top of page

Starting at The Barn

Click the heading below to go straight to the relevant section, or scroll down the page to find out more about The Barn. 

​

Little Explorers Induction Programme

​

At The Barn, we believe that your child’s first experience of nursery school should be a very special time. Our Little Explorers sessions are part of a carefully designed programme for all our new children. For six weeks, a parent and/or carer accompanies your child, and together, you and the rest of the group get to know your key person, meet our staff and become familiar with our routines. These sessions are very informal and friendly and are an excellent way to meet some of the other children and parents. At the end of the programme, your child will take the next steps on their learning journey when they join the children in the Explorers' room.

​

Through the school year, we have phased intakes for new starters, based on the child’s date of birth, as set out below:

​

  • A child born on or between 1st September – 31st December will do Little Explorers in the autumn or spring terms

  • A child born on or between 1st January – 31st March will do Little Explorers in the autumn or springs terms

  • A child born on or between 1st April and 31st August will do Little Explorers in the spring or summer terms.

​

Parents are offered a choice of options with different start dates and times for our Our Little Explorers sessions. Starting nursery school is a big step for every child, and we want your family's experience of The Barn to be positive.  There is no 'one size fits all', and if the arrangements that we have described above do not work for you, please let us know and we can discuss an alternative plan.

Footwear

All children need:

  • Practical shoes - named on the inside. Shoes need to be "closed" at the toes and heels, allowing children to run, pedal, climb, crawl and move freely. For health and safety reasons, we cannot allow children to wear flip flops, crocs, clogs or other open toed/heeled shoes or sandals at The Barn.

  • Wellington boots. Please name the back of both boots across the top so that we can find the names when the boots are stored on the boot rack! The boots can go home each day or stay at The Barn. If your child arrives at The Barn wearing wellington boots, please ensure that he/she has another pair of shoes to wear indoors.

Shoes/boots with velcro straps or zips are quick and easy to put on, and help your child to become independent. Converse type shoes and shoes with laces are very difficult for young children (and their teachers) to get on and off.​​

Clothes

All children need:

  • Waterproof coat and waterproof trousers/all-in-one named inside.

    • Waterproofs are perfect for outside play when the weather is wet and cold. We encourage children to go outdoors whatever the weather and getting changed is all part of the fun. Avoid the 'soft shell' type products as they are not usually waterproof! Primark, and Lidl often have good value items and a quick online search will come up with other options.

    • Outdoor wear needs to be suitable for the weather conditions and needs to fit. Do not buy too early or buy too big!

  • Clothes that children can manage themselves (with a little help) are important for encouraging independence. Fiddly straps, belts and other fastenings can be frustrating. Mittens usually work better than gloves because they are easier to put on.Water bottle - bottles with a pop up spout are best as children learn to do more things on their own. Screw cap bottles are often hard to open. Bottle to be clearly named on the outside

  • Comfortable, practical play clothes are ideal. We provide aprons for messy play, but inevitably, clothes get wet, muddy and paint marked

  • Lunch box - clearly named on the outside.

  • Small backpack to go on cloakroom peg with a change of clothes - named  on the outside

  • Any prescribed medications in original packaging. Please ensure the medication is in date

​

A few suggestions:

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  
bottom of page