WELCOME TO NURSERY
We are now taking children on a waiting list for September 2025.
Join us at St Thomas’ Early Years, where we cherish the unique qualities of each child. Together, we will promote individual growth and development, nurturing a positive attitude towards learning that lasts a lifetime.
We warmly welcome you to be part of our vibrant nursery community, where your child’s journey of discovery and joy begins!
GROW
PLAY
CREATE
THINK
EXPLORE
At St Thomas’ Early Years, our children are at the heart of everything we do. We understand that the early years are a crucial time for exploration and discovery, and our nursery is designed to foster an environment where every child can thrive.
Our diverse curriculum is anchored by our Early Years Five principles: grow, create, explore, think, and play.
Grow – Our children grow into confident, powerful and independent learners
Play – Play underpins learning and all aspects of children's development
Create – Our Children’s natural curiosity, willingness to try things out and sense of adventure are creative qualities that will flourish given the right support.
Think – Children develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
Explore - Children investigate and experience things, and 'have a go!
We believe that education should be exciting, engaging, and enjoyable. Through flexible planning, we provide children with ample time for sustained involvement in self-chosen activities. Our dedicated staff engage in high-quality interactions that facilitate and extend children’s creativity and critical thinking skills, encouraging them to become active participants in their own learning journey.
At St Thomas’ Early Years, we promote awe and wonder through a rich variety of experiences and interactions. Our love of high-quality texts nurtures a language-rich environment that encourages the development of specific, key vocabulary across all areas of learning. Moreover, we capitalise on ‘teachable moments’—those magical instances when curiosity sparks exploration. Our skilled practitioners are adept at recognising these opportunities, engaging with children through communication, modelling language, and guiding their learning during both planned activities and child-initiated play.
We take great care to ensure that all seven areas of learning and development are treated with equal importance, allowing children to make meaningful connections in their learning. Our cross-curricular planning is informed by children’s interests and needs, ensuring a holistic approach to their education. From exploring key figures in history to engaging with artists and developing foundational skills in Early Geography, Science, and Computing, our curriculum lays a strong foundation for each child's future learning.
We also understand the importance of collaborative learning. Children in the early years benefit from working together, as our practitioners expertly guide their interactions, ensuring a rich and supportive experience. Enabling environments are carefully crafted to provide high-quality play, allowing children to invent their own narratives while exploring their interests.
Our new Nursery build
This year we are incredibly excited because we have been able to take our first nursery children at St Thomas’ C of E Academy. Having extended the age range of the children we take; our first steps were to enable reception and nursery to be run as an EYFS Unit. Whilst doing this, we have successfully applied for planning permission for a new build nursery class so that reception and nursery will have their dedicated classrooms. We anticipate the build will start in January 2025 and the dedicated nursery class will be open before or in September 2025.
We are now taking children on a waiting list for September 2025.
We offer:
AM sessions (Monday to Friday) 8.30am to 11.30am
PM sessions (Monday to Friday) 12.30pm to 3.30pm
AM sessions with extended day care (Monday to Friday) 7.30am to 11.30am
PM sessions with extended day care (Monday to Friday) 12.30pm to 4pm / 5pm
AM and PM sessions thirty hours (Monday to Friday) 8.30am to 3.30pm
AM and PM sessions thirty hours (Monday to Friday) 8.30am to 3.30pm with extended day care 7.30am to 3.30pm
AM and PM sessions thirty hours (Monday to Friday) 8.30am to 3.30pm with extended day care 8.30am to 4pm / 5pm
AM and PM sessions thirty hours (Monday to Friday) 8.30am to 3.30pm with extended day care 7.30am to 4pm / 5pm
Most of our places are funded and if you would like more information about eligibility, we are happy to support you with this.
We are trying to meet the family needs of all our parents and if you need a different pattern of attendance to those offered above, please speak to Mrs Beardsley via info@stthomasceacademy.com and we will try and accommodate you.
