possible due to the limited amount of places being available. The nursery is part of St Pius X Catholic Preparatory School and therefore places are also reserved for pupils that have registered for a place in our prep school.

All registration documents are available from the nursery or the school upon request. Please contact us if you wish to be sent a hard copy in the post or a digital copy by email.

The nursery is open for 38 weeks a year over three academic terms, mostly in line with our Preparatory School. We are closed during the school holidays.

Securing a School Placement (Reception):

A place at our St Pius X Catholic Preparatory School Reception Class can only be secured by adding a £250 non-returnable deposit when registering for a Nursery place. (Limited Reception places available - your child may be added to a waiting list, please reserve at your earliest convenience.)

We advise prospective parents to come and visit us and have a tour with a member of the nursery management team.

Academic Year 2024-25 Fee Information

Additional Fees:

The school lunch costs £3.00 per day (full day and morning sessions only) and the afternoon tea costs £1.50 per day (full day and afternoon sessions only).

£5.50 Insurance for pupils is payable once termly.

Late payment: Failure to collect children on time at the end of the morning session will incur a charge of £10.00 within the first 30 minutes and the additional cost of the afternoon session thereafter - late collection after 6.00pm will incur a charge of £25.00 per part quarter-hour.

Registration:

A registration fee of £100 (non-refundable) is payable in advance when applying for a place.

Further Information:

• All children are provided with free milk and snacks.
• Fees must still be paid if children are absent with or without notice.
• Please note: it is our policy that a child must attend a minimum of 2 sessions.
• Salary Sacrifice Scheme: School accepts all childcare vouchers - please quote Registration Number EY310513 with your Salary Sacrifice provider.

We currently accept 15 hours and 30 hours for 3-4 year old children, as well as 15 hours for children over 2 years. From September 2024 this will extend to 30 hours for children over 2 years. To check if you are eligible please visit the Government Website. Please note we do not accept any other two year old funding – we will only accept the two year funding for working parents.

If you are eligible for the 15 hour or 30 hour funding for working families, you will receive a unique code, you must add this to the parental agreement, you must also reconfirm your eligibility on the online funding portal every three months. If you do not complete your reconfirmation within the set three month window your funding cannot be claimed from the local authority and you will be liable for the full cost of your child’s sessions. If you are eligible you will be able to receive the funded hours from the term after your child turns two – please see the table below.

The 15 hour funding covers three full sessions, this can be used as three morning or afternoon sessions or a full day plus either a morning or afternoon. The 30 hours funding cover 3 full days (6 sessions) or the equivalent of 6 sessions spread throughout the week – however, the funding does not cover the cost of lunch or afternoon tea or the once termly insurance payment for your child. These must be paid separately. Any further sessions will be charged at the full session rates.

Please note: There are limited funded spaces available for 30 hours and these are selected by a matrix.  We can also offer private spaces where we claim the cash equivalent for your 15 hours. Parents are responsible for a small weekly top-up fee. This funding is only available to children who are registered to attend St Pius Reception Class - places in the Reception Class can only be secured by a £250 non-returnable deposit.

 Eligibility for funding from when your child turns two:

An invoice for the full term will be produced prior to the start of each term.

Payment by 1st day of each term for full amount shown on the invoice. 

Late payment:

• If fees are not paid up-to-date by the end of each half term, there will be a £15 charge and a subsequent letter of child suspension forwarded.
• If late payment occurs twice or more over an academic year, your account will be placed on a 'proforma' basis i.e. payment of full fees will be required before your child attends each term.

• Four weeks notice must be given should you wish to withdraw your child - otherwise four weeks fees will be payable in lieu of notice.
• Please note: there will be no reduction in fees should you choose to decrease session numbers at any time during the course of an academic year.
• A £10 charge will be made for the administration of any parental-led reduction in number of sessions.