Our Sessions

Learning with pleasure through Play

8.30am-2.30pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays
There are a few places for children from 8.30am-12.30pm (please enquire about availability).

The nursery is open 39 weeks per year, approximately in line with local primary school term dates.
Our Autumn Term is 14 weeks, Spring Term 12 weeks and Summer Term 13 weeks.
Fees are charged in advance and payable by the start of each of the three terms.
KCC FEEE funding (up to 15 hours per week) can be applied where applicable for over 3s. Please email the office for further information.
Packed lunches provided each day by parents (2.30pm places only).
Snacks are provided by nursery.
After lunch visiting specialist teachers attend as follows:
- Mondays - Fun French with Madam Sinead
- Tuesdays - Music and Movement with Ellie
- Wednesdays - Dance and Movement with Chloe

We aim to provide structured sessions with regular routines in which children can develop at their own pace, providing ample opportunity for exploration, play and learning while giving them a firm basis of school life before starting primary education.

Each child is allocated a Key Teacher who follows the Early Years Foundation Stage whilst planning for their individual interests and developmental needs and for the next steps in their learning. We work in close partnership with children's parents and carers, involving them in their child's learning.

Early Years Foundation Stage

At The Rocking Horse Nursery School, we believe in providing a rich and well-rounded education for young children. Our curriculum includes a mix of Montessori and traditional nursery methods, with a focus on developing creativity, social skills, and a love for learning. Every session includes art, music and singing, movement, language and outside play.

We incorporate the seven areas of learning and development in the EYFS when planning our topics. The very important Prime Areas of Development are Communication & Language, Personal, Social & Emotional Development and Physical Development.

The Specific Areas of Development we also include are: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts & Design.

Art and Craft

Our carefully planned art and craft is adapted by the teachers for each child's age and stage of development. Crafts include freehand painting as well as adult-led craft which supports children to try new materials and techniques in their creativity. We use a wide variety of mediums including pens, crayons, paints, clay, collage, stickers, chalks etc. and children have the opportunity to use the easels indoors and outside during freeplay too. Children learn about colour, texture, and form, and are encouraged to express themselves through their art.

Music

Music is very important for young children. Every morning we listen to music playing in the classrooms during freeplay and we have a singing session every day. Our instrument basket is popular with children tapping out rhythms and expressing themselves through music. A visiting specialist Early Years Music Professional comes in each week on Tuesday afternoons to lead the children with a fun music session. We encourage parents who play an instrument to come and show it to the children and play to them to enhance their musical experience. Recent visitors have brought violin, trumpet, cello, guitar, piano and bagpipes! We have a Nativity each Christmas for parents to watch and the pre-school children's parents and grandparents are invited to watch their children singing and dance in their Summer Concert in the Rocking Horse garden.

Movement and Dance

Gross and fine motor skills are practiced every day. Running, walking, climbing, tricycles, balance logs in the garden help children develop their gross motor skills and coordination and we enhance these further through activities such as singing with actions, dance and our weekly Dance and Movement session with visiting specialist dance teacher on Wednesday afternoons. Children learn about balance, spatial awareness, and body control, and are encouraged to be active and healthy.

Healthy eating is also an important part of our learning and we provide healthy snacks each day and talk to the children regularly about eating healthily, brushing our teeth and exercise.

Language

Communication and Language is one of the important Prime Areas of Development in the EYFS. Without communication skills children can struggle to make progress across the other areas of learning.

We have a wide range of lovely books at nursery for the children to choose and stories are read to the children daily. We talk with the children in groups and individually to support them to develop their communication and language skills. Teachers introduce the children to Makaton signing and we also learn about other cultures and languages. A visiting specialist teacher comes in on Monday afternoons to give the children a fun French session!

Mathematics

Numbers and shapes help children develop their number sense and problem-solving skills through activities such as counting, sorting, and measuring. Children learn about patterns, shapes, and spatial relationships, and are encouraged to build with blocks, try jigsaws or shape puzzles and play with a variety of resources which help develop their maths skills.