Me2 and Nursery New Starter Information
Mount Street Primary
School and Nursery
Information pack for
starting Nursery
Welcome to Mount Street Primary and Nursery School.
Please find enclosed information regarding your child’s start at Mount Street Nursery where we provide care and education for children aged 2 - 4 years old within an Early Years Unit. We are happy to welcome all children into our nursery and hope to provide your child with opportunities to play and learn with other children thus helping them to gain confidence and develop social skills. Your child will benefit immensely from mixing with other children and we will help to prepare and equip them for starting school.
Staff
Ms Shillaber – Headteacher
Mrs Travers – Early Years Lead, Early Years SENCo and Nursery Teacher
Miss Matthews – Nursery Teacher
Miss Friend and Miss White – Me2 Teaching Assistant
Mrs Norrish, Miss Bennett and Miss Pooley – Nursery Teaching Assistants
Miss Huggins – Apprentice Teaching Assistant
Important Forms
- Nursery place request form or contract – to be completed and returned
- S11 form – to be completed and returned to nursery prior to your child starting
- Free school meals form
- Term dates
Funding
Me2 funding
Families earning less than £16,190, with a two-year-old child, could get up to 15 hours of free childcare per week at our school’s nursery.
You can now apply for Two-Year-Old funding (locally known as Me2) directly via the Citizen’s Portal.
Visit the following website for more details. https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/schoolseducationchildcareskillsandemployability/childrenfamilieschildcareandearlyyearstrainingandsupport/childcareandfamilyinformation#:~:text=Families%20earning%20less%20than%20%C2%A3,directly%20via%20the%20Citizen's%20Portal.
Nursery funding
15 hours
All 3 and 4 year olds, living in England, are entitled to 15 hours of free funding per week at nursery. This applies the term after your child is 3 years old, you do not need to apply for this funding but you will be asked to sign a funding form at the beginning of each school term to confirm your child’s eligibility.
30 hours
Your child may be entitled to 30 hours of free funding per week. Please visit the following website to find out if you are eligible.
You will need to apply for 30 hours of funding online (see above link), if you are eligible you will be sent a code which will need to be shared with the nursery as soon as possible. You will then be asked to sign a funding form at the beginning of each school term to confirm your child’s eligibility.
Sessions
Children entitled to 15 hours of funding can access 5 sessions at nursery a week, this usually means 5 mornings (8.45-11.45) or 5 afternoons (12.15-15.15). Children can stay additional sessions at an extra cost. Children entitled to 30 hours of funding can attend nursery full time with an additional cost for the lunch session. (see costings below).
The School Day
Nursery class children come into school, via the gate, onto the Early Years playground. There will always be a member of staff, on the gate, to greet you and your child in the morning. Their teacher will be waiting for them at the classroom door, we encourage you to say goodbye to your child in the playground and allow the teacher to help settle them into the classroom.
Morning Session 8.35am – 11.35
(Please ensure your child arrives at school, on time every day)
Lunch Time - 11.35am – 12.15pm
(School dinners and packed lunch)
Afternoon Session 12.15 - 3.15pm
(The gate will open from 3.10pm, please collect your child on time)
School Uniform
Your child will need to wear school uniform, this can be seen in the photo below:
Logo jumpers/cardigans and book bags are available from
The Uniform Shop, Mayflower Street
Girls: Black leggings, tracksuit bottoms, skirt/pinafore or trousers, blue polo shirt, navy blue cardigan or jumper and black school shoes. A blue and white school check dress may be worn in the summer term.
Boys: Black tracksuit bottoms or trousers, blue polo shirt, navy blue jumper and black school shoes. Black shorts may be worn in the summer term.
Sensible school coat preferably with a hood.
We also ask that you provide your child with a pair of welly boots so that they can take part in welly walks and Forest School activities. Please could you ensure that your child has a pair of Welly Boots in school. These need to be in a named bag and will stay in school at all times.
Please remember to label all of your child’s clothing so that they can be located easily if they get misplaced.
Your child will not need a PE kit at this time.
We do not have a lot of room in the cloakroom area so your child will not need a big bag for school, a book bag and a lunch bag (if required) will be sufficient.
Attendance
Children must attend every day during term time. Holidays can not be authorised however if your child is ill or unable to attend nursery please call the school number 01752 205091 and let us know before the start of the school day.
Class Dojo
We like to be able to keep in touch with you about your child’s experiences at nursery, therefore when your child starts nursery you will be invited to join Class Dojo. Here we are able to send messages and will post photos of your children, at nursery, on our class page.
Getting Ready
There are lots of things you can do to get your child ready for school. Some of the things that we think are important include:
- Let your child play
Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children, at a very early age, engage and interact in the world around them.
- Encourage your child to be independent.
Can they take themselves to the toilet?
Can they feed themselves using a knife and fork?
Can they put on their own socks, shoes and coat?
- Encourage your child to understand their own body.
Can they kick a ball?
Can they stand on one leg?
Can they hold a pencil?
Can they turn a page in a book?
Can they do up or undo a button on their shirt?
- Encourage your child to socialise.
Can they play in a small group?
Do they share their toys?
Do they allow others to join in?
Can they listen to a simple instruction?
Can they talk about the things they like or don’t like?
- Encourage your child to communicate
Can your child talk about what they can see?
Do they communicate how they feel?
Does your child ask questions about what they want to know?
Ask your child questions starting with ‘what’ or ‘who’.
These are only a few suggestions. Remember talking about nursery and what they may experience will help your child to settle quickly. Look at the photos on the website frequently and please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some frequently asked questions, if you do not find the answer to your question hear then please feel free to ask.
What does my child need to bring to nursery with them?
It is helpful if your child brings a spare set of clothes including underwear and socks. Sometimes children do have toilet accidents or may take part in a messy activity and having their own spare set of clothes is useful. A pair of welly boots, to leave at school, is helpful for rainy days and forest school activities.
Can my child have a nap at nursery?
If your child is in the Me2 room and still has a nap then you can discuss this with the room leader and they will work with you to meet your child’s needs. Most children in nursery do not sleep at school however we can facilitate this if it is something your child requires.
Shall I send in snacks with my child?
The school currently provides healthy snacks each day for all of the children however it is essential that they bring their own water bottle to school (we encourage all children to drink water daily)
What will my child do at nursery?
You will hear your child talk a lot about play, this is an important part of their day when they get to develop social skills, communication skills, fine and gross motor skills and so much more. They will also have the opportunity to work in small groups with the adults, explore activities inside and outside, forest schools, physical activities in the hall and so much more.