Information for Parents | Mereside Primary Academy

Our Nursery children are well looked after throughout the day by:-

Mrs Thomas - Nursery Lead and Class Teacher

Miss McCarron - Early Years Teaching Assistant

Mrs Lawrenson - Early Years Teaching Assistant

Mrs McDonald - Early Years Teaching Assistant

Miss Abbie - Early Years Teaching Assistant

For more information, please have a look at our Nursery Booklet on what we are able to offer to our Nursery children.

Nursery Information

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Grant information

Promoting the 30 Hours Entitlement to Blackpool Families

Up to 15 hours – free of charge (every child is entitled to this 15 hours free through the 3 year old grant), or up to 30 hours, depending on eligibility.
Children must use the full 15 hour entitlement at this nursery, but may split the 30 hours with another provision.

You access the three year old grant the term after your child turns three. If you wish for your child to start Nursery before they can access their funding, you can pay for the sessions once your child has turned three.
If you have any queries regarding the grant or start dates please do not hesitate to contact us at the Nursery.

Session Times & Nursery Fees

The session times and fees of the Nursery are as follows:

8:30am - 11.30am (3 hours) - £10.50

12pm - 3pm (3 hours) - £10.50

If your child stays for a full day, there is a charge of £1.75 per day to cover the lunchtime cover

If your child has a school dinner there will be an additional charge of £1.50

Two Year Old Provision

Children are provided with a warm and nurturing environment, where they are encouraged to explore the different areas and learn new skills. Miss McCarron and Mrs McDonald work with our 2-3yr old children and they learn alongside the preschool children in the Nursery classroom and have access to a quiet area which is used for stories, songs and nap times.

2 Year Old Funded Places

We offer places for children aged 2-3 years who qualify for free 2 year old funding. If you are eligible, your child would be entitled to receive 15 hours free Nursery provision in the school term after their 2nd birthday. To find out whether your child is eligible please visit the children and families information service page to find a list of qualifying criteria.

Blackpool Council Free Childcare website

Childcare Choices

How do I apply?

You can ring the childcare information team on 01253 477854 or alternatively fill in an online form at Blackpool application form for 2 year old grant

Charged Nursery Sessions

The Nursery also offers payable sessions for children 2-3 years old if the child does not qualify for 2 Year Old Funding. These sessions are offered on a half day rate of £10.50 for 8.30am - 11.30am or 12pm - 3pm.

Waiting List

Our 2-3 year old places are extremely popular and there may be a wait for places. If you are interested in your child attending then please contact us to put your child’s name down on the waiting list and we will contact you nearer the time when your child is due to start for you to have a look around and to confirm the hours you may need.

Settling into Nursery life

Making sure your child is happy and settled at Nursery is very important to us, we know that children only learn when they feel happy and so time spent on settling in is time-well invested for your child’s security and confidence.

Stay and Play Session

For the first part of our induction process you will be invited to a stay and play session with your child. This is a chance to meet the staff and spend time in your child’s classroom. You will be introduced to your child’s ‘key carer’ who will get to know your child well and will develop a special relationship with them and you.

Starting School

Some children will confidently walk into Nursery without any support, some will take longer to settle in and may be initially upset… all children are unique, individual and we will work together to make it a smooth process. If your child is upset of course you are very welcome to stay for as long as you and the staff feel is necessary. Once your child is settled, a quick, definite “goodbye” is best, with the reassurance that you will be back soon to see what they have been doing and an explanation of what you will be doing while they are at Westcliff. If your child is upset when you leave, you are always welcome to ring school and find out how they are.

Two Year Old Checks

It is a requirement for us to provide you with a short written summary of your child’s development when they are between 24 and 36 months old.

This will focus on the three prime areas of the EYFS:

Personal, social and emotional development
Communication and language
Physical development

We want to work with you to support your child’s development at every age and this progress check is just another part of this process. Your child’s key workers will be completing the check.

At the two year old check your child’s key worker will:

Review your child’s development, identify their strengths and see if they need extra support in any areas
Make sure that you understand your child’s development and that we know about their interests and needs so we can support them
Help you to support your child’s development at home
Agree how we can work together to support your child’s development including how we work with other health professionals if necessary.

The progress check at age two is different to the NHS health check (sometimes called a development review) and both checks are important. The health visitor will often contact us to discuss children who attend our Nursery so we can all work together to support children at this critical milestone.

Three Year Old Provision

Mrs Lawrenson and Miss Abbie work with our 3-4yr old children in our Nursery.Grant information

Promoting the 30 Hours Entitlement to Blackpool Families

You access the three year old grant the term after your child turns three. If you wish for your child to start Nursery before they can access their funding, you can pay for the sessions once your child has turned three.
If you have any queries regarding the grant or start dates please do not hesitate to contact us at the Nursery.

Outdoor wear

A coat or jacket suitable for the weather. Children can also bring in a pair of Wellies to leave at school for wet weather as they access the outdoor provision in all weather. When the weather gets warmer your child can bring a sun hat into school. The staff in Nursery cannot put sun cream on your child at school, however you can use a 12 hour suncream and apply this in the morning before Nursery.

Parental Involvement

At Mereside Primary Academy we feel that parental involvement and interest is vital to the progress of the children. We encourage staff, parents and carers to work together to help children develop to their full potential.

You are the expert on your child, and sharing information with us about your child’s learning, development and interests will enable us to tailor the experiences we provide to suit your child and their individual interests and needs. Please let us know if your child has any achievements we can celebrate together by filling out a Wow moment (which you will receive when your child starts Nursery).

We also share learning and development at our Family Fun sessions where parents are invited to come in and experience their child’s normal nursery day and see what they enjoy doing most. At these sessions, you will have the opportunity to talk to the Staff who work with your child and discuss their progress and development. We also regularly send home letters, books and newsletters to share information as well as staff being available each day for informal chats. Should you require time with staff to discuss anything in private, please contact the school office to make an appointment.

Equal Opportunities

We offer every child and parent the same opportunities irrespective of their age, culture, gender and social background. All children are treated with respect and kindness.