Horsforth West End nursery is about nurturing and developing happy, confident children and working with them to create a life-long love of learning.  We offer excellent pre-school education in a safe and stimulating environment across indoor and outside areas.  The caring and well qualified, teacher-led team is experienced in working with children, families, and other agencies who may support individual children.

We strongly believe that children do their best learning through playing and having fun! The nursery team provides a nurturing environment where children are supported to broaden their experiences and develop their knowledge and understanding.  We acknowledge each child as an individual taking into account their wants, needs and interests.

At West End, we value the primary role of parents in the development of their children and are committed to a parent partnership. We strive to communicate as much as possible about their experiences, progress and achievements and do so in several ways:  through the West End school and nursery website, Tapestry (an online learning journal), and face-to-face.   We understand the value of a team approach to child development and promote two-way communication, we love to hear about their life at home!

You can see what we have been up to in class by going to the 'children' tab, then 'class pages' and clicking on 'Puffin Class'.

Session Times for Nursery:
Morning         8.45 a.m. – 11.45 a.m.

Afternoon     12.15 p.m. – 3.15 p.m.

Full days        8.45 am – 3.15p.m.  (Lunch eaten in setting to be provided from home)

Wrap Around times:

Morning          8.00 a.m. - 8.45 a.m.

Afternoon       3.15 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. (Monday - Thursday)

                         3.15 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. (Friday only)

Costs and Funding:

All children are entitled to at least 15 hours of free nursery education per school week from the term after they turn 3.

Additional nursery sessions/cost for younger children: £5.04   

We are a fully flexible provision and parents are welcome to pay for sessions themselves or use government funding.

If you are interested in a Nursery place for your 2, 3 or 4 year old, please contact our school office. For children under 3 years old please ask to be put on our waiting list. Email Nicky.Lloyd@westendprimary.org.uk or telephone 0113 2582819, between 8.30 am – 4.00pm

FAQ:

Who can come to your nursery?

We welcome all children, without exclusion, from when they turn 3 until they start school. Children can start with us from the day they turn three (although the free nursery hours do not start until the term after their third birthday). We also have a limited number of places available for children who are two - please contact Madeleine in the school office who can provide more information about this.

Do you offer half days or full days?

We are fully flexible - this means, depending on our session availability, that your child can do half days, full days or a mixture of the two to suit you. We ask that children attend our nursery setting for a minimum of 12 hours a week (4 nursery sessions) to ensure they feel well settled and develop positive relationships and friendships with the staff and other children.

What does my child need to bring with them?

We ask that the children come into nursery wearing comfortable and practical clothes which are easy for them to access the toilet in. The children need to bring a named water bottle with them, which we can refill during the day if necessary. As we work outdoors each day we ask that the children bring a season suitable coat or jacket along with a sun hat or winter hat and gloves. If your child is staying for a full day they will need to bring a packed lunch with them.

Please also send your child with a change of clothes for those 'just in case' moments, a small backpack which can hang on their cloakroom peg is ideal for this.

What does a typical day in nursery look like?

No two days are the same! We always start the day with a quick carpet session where we can welcome everyone and discuss our day, then the children are free to choose where they would like to work: this could be within our classroom or our outdoor area. Our learning environments and activities are teacher planned and led, helping the children to develop educationally with everything they do. 

Mid morning we stop and have a snack together - a carton of milk and a piece of fruit (which we provide), this is sometimes accompanied by a story or carpet session. We like to make the most of our proximity to the woods, park and surrounding area and often pop out for local walks and visits.

Lunch is eaten picnic style, outside when its not too cold or in the classroom during wet and cold weather.

At different times during the week we make use of the school facilities using the hall, music room, sensory garden or trim trail areas - we are very lucky to have such a lovely, large outdoor space to explore!

Before we go home we enjoy listening to stories and singing songs together.

How will my child learn?

The children in nursery learn through their play; they are supported by our staff to extend and develop their skills, knowledge and understanding. Our teaching team also set up and lead a variety of activities for the children to access.

Does my child need to do anything before they can start at nursery?

We ask that where possible children are toilet trained before they join our setting; we do however have nappy changing facilities if these are required by your child. We ask that you provide you own nappies, wipes, creams and nappy bags.

Our nursery team are very experienced at helping children settle in and make the most of their time in nursery, we will work with each child from their own starting point.

When is nursery open?

Our nursery is term-time only, open for 38 weeks of the year between 8:45am and 3:15pm. We also offer wrap around sessions, these run from 8.00am - 8.45am in the morning, then 3.15pm - 5.30pm (Monday - Thursday) and 3.15pm - 5.00pm (Friday only).

How is nursery staffed?

Our education based nursery is led by an experienced fully qualified teacher. The nursery teacher is supported by highly qualified support staff who have many years of experience working within the early years.

My child has additional needs, can they come to your nursery?

Yes! We have a wonderful SEND coordinator in school and the nursery team are very experienced; please get in touch with us to discuss your child and their needs. 

How much can my child eat?

We all know that food is very important to pre-schoolers! We have a snack time mid morning where the children are provided with a carton of milk and a piece of fruit, if your child is staying all day we ask that they bring a packed lunch with them; this can contain anything you like (sandwiches, wraps, cheese and biscuits, pitta and hummus, cut up sausage, veg sticks, pasta salad... let your imagination run wild!) but please do not send in nuts, sweets, chocolate or glass containers.

Should the children need something mid afternoon they can choose another item from our fruit/veg bowl.

If your child stays for after school wrap around they will be provided with a snack (a differing selection along the lines of cheese and crackers, a wrap, malt loaf, rice cakes, fruit and veg)

Does my child need to wear school uniform?

No, all we ask is that the children come into nursery wearing comfortable and practical clothing which they can easily manipulate to access the toilet. Layers are ideal so they can take items off or add more! We would advise not sending children in their 'best' clothes as playing and working hard means we often get a little grubby!

We spend lots of time outdoors in all weather - please bear this in mind.

Will my child have time to play out?

Yes! We spend a lot of time each day outdoors in our outside area, whatever the weather! We are lucky to also have access to the large school grounds and the local area (including the woods and the park).