Welcome to Little Owls!
What is Little Owls?
Little Owls is the nursery of Eldene Nursery and Primary
School. It is a setting for three and four year olds run by a
qualified teacher supported by Nursery Assistants, and
provides three hour sessions. It is open for morning and
afternoon sessions Monday to Friday.
What is nursery for?
Nursery is a place for learning. The children do not sit at desks
but learn the way three and four year old learn best – through
supported play. A place at Little Owls Nursery is much more
than convenient child care. It is the first step of a school
education, involving developing your child physically and
mentally through activities encouraging them to explore and
discover.
Every session your child spends here is a time of intensive
learning. We invest a great deal of energy and attention
maintaining this intensity.
Who can attend Little Owls?
Although the nursery is part of the school, there is no
obligation that your child goes on to attend Eldene full time.
The nursery is open to any and all children, no matter where
they live, though it is likely that most children from Little Owls
will stay at Eldene.
School support
As part of Eldene school, Little Owls enjoys all the facilities and
resourcing advantages of a primary school. We can mix and
match toys and resources, use facilities like the school hall for
PE and make use of the school’s expertise and support
structures, for example in family support or helping children
with special needs.
As our partners in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the
school’s Reception classes work closely with us. Indeed, the
nursery is managed as part of the school’s EYFS, and this
enables a smooth transition for children who move on from
Little Owls to full time school at Eldene.
Session times
Little Owls runs two sessions each day. The first is from 8.45
until 11.45am and the second from 12.15 until 3.15pm
How much does it cost?
Every child of nursery age is entitled to five free sessions a
week. At Little Owls, there is also the option to pay for extra
sessions. The cost is £10 per session and various patterns of
weekly attendance are possible. Children who stay for both
sessions on any given day will need either a packed lunch or
may pay for a hot lunch provided by the school kitchen.
Our approach
A good start?
Nursery can set the tone of a child’s attitude to his or her
school career. We want children to be happy here. If they see
school as a place of excitement and fun, they will learn much
more in the years to come.
Play….
We believe passionately that children of nursery age learn
through their play, and this is central to our educational plan.
At Little Owls, you can expect your child to take part in play
for most of every single day!
…and structure!
Despite all these opportunities for play, the children are not
simply ‘left to play’. Supporting play appropriately is a skilled
task and one we take seriously (even while we’re having fun!).
As the year progresses, nursery age children are also
increasingly able to take part in group sessions, starting with
simple story-times. Focused teaching inputs can be made,
while respecting the children’s relatively short attention span.
The great outdoors!
At nursery age, children often learn more playing outside than
in! The EYFS Framework says that the nursery must teach all
areas of learning outdoors as well as indoors. This may mean
tangling with mud, snow, and gales. How else would we make
mud pies, snow angels and windmills? Your child will have
more use for old, knockabout clothes than anything smart!
Working with you
Long before she or he ever came to nursery, your child began
learning from you. You know your child best. We hope that
home education and school education can enrich each other
by parents and staff communicating and working together.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) spans from birth to
school-age and the EYFS Statutory Framework is the
government document we use to ensure that the children are
getting all that they need. It is very detailed and is divided into
various sections. For example Early Years Outcomes covers:
Prime areas
 Personal, Social and Emotional Development
 Communication and Language
 Physical Development
Specific areas
 Literacy
 Mathematics
 Understanding the World (this covers things like
science, technology, history, geography and RE)
 Expressive Arts and Design (this covers things like art,
music, drama, and imaginative play)
Day to day in Little Owls
Settling in
When a new child starts nursery, our first task is to help him or
her to feel comfortable enough to let Mum or Dad go. The
settling process can occur in many different ways according to
the individual child. Some children happily wave goodbye to
Mum on their very first day. Others take a few days to make
the break and some even longer. We feel strongly that this
process should not be rushed and we take our lead from how
your child is feeling.
Safety and security
As it should in any setting, safety comes first. We maintain a
safe environment with secure access. We will ask you details
about your child’s health concerns and allergies etc. We like to
know the faces of anybody who may pick up a child. And
although we are constantly encouraging the children towards
independence, they are never unsupervised.
Having said that, taking risks is an important part of learning.
We do not promise that your child will never get a grazed
knee or a bruised shin. Our task is to ensure that children are
confident taking small risks, risks that will help them learn
without serious harm.
Snack time
Evidence shows that children of nursery age need food little
and often if they are to have the energy they need for learning
through play. Each day we provide a nutritious snack and a
drink to keep their strength up.
We aim for the children to become independent eaters. We
offer a snack each day but never insist that a child eats. We
congratulate children who try new foods but do not criticise
those who are not yet ready.
We ask for a small contribution each week to pay for snack
foods and simple housekeeping items like tissues. Any money
left is spent on toys or other resources.
Parent helpers
It is lovely to have parents helping out in the nursery. There
are many ways you can help, from reading with children to
mixing paint. Let us know if you are interested and we’ll
discuss what would work best – we’ll keep you busy!
Regular helpers will need DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)
clearance. Speak to a member of staff and we’ll tell you how
to get a form.
Our contact information
Address:
Little Owls Nursery
Eldene Nursery and Primary School
Collingsmead
Eldene
Swindon
SN3 3TQ
Telephone:
01793 525908
School website: www.eldeneprimaryschool.org.uk