Forest Academy Nursery
At Forest Academy Nursery we are committed to offering a rich curriculum that engages, inspires and challenges all children. We provide them with the opportunity to develop to their full potential in a setting where they feel safe, valued and happy, and where learning is fun. Each child will experience the best possible start to their education with secure foundations and skills on which their future learning can be built. They will have the opportunity to learn and play in a language rich environment that promotes diversity and inclusion and encourages children to feel confident to take risks and become independent life-long learners. Our aim is that every child will journey through our Nursery, building a memory bank of learning experiences that positively impact on them for the rest of their lives.
In the setting there are two interconnecting classrooms and an outside garden where a wealth of exciting and engaging resources are available for the children to access. We provide a variety of different activities and resources for the children to choose from daily. The staff carefully plan the environment to meet the needs of the children and promote learning through the children’s interests. Staff play alongside the children and develop their activities into learning opportunities.
The nursery follows the development matters guidance, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters--2
We focus on the prime areas of learning and begin introducing the specific areas of learning.
The prime areas are:
- Personal, Social and Emotional
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language
The specific areas are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Children start nursery in the September after their third birthday.
Our nursery can offer provision for 15hr and 30hr entitlement. Our sessions run
Morning 8.40-11.40am
Afternoons 12.20-3.20pm
Lunch cover 11.40am -12.20pm (children may bring their own packed lunch or meals can be ordered at a charge of £2.75 through the Arbor app).
30hr entitlement covers ten nursery sessions. Lunchtime sessions are charged at the following costs..
From September 2025 charges are as follows:
Lunch session £4.50 per day
Additional nursery session £14.50 per session.
We are able to provide a more flexible approach to the hours we can offer. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
We openly encourage and welcome prospective children and their parents to come and see our Nursery in action, so they can see for themselves the engaging and supportive environment we offer.
If you are interested in your child having the opportunity to join us then please contact the school office.
Our Facilities
The children in Willow class are benefiting from our fantastic new outdoor space. Our large area allows children to explore a range of activities covering all areas of the curriculum. Children free flow inside and outside and can follow their own ideas in their learning, supported by the adults. We are constantly developing our areas and the activities we offer including our mark making area with painting easel. Adding to the very popular mud kitchen where children can cook a range of different mud mixtures, thinking about what ingredients they are going to add. Children can be active using our physical development resources or spend some time quietly focused on their choice of activity. We have out outdoor classroom which means that we will be outside in all weather. In Willow class the children lead their learning and now this is made even more exciting by the expansion of our environment.
We believe that the children at Forest Academy have the very best start to their early educations. Carefully tailored individual next steps allow all children to make fantastic progress. All the children that attended our nursery last year have confidently continued their learning journey into reception, aided by smooth transitions, facilitated by our caring and nurturing team.
Summer 1 2025
Nursery: "Once Upon a Rhyme"
Our Nursery children have delighted in our "Once Upon a Rhyme" topic, exploring a different nursery rhyme each week.
Rhyme-Based Learning
Children have enjoyed a mix of familiar and new rhymes, with hands-on activities including:
- Building walls for Humpty Dumpty
- Investigating spiders and webs for Incy Wincy Spider
- Moving up and down like the Grand Old Duke of York
These rhyming activities are laying crucial foundations for future reading success by developing children's phonological awareness.
Mathematical Development
Our youngest learners have been:
- Developing confidence with numbers to five
- Exploring the properties of 3D shapes through play
Outdoor Learning
The warmer weather has allowed us to maximize our wonderful outdoor space, where children have been:
- Creating imaginative concoctions in our mud kitchen
- Developing gross motor skills through large construction play
- Building social skills while enjoying our sandpit
The newly created video - https://youtu.be/Ucjm6_56m8o of our Early Years provision beautifully captures these enriching activities and the engaging learning environments we provide.