Nursery & Reception

Welcome to our Nursery and Reception Classes 2026-2027

In Early Years at Penketh South we aim to provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment where all children, families and staff feel valued, empowered and happy to grow and learn together.

Nursery have a dedicated room specifically for children to develop from the age of two years to 4 years. It is calm and provides the resources, activities and needs for very young children.

Reception children benefit from a room which supports their developing needs and prepare them for the main school environment when they move to Year 1 at the end of the year. They have learning both child initiated and adult led to support their phonics, reading writing and maths. Staff skilfully support them in their learning and developing their speaking and listening skills.

Our broad and balanced curriculum in both classes seeks to nurture curiosity, develop confident communicators and inspire imaginations through children’s natural interests. Children actively learn through play and develop independence, confidence and self-esteem, skillfully supported and challenged by practitioners who seek to foster a life-long love of learning.

Meet the Team the EYFS Team

EYFS Lead – Mrs Claire Lawton

Nursery Teacher – Mrs Catherine Wardell

Reception Teacher – Mrs Natalie Passey

Teaching Assistants – Miss Rachel Evans, Mrs Louise Anderson, Mrs Angela Stephenson, Mrs Rebecca Tyms

@little_kingfishers,

@penketh_south

@ourkingfishersnest our breakfast and afterschool club to support parents with childcare before and after school.

Our Learning

Children learn and develop through play in the Early Years displaying the ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’. These are playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically.

Children will play for long periods inside and outside, during this time practitioners will carefully facilitate their play to move their development onto the next stage. They will observe children and plan their next steps, often in the moment. The EYFS recommends a balance of child-initiated learning and adult-initiated learning; therefore there will be times when adults initiate learning in groups for example during phonics, story time or circle time.

Our Environment

The classroom environment is designed to provide opportunities for your child to learn across all areas of the curriculum and is suited to your child’s unique needs and interests.