Nursery
The Nursery provides a safe and secure environment where the children can enjoy a mixture of structured and 'free' activities to develop coordination, concentration and independence, and also experience the social and emotional benefits of school life.
Welcome to Nursery at Abercorn where children begin their lifelong adventure of learning.
Our nursery provides a safe and welcoming environment where children enjoy a mixture of structured and ‘free’ activities designed to develop coordination, concentration and independence. From day one, our children enjoy the social and emotional benefits of school life in fun and child led environment designed to ease the transition from home to school.
We offer a half day Nursery with either a morning or afternoon session. There are also a number of full day places available from January each year for elder children in the Nursery.
The Nursery provides a safe and secure environment where the children can enjoy a mixture of structured and 'free' activities to develop coordination, concentration and independence, and also experience the social and emotional benefits of school life.
Our nursery is run by a Class Teacher along with three assistants. All the team at Abercorn share a passion for early education and nurturing the personal, social and emotional development of all the children in the nursery, ensuring their first days at school are some of their most special.
In the Nursery your child is introduced to the fundamentals of Early Years education. To create a strong basis for future learning, great importance is placed on the three prime areas of learning: Personal, Social and Emotional development, Communication and Language, and Physical Development. In addition to these, the specific areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design are also addressed.
Lessons in French, Music and P.E. and Yoga, are also introduced, taught weekly by specialist teachers with nursery staff present for reassurance.The Nursery is well resourced; sand and water play, the art and craft table, a computer corner, and a construction area, all have an important part to play, along with the ‘home corner’ which fires their imagination. The dedicated outdoor space, which the children love, contains many pieces of play apparatus suitable for their age.
It is our aim that our children leave Nursery confident, having learnt how to learn, how to share, how to play, how to socialise and most importantly, happy and looking forward to the next stage of their education.
Pre-Reception & Reception
Teaching is topic based and cross-curricular in Pre-Reception and Reception, this is to encourage creative and critical thinking and to consolidate skills. Children develop skills across the seven areas of learning.
Building a solid foundation for exploration and learning.
Pre-Reception is an important year for our pupils, preparing them for the more formal school-type setting in Reception and beyond.
Abercorn pupils automatically gain their Pre-Reception place after Nursery, where they begin to attend school for a full day if they are not already.
Teaching is topic based and cross-curricular, this is to encourage creative and critical thinking and to consolidate skills. Children develop skills across the seven areas of learning.
Reading and writing are taught through synthetic phonics. Emergent writing skills are developed through a range of media appropriate to each child’s stage of development. Mathematical concepts are taught through practical, meaningful experiences and consolidated across the curriculum. Each classroom is equipped with an interactive screen and a range of technology to introduce early computing skills.
Class teachers are supported both by class assistants and specialist teachers in the subjects of French, Music, P.E. Gymnastics and Swimming offering a robust, varied and enjoyable beginning to the children’s first school years. Weekly Yoga sessions help promote the children's sense of well-being.
At Abercorn our ethos is to encourage every child to do their best and to enjoy and achieve in all aspects of school life. Teachers pay particular attention to developing children's social skills to ensure that they are confident when they move up to Year 1.
Nursery FAQs
We understand there are many questions parents ask when looking for a Nursery for their child. We have complied the most common questions in one convenient place.
What are the nursery hours?
Our nursery is run in two sessions, morning or afternoon, five days a week. These sessions run from 8.45-11.45am or from 12.30-3.30pm. A full day session is available from January each year for those who are ready for it.
The nursery calendar is aligned with the whole school term dates.
What size is the nursery at Abercorn?
The nursery at Abercorn can accommodate up to 20 children in each session. Places are awarded based on registration date.
Are snacks or lunch provided?
The sessions are split in order that children can enjoy lunch at home, however we do ask that parents provide a healthy snack and drink for a mid-session break.
For children attending full day sessions, they will have school lunch prepared by our onsite catering team. You can find out more about nutrition at Abercorn here.
Does my child need to be toilet trained?
Yes, we do require all children joining the nursery to be toilet-trained as we do not have the appropriate facilities to change them. That said, we understand that accidents do happen at this early stage so sometimes may request parents provide the school with spare underwear and a change of bottoms.
Do the children take naps during the day?
We do not have a formal nap time, and prior to starting with us we encourage parents to set a nap time routine at home that works with their morning session in school.
Our personal approach to settling our Nursery children into school ensures that they are settled into their morning sessions before they start for a full day. This usually means they are able to enjoy the day without a nap. If a child was showing signs of feeling tired we would of course make them comfortable and let them rest. We normally find the children are so engaged in their learning they have no time to nap.
What is the uniform for nursery children?
In nursery our children wear an Abercorn blue sweatshirt and jogging bottoms, with either a white polo shirt or turtle neck depending on the season. This uniform serves to unify the nursery, and the unrestrictive design of the clothing maximises freedom of play and movement.
What specialist activities will my child be doing at Abercorn?
We take great pride in being able to offer even our youngest pupils in Nursery the school specialist teaching in French, Music, P.E and Yoga.
Swimming is introduced in Pre-Reception.