Nursery
WELCOME TO OUR NURSERY
The Mary Bassett Nursery provides stimulating, play-based, high-quality care and education for children of all abilities aged from two to four years. From September 2024 our Nursery will consist of two spaces; Acorns for our 2 and 3 year old children and Oak for our 3 and 4 year old children. We will be extending our hours of operation to better accommodate the needs of our families as outlined below.
From September 2024 the Mary Bassett Nursery will be open from 8:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. Details of how these hours are split into sessions are below.
To register your interest in joining us, please click the link below:
Session Times
Nursery Fees
The fee is £4.90 per hour for children aged 3 years old and over.
The fee is £5.96 per hour for children aged 2 years old.
Lunchtime sessions are included within the afternoon session; you can either provide a healthy packed lunch or you can order a hot school lunch.
Food during school time
Breakfast will be provided and will consist of cereals served between 8.00 - 8.30am.
Hot school lunches are ordered online using the ParentPay App and must be ordered before 8am on the day. Lunches are currently at £2.53 per meal.
A fruit or vegetable snack will be provided during the hours of 4.00 - 6.00pm, however we encourage you to provide a lunchbox with food for your child to have during this time and in addition to their lunch.
Funding Eligibility
Two year old funding – This funding is available for families who meet a set of criteria. Please follow the link here for more information on eligibility free-childcare-2-year-olds.
Three/four year old funding - Children are entitled to funding the term following their third birthday. The funding entitlement is a maximum of 570 hours over 38 weeks of the year (term time only) which equates to 15 hours per week, or 5 sessions per week at The Mary Bassett Nursery.
30 Hours Funding – This funding is available for families who meet a set of criteria. Please follow the link here for more information on eligibility 30-hours-free-childcare.
If you would like to arrange a visit to The Mary Bassett Nursery, please contact the Nursery Manager Louise Hastings or Nursery Teacher Mrs Rebecca Collins-Pratt via the School Office at office@marybassett.co.uk or 01525 373017.
Development & Learning
In the Nursery we have six overarching themes across the year which inform the topic-based focus for our planning and provision over the year. These are outlined below.
|
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
|
Who we are |
How we express ourselves |
How the world works |
Sharing the planet |
Where we are in place and time |
How we organise ourselves |
Each week we have carefully chosen books linked to the theme which we share during our daily topic input as a whole nursery. The Provocations and Invitations to Learning which are throughout the continuous provision are based not only on the theme for the half term, but are tailored to the interests of the children, next steps and also seasonal changes. Underpinning our curriculum and nursery environment is The Curiosity Approach and the principles of this are evident throughout the setting. More information on this approach can be found in the link at the bottom of this page.
Foundations of Phonics
In Nursery, children begin to learn and develop the foundations of phonics. We follow the Monster Phonics programme in line with the rest of the school. Children who will be moving into Reception in September participate in a daily phonics session from the second half of the Autumn term. These sessions are play-based and focus on the seven aspects of early phonic development which are listed below.
Aspect 1 – General sound discrimination – environmental sounds
The aim of this aspect is to raise children’s awareness of the sounds around them and to develop their listening skills.
Aspect 2 – General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds
This aspect aims to develop children’s awareness of sounds made by various instruments and noise makers.
Aspect 3 – General sound discrimination – body percussion
The aim of this aspect is to develop children’s awareness of sounds and rhythms.
Aspect 4 – Rhythm and rhyme
This aspect aims to develop children’s appreciation and experiences of rhythm and rhyme in speech.
Aspect 5 – Alliteration
The focus is on the initial sounds of words.
Aspect 6 – Voice sounds
The aim is to distinguish between different vocal sounds and to begin oral blending and segmenting.
Aspect 7 – Oral blending and segmenting
The main aim is to develop oral blending and segmenting skills.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
For information regarding our SEND policy, the Nursery SEND Offer and Central Bedfordshire Council's Local Offer, please refer to the Class Page, thank you.
Further Information & Contact Details
If you would like to read more about what we do, please visit the Class Page on this website.
If you would like to arrange a visit to Nursery, please contact the Nursery Manager Louise Hastings or Nursery Teacher Mrs Rebecca Collins-Pratt via the School Office at office@marybassett.co.uk or 01525 373017.
We hope to see you soon!
To register your interest in joining us, please click the link below: