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FAQs

FAQ

We hope that the FAQs answer some of the questions you might have. Please do feel free to contact our Registrar, Jojo Orange for more information orange.j@salisburycathedralschool.com or phone 01722 555300

1. At what age do you take children in nursery?

From January 2025, children can start at Apple Tree Nursery when they have turned 2 years of age. Our 'Pippins' (2-3 year-olds) and our 'Russets' ( 3-4 year-olds) have lovely, separate nursery rooms with a central, shared space so they can have time with those closest in age to them as well as planned time for more free-flow play with children of different ages in the setting. We think this provides just the right balance. The children move into their Russets class soon after they have turned 3 years of age, in discussion with you as parents. 

2. What are the Nursery hours?

The Nursery hours are 8.30am to 3.30pm.

From January 2025, Apple Tree Nursery will be opening All Year Round (50 weeks per year). This way, we will be in a position to offer flexible care for families who want term-time only and more extensive provision to fit around busy working lives. To register an interest and to find out more, please click here to complete a form.

Each day, we are able to offer wrap around care from 7.30am with our breakfast club and our after school care, ‘Little Spires’, runs until 6.00pm. The children who attend Little Spires are given a substantial snack to keep them nourished until they go home.

3. Can my child have a taster session before starting?

Once your child has been registered to start in our Nursery, we will invite them to a taster session for around an hour and a half without a parent. The children are welcome to bring a special snuggly toy so they have something familiar with them. These sessions will allow children to become confident with the Nursery staff, other children and the environment. Please don’t worry – you can grab a coffee nearby and we’ll call you to let you know how they’re settling!

We are happy for the children to have a gradual start to nursery, building up their sessions in nursery over a period of time. However, we would say that a minimum of three sessions is important to help create a sense of familiarity as well as bonds of connection with both adults and other children. We’re always on hand to advise and guide you whenever you need it.

4. What is the Early Years Foundation?

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old (the end of the Reception year). It focuses on seven areas of learning which are delivered using stimulating and multi-sensory approaches focused on nurturing each child on their educational journey.

Our 2-3 year olds will be in nursery and our 3-4 year olds in 'Pre-school' . Each will have their own dedicated space with experienced practitioners who will work closely with your child to ensure that they have the most positive, happy and enriching start to their school life. We prioritise three 'prime ' areas in nursery and pre-school .

The first of these is Personal, Social and Emotional development. This area encourages children to develop important social skills, to make friends, play cooperatively and be open to new experiences, developing skills in self regulation and independence.

The second prime area is Communication and Language which develops those all important communication skills of speaking, listening and understanding.

The third prime area is Physical Development . In this area we are developing fine and gross motor skills , building independence in personal care such as toileting , eating and getting dressed and undressed.

Beyond the three prime areas are four further areas within the EYFS. These are Literacy , Maths, Understanding of the World and Expressive Arts. All areas of the EYFS are important and we tailor our provision to the individual child. We learn about them, find out their fascinations and interests, and build the learning around these things. As children get ready to move into Reception, they will experience a gradual build in structure within their day ensuring that they are developing the key skills needed to become school-ready.

5. What activities will my child experience at nursery?

For our youngest children, it’s all about exploration to encourage curiosity. We set up a range of activities in the nursery setting and in our grounds for them to enjoy each day and they have free choice about what, how and when they engage in these. Everything we do is play-based and it’s our job to build learning intentions around each child’s choice of activity. We love playing alongside a child and helping them learn something new! The sense of excitement on their faces when they discover something is just a joy to see!

A variety of activities are on offer to the children in our pre-school each day, ranging from creative play activities to aid numeracy and literacy, construction and problem-solving, story time, free play and rest time after lunch. In addition, specialist teachers from the Prep School teach music, ballet, French, computing and sport lessons each week. We also make the most of our 27 acres of grounds through our extensive programme of outdoor learning. This is underpinned by the EYFS curriculum and complemented by structured direct teaching. Activities are carefully planned with play-based learning valued. Each Friday morning the whole school together for an assembly in the cathedral; parents are welcome to attend this assembly. The children in Early years also attend these assemblies every few weeks. 

