Is your child starting school in September? Then you may have lots of questions about what to look out for when choosing a school for your child, what is right for your child and what they will be learning?

We have compiled a helpful guide to support parents when choosing a school for their child and information on the early years school journey at Wallace Fields Infant School & Nursery:

• Visiting prospective schools can be an overwhelming task for parents and sometimes, despite attending many tours and viewings, you may still find yourself asking “how do I judge what is right for me and my family?” It is important to remember that schools and the children in them should never be judged entirely on data, but, data does exist to help you understand how the children in the school have achieved in some areas, so we’d always say that looking at a school’s data is part of good research.
• When joining a school tour look out for a Headteacher who is proud of their school! During any parental visit at WFIS & Nursery we take every opportunity available to talk to new parents about what we stand for, our passion for the school, and to show all the fantastic things the children are achieving.
• Early Years teachers really are remarkable people who specialise in bringing learning to life for even the youngest of children! Here at WFIS & Nursery our entire Early Years Team work exceptionally hard to accelerate learning by following a varied curriculum offering a range of opportunities for the children to learn in a stimulating and creative way. Our Reception children have the freedom and flexibility to question and explore the world around them.
• The Early Years Foundation Stage fully supports outdoor learning and at WFIS & Nursery we fully understand why this is so important to children. Being outdoors not only encourages an active lifestyle, but it helps children to develop creativity and problem-solving skills, supporting those who learn best through activity and movement. We always ensure the children have access to our high quality outdoor spaces that provide them with opportunities to run and play but also to communicate and learn! Within our grounds we have added areas of interest for storytelling and reading, nature explore sessions and our own dedicated construction site!
• We all know the huge benefits of fostering a love of reading from the earliest ages! Here at WFIS & Nursery we spend quality time listening to our children read, talking to them about the story, and understanding how best to support them. We encourage all our children to become avid readers and our Reception children enjoy their visits to our school library
• All early years educators know how children learn, how they make sense of the world, how they explore friendships, and how they shape and test their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical environments. It is these essential social, emotional, human skills that our children will need as they grow up and inhabit the ever-changing world. Here at WFIS & Nursery we ensure the children are given the time and space to experience the joy of all their learning opportunities.
• Parents are busy people and in today’s ever changing world some parents will need the flexibility of wrap around care. Take a look at what the schools you visit offer — do they have breakfast and after school care options? At WFIS & Nursery we are open from 7.30am for breakfast club* providing an enjoyable start to the day accompanied by a nutritious breakfast to prepare the children for the busy day of learning ahead of them. During the afternoons we have our after school club* which offers a relaxed, creative playtime at the end of the day when the children are tired from a busy day of learning. During this time we also give the children a light supper! (*additional cost applies)
• We all know that young children grow quickly and require a healthy and varied diet. Look out for a school that has a positive view on healthy eating! At WFIS & Nursery we talk to the children openly about the importance of making healthy choices, encouraging them to have the confidence to try new things and develop excellent table manners during our family style dining arrangements. We have an onsite kitchen with chefs who prepare home-made freshly cooked food on a daily basis.
• Remember your own school days and how starting school was all about making friends? Here at WFIS & Nursery we not only encourage strong relationships between the children but we also have a very active, friendly and welcoming Parent & Teachers Association that all parents are encouraged to participate in. We all have the same aim of making WFIS & Nursery a great place to be a part of for children and for parents.
• Given the Covid 19 pandemic and the repercussions on children’s learning it is now important to ask how quickly schools can adapt their learning to remote? Here at WFIS & Nursery we are immensely proud that we were able to offer a high quality remote learning package for our home learners. As with previous lockdown, when we were able to reopen our school to our children on 8th March 2021 we did so with robust and effective health and safety measures in place throughout our school community.