As our children find themselves growing up in a fast-paced world, with very little time to stop and simply be, wholly in the present moment, we believe now, more than ever, in the importance of nurturing the skills needed to manage the emotional challenges of our ever-evolving world. Therefore, effectively enabling the children to reach their full potential. In February we recognised ‘Children’s Mental Health Week’, through promotion of positive actions that support good mental health, which are embedded within our curriculum and practice all year round.

Exercise is proven to reduce negative mood through releasing of endorphins and improves cognitive function and self-esteem. With this in mind, we strive to implement and influence a positive attitude towards exercise, through a variety of physical opportunities, including our pre-school’s  daily Bouncing Bridges sessions. These vary from going running around a local field, to physical-based games within our hall  and outdoor area, not forgetting those all-important warm-up sessions, where we really take time to stretch and warm-up our muscles.

“A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and should be given the same quality of support”

Alternatively, we also recognise and influence the often-uncelebrated practice of, simply being in the moment, being still and at one with ourselves and the immense importance of having an opportunity where we can be aware of our thoughts and build an understanding of our feelings and emotions. Examples of this can be seen in our Mindfulness sessions, where the children are encouraged to participate in a number of opportunities to be present with their bodies. From simple breathing exercises and basic yoga positions, accompanied by periods of rest, where we may listen to a quiet story or some calm music, alongside other techniques that will enable the children to navigate and manage stress more effectively.

Here at Shotley Bridge Nursery School we help our children to develop a strong foundation of skills which will help them self-regulate in the future. In order to develop the tools to express themselves and the way they feel, children must first have the language to do so. We support children to recognise their emotions in all situations by scaffolding their language from the earliest age. By building language skills, children are more able to express causes of overwhelming emotions verbally, which allows practitioners to co-regulate with them and provide the necessary support to work through these moments. This is something that is both recognised and supported in the ways we manage and see children’s behaviours, both positive and challenging. Repeated experience of co-regulation helps children develop strategies which they can implement independently in the future, enabling them to work through difficult or heightened situations.

90% of brain development happens in the first five years of a child’s life, and recent research has concluded that the synaptic connections for the higher-level abilities of self-regulation, self-esteem and motivation, are formed during this time. This simply re-confirms the criticality of supporting children effectively throughout their early education. We believe focusing on children’s mental health and well-being is of fundamental importance, and it is our mission to ensure our children move on to school with the highest levels of well-being and strategies to thrive.

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We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation to our upcoming Open Day on 9th March 2024, from 12pm to 3pm. This special event promises to be a window into the enriching world of early years education that we offer at Shotley Bridge Nursery School, nestled at 36-38 Derwent Street, Blackhill.

A Journey into Early Learning

For over three decades, Shotley Bridge Nursery School has been dedicated to fostering a nurturing, creative, and stimulating environment for our young learners. Our belief in the importance of igniting imagination, encouraging natural curiosity, and nurturing each child to reach their unique potential has shaped our approach to early years education. The Open Day is your opportunity to experience this philosophy in action.

Explore, Discover, and Connect

The Open Day will offer a comprehensive look into the life at our nursery. Here’s what you can expect from your visit:

• Interactive Tours: Be guided through our vibrant, child-led environments that have been carefully designed to stimulate learning and discovery.
• Meet Our Team: Engage with our passionate educators who are the heartbeat of our nursery. Learn about how their dedication and expertise create a supportive and enriching atmosphere for our children.
• Our Vision and Values: Gain insight into the principles that have been the foundation of our practice for over 33 years. Understand how these values are woven into the fabric of our daily activities and curriculum.

Why Choose Us?

Choosing the right nursery is a crucial decision for any parent. At Shotley Bridge Nursery School, we believe that our commitment to a child-led approach, combined with our experienced and passionate staff, makes us an ideal choice for your child’s early educational journey. Our Open Day is a perfect opportunity to see this in practice and to ask any questions you may have about our curriculum, philosophy, and community.

Join Us

We warmly invite all prospective parents and interested families to join us. Whether you are just beginning to explore nursery options for your child or you are familiar with our community and considering enrolling, this day is designed for you.

