Foundation One (Nursery)

Welcome to Foundation One (Nursery)

Hello and welcome to your Nursery class! We are Mrs Gibaut and Mrs Nadeem, the nursery teachers. Mrs Gibaut loves adrenaline rollercoasters and enjoys going to theme parks with her loved ones. Mrs Nadeem enjoys spending time with her baby and loves to bake!  We are also very lucky to be supported by Mrs Simms, our teaching Assistant who loves spending time at her caravan and padel boarding.

Nursery is a fun and exciting place where children make friends, grow in confidence and discover their love for learning. It is such a special place, being the very first step into your child’s school journey and we are very proud and excited to be a part of that journey with you!

Meet the Team

• Class Teacher: Mrs Gibaut (Monday to Friday)

• Class Teacher: Mrs Nadeem (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

• Teaching Assistant: Mrs Simms
• Dinner Support Staff: Mrs Macdonald and Miss Waters

Brief Curriculum Overview

This year we have developed a brand-new Foundation Stage curriculum. Our approach is skills-based, giving children rich exposure to language through, songs, stories, rhymes, play and meaningful interactions that spark curiosity and a love of learning. We foster a love of reading with weekly core stories and our “Fab Five” favourites. Alongside this, we teach Letters and Sounds so children can begin early phonics activities and tune into sounds before starting their Read Write Inc journey in the summer term.

Through the My Happy Mind programme, children learn about emotions, confidence, and resilience. In Mathematics, we follow Master the Curriculum, using fun, practical steps that build strong foundations and a love of number. To promote and improve our physical development we take part in lots of fun funky finger activities and dough disco for early writing development.

What We're Learning This Year

 Our Topics – Cycle A

Throughout the year, we explore a range of exciting topics designed to capture children’s curiosity and build important early skills. Here’s what we’ll be covering in Nursery:

 

Autumn 1 – Terrific Tales

We begin with traditional tales, learning to re-tell well-known stories e.g. The Three Little Pigs. Children also talk about families and familiar routines as they start their Chapelfield journey.

 

Autumn 2 – What Changes Around Us?

Our focus is on the seasons and how the world around us changes throughout the year. We also celebrate Christmas and take part in the Foundation Stage Nativity.

 

Spring 1 – Out of this World!

Children discover space, the planets in our solar system, and learn about a famous astronaut. Expect some alien fun too!

 

Spring 2 – Into the Wild!

We explore wild animals both in the UK and in Africa, comparing different species and their environments.

 

Summer 1 – Off to the Farm

This topic looks at where our food comes from and the life cycles of animals and plants. A highlight will be observing the life cycle of a chicken first-hand!

 

Summer 2 – Once Upon a Time…

To finish the year, we explore fairy tales and medieval England, complete with castles, dragons, and a medieval banquet.

Class Timetable

Core elements present every day

• Arrival and settling in: Children are welcomed and can choose an activity to start the day. We begin the day with Brush Bus and a welcome song.

• Key person time groups are Moonbeams and Sunbeams: Regular, focused time is spent with each child and their key worker to build positive relationships.
• Learning is a balance of adult-led group times for stories, rhyme time, phonics, dough disco and Mathematics.
• Child-led free-flow continuous provision: The most significant portion of the day is dedicated to allowing children to explore and learn through play, both indoors and outdoors.
• Scheduled times for snacks, lunch for full time children.
• Personal care: handwashing, and toileting

Homework Learning

We will post weekly fun homework tasks around the stories from our topics on Tapestry.

We will also add some maths games from Master the Curriculum that will be based around the learning in class.

We cannot emphasise enough the importance of reading! Please read to your child every night.

Tips for Home Learning

• Keep it short and playful — 10–15 minutes is enough.
• Encourage your child to retell the story in their own words.
• Make it sensory — touch, build, and explore.
• Celebrate creativity — messy play and imaginative ideas are welcome!

We hope you will share photos on Tapestry with us — we love seeing children’s imaginative ideas and their learning at home!

Useful Information

• Please bring a bookbag, water bottle, and wellies in a named bag - please label everything!

• Children will bring home a library book every Friday to share
• Please see the link below for further useful information.

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/

Information for parents – Birth To 5 Matters

For parents | Letters and Sounds

Class routines

• We provide a snack every morning, please do not send food from home with your child as we do have children in school with allergies.

Supporting learning

• Our children will be outside in all weathers. Please ensure they have a warm, waterproof coat with them, along with their wellies which are to be kept in school to ensure they can access this outdoor learning.

How To Contact Us

• If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Gibaut or Mrs Nadeem via the school office email chapelfield@bury.gov.uk or phone 0161 723 5519.

• We are always on the class door at the start and the end of the day, if there is anything you would like to ask.
• Parent Hub
• Tapestry
• We aim to respond to written communications as soon as possible, and always within 5 school days.

 

 Key Dates & Events

Coming up…

• Parents Evening - Thursday 23rd October 3.30-7.30pm
• EYFS Open Evening – Thursday 6th November 4pm - 5:30pm
• EYFS Nativity – Monday 8th December 10:30am