6. How are we different and what are the benefits?

We are proud to be a school-based Early Years setting and being part of the whole school is a really important part of our provision. The little people in our care are integral members of our wider school community. The children in our setting will be able to benefit from the Pre-Prep and Prep school day during our term-time provision. They will have access to specialist teachers , extensive facilities and spend time with the older children who will role model and share some of the lovely things that they do with our little ones. Our early years children will access our exceptional grounds and will spend lots of time learning outdoors. We have an adventure playground, an outdoor stage, a pond dipping area, fire-pits and an outdoor pool. These facilities present rich learning opportunities for our children and we are looking forward to sharing these with them.

Outside of term time, whilst some of the curriculum will change, children attending our nursery and pre-school will continue to benefit from the highest calibre of their key workers, will continue to access our extensive facilities and our amazing grounds.

The curriculum is planned to be balanced , enriching and engaging. Our ethos is one of nurture and calm where children are happy and become secure learners, achieving their best in a happy, caring environment.

7. What will my child be given to eat and drink?

All our snacks and hot lunches are homemade on site by our dedicated catering team using local and fresh ingredients where possible and are included in the fees. The children are given a morning snack in the nursery, alternating between fresh fruit, hummus & crudités, and homemade flapjack. A two-course lunch is served in the school dining room (the Undercroft). The lunch menu is rotated every 4 weeks. Our youngest children may prefer to eat their lunch in the nursery setting and this is something we’ll explore with you when you visit.

If your child arrives early for breakfast club, cereals, toast and, on most mornings, a hot option are served. If your child stays for little tea after school, sandwiches, cake and fruit are served between 3.30pm and 4.00pm.

8. Can you accommodate dietary requirements?

Absolutely! We will always accommodate all dietary and cultural requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free.

9. How many staff will there be at nursery?

We work on a ratio of 1:4 for our 2 year-olds and 1:8 for our 3-4 year-olds in our nursery. Our maximum number for any one session is 20 children.

10. What qualifications do the staff have?

All our EYFS staff are qualified level 3 or above early years practitioners. All staff have annual paediatric first aid training and up-to-date safeguarding training.

11. What happens if my child is taken ill at nursery?

Our school nursing team will look after any child taken ill during the school day, and if necessary, contact the parents to collect them if they need to be sent home. All children who have sickness or diarrhoea must be kept off school for a period of forty-eight hours with no reoccurrence.

12. How much will it cost to attend the nursery?

Please refer to our fees page for full details. Click here

The 2025 fees are currently under review

13. What government funding is available?

You may be eligible for Government support with paying your childcare costs. The links below give information about the support currently available.

14. How do you communicate with parents?

We value parents as partners and wherever possible we enjoy speaking to them to ensure that any queries or worries are dealt with as quickly as possible. There are plenty of opportunities for us to do this; at the end of each day or by telephone if more convenient to do so. We value having an open dialogue with parents to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of each child and support their development.

As well as daily updates from the staff, a weekly bulletin is sent out to all parents via email every Friday with short write ups and photos about the week’s activities, and notices about future events. A more-detailed newsletter is sent out at the end of each half term. We encourage our parents to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with daily school news. All of the children in the nursery have their own learning journals which are sent home each half term for parents to read. We also hold parents’ evenings and write termly reports. Parents can also book an appointment to speak with a member of staff at any time.

15. How can I prepare my child for starting reception?

Many of the Reception class have already attended our Nursery and will be used to the routines, staff and buildings. Children joining us from other settings will be welcomed with open arms. We will contact you prior to the children starting to offer you some settling in sessions. We also have a little booklet ‘My School’ which enables children to look at pictures of their new classroom and teachers.

There are no special preparations needed for starting in the reception year. It would be helpful if parents could encourage their child to start being independent when getting dressed and undressed, to be able to put on their own coat and shoes and to be independent when eating their meals.

We do not expect children to know their letters or numbers but if they could recognise their first name this helps them to look after their own belongings and find their coat peg. As parents, one of the most helpful things that we can do is to ensure that all belongings including uniform and shoes are clearly named.  This greatly increases a child's ability to be independent and be ready for play and PE in good time. We are always there to support when things get in a muddle!