Mark your calendars:

• Date: 9th March 2024
• Time: 12pm – 3pm
• Location: Shotley Bridge Nursery School, 36-38 Derwent Street, Blackhill, DH8 8LY

For more details or to RSVP, please contact us at 01207 581700. We’re looking forward to meeting you and sharing the special experience that Shotley Bridge Nursery School has to offer.

Let’s embark on this exciting journey together, where your child’s adventure in learning and discovery begins.

Warm regards,

The Team at Shotley Bridge Nursery School

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Here at Shotley Bridge Nursery School, we are passionate about giving children the cultural capital they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. A simple outing can encompass a vast array of learning opportunities whilst providing children with quality experiences and interactions within the local community. We frequently go on local outings which involve things like visits to local shops and parks or going to see the fantastic post-box toppers that have become a real interest in the area.

“It is the role of the setting to help the children experience the awe and wonder of the

 world in which they live”

After patiently waiting for the water in our tank to be ready, some of The Bridges children visited the local pet shop, Omega Pets, to choose some new fish (and a dwarf frog). The Shopkeeper was very kind and helpful and taught us all about how big some fish grow, what they need to survive (temperature-controlled water and food), and how some fish cannot share tanks because they are unkind to each other. Each child chose their own fish to purchase and took the responsibility of safely carrying them back to Nursery very seriously. Alongside road safety and social awareness, the children also developed their observation skills and an understanding of the value of money whilst instilling respect for all living things through interaction with the natural world.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Omega Pets for all of their help and the very kind donation of a Neon Tetra and some special chemicals for our tank. Levels of excitement across the whole Nursery are high, with small groups of children visiting our new family members as they settle in, learning about how important it is not to frighten the animals by tapping on the glass. Our new additions will be named in the coming days.

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Christ Church, Consett are holding their second Christmas Tree Festival this year and we were delighted to be given the opportunity to contribute our very own tree, which every single one of our Bridges children contributed to. The intent of the festival is to bring together the local community whilst raising money for the wonderful cause that is Food 4U – Consett’s foodbank.

Here at Shotley Bridge Nursery school, we strongly believe in the concept of ‘process over product’ and wanted our contribution to be a true reflection of the ethos of our setting. We choose authenticity this festive season and through opportunities for play, wonder and discovery, we say no to the same old ‘carbon-copy Christmas crafts’ and say yes to free expression and celebration of our children’s unique voices. We support the children in developing autonomy by encouraging them to make their own decisions and to articulate their thoughts. By allowing them to express and spark their creativity while giving them permission to take the lead, the true childhood magic of curiosity, investigation, and discovery is ignited. In our strive towards a more sustainable future for our children, we embrace opportunities for re-using and recycling, eliminating one-use resources and celebrating the possibilities of open-ended materials.

Our tree is a celebration of the children’s curiosity and wonder for the world around them, embracing their own unique style of learning and allowing them the joy of DOING and being truly in the moment, rather than focusing on the end result. It is our Christmas wish to nurture the essential elements of childhood – such as play, relationships, exploration, discovery, wonder and joy!

“The basic law of children’s creativity, is that its value lies not in its results, but in the process itself”

– Lev Vygotsky

We are very grateful to our wonderful parents for their part in this experience, with many of our children being lucky enough to attend the Festival during its first weekend and see the results of their efforts displayed alongside many other, beautiful trees. We are very excited to have been awarded First Place for the School category of the tree competition and some of the children who helped create the tree were present when this was awarded! The children were delighted to hear the news of their achievement and we look forward to bringing the tree, and our winner’s rosette, back to Nursery to celebrate following the Festival’s conclusion on Saturday 9th December at 8pm.

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Last week was World Nursery Rhyme Week and, whilst nursery rhymes are, of course, a fundamental aspect of our continuous provision, we have been bringing extra focus to celebrating the array of benefits they bring. Engagement in nursery rhymes promotes children’s learning and development, including, but not limited to; supporting vocabulary and language development, aiding in the development of literacy skills, as well as helping children develop socially, emotionally and physically. The approach to singing the rhymes, and which rhymes the children choose, alters the impact they have. For example; action songs aid in the development of proprioception, an internal sense which allows the body to perceive movement, action and location. Contrary to this, number rhymes promote the development of subitising skills and understanding of number. As part of our celebrations last week, we introduced