The School Day 

Nursery has sessions which run at the below times:

Morning session: 8.30am - 11.30am
Afternoon session: 12.30am - 3.30pm
Full session: 8.30am - 3.30pm

The Reception school day runs from 8.45am - 3.15pm.

Please find some key information about both Nursery and Reception: 

Phonics in Early Years

In Nursery, we use the Little Wandle Phonics scheme daily. Children begin their phonics journey with short, daily phonics sessions that focus on developing strong foundations for reading and writing through high quality speaking and listening activities.

Children are supported to:

• Develop a love of stories, rhymes and songs

• Build a wide vocabulary through daily talk and play

• Learn to listen carefully and join in with rhymes and repeated language

Children are introduced to Phase 1 phonics, which develops key skills such as:

• Listening and attention

• Hearing and identifying sounds in the environment

• Rhythm, rhyme and alliteration

• Oral blending and segmenting

This early focus ensures children are well prepared for Reception, where they will begin learning letter-sound correspondences and reading books as part of the Little Wandle programme.

In Reception, children receive daily, structured phonics lessons that focus on:

• Learning letter-sound correspondences (grapheme-phoneme links)

• Blending sounds to read words and segmenting sounds to spell words

• Developing early writing skills and forming letters correctly

• Reading a wide range of carefully matched books to practise their skills

Phonics is reinforced throughout the day through play, reading, writing, and storytelling, allowing children to apply what they learn in meaningful contexts.

Reception children also take home reading books matched to their phonics stage, so you can support your child’s progress at home.

You can find more information about the Little Wandle Phonics scheme on the parents section of their website: 

Maths in Early Years

At Codnor Primary School, we use White Rose Maths in our Early Years to help children develop a strong foundation in number, shape, space, measure and problem-solving. Learning is hands-on and practical, encouraging curiosity, confidence, and a love of maths. Children explore mathematical ideas through play, activities, and teacher-led sessions, preparing them for success in Year 1 and beyond.

Class Dojo

Across EYFS, we use Class Dojo to support communication between school and home. This secure online platform allows parents and carers to:

• See updates about their child’s learning and achievements

• View photos, videos and observations from the classroom

• Communicate directly with teachers

• Celebrate progress and special moments in school

Class Dojo helps us work closely with families, keeping parents informed and involved in their child’s education. It also encourages children to take pride in their learning and achievements.

Mouse club

Mouse Club supports our PSE and transition. All children get given a mouse during their meet and greet session before they start in Nursery. The parents are given information about this and activities to do with mouse before they start school. The child can bring their mouse to school and they are allowed to have it with them for the whole day or it can be put in the ‘mouse house.’ This helps the children feel secure during the day as they have a transitional object that goes from home to school.

Children still bring in their mouse all the way through Reception, to provide support for them when they need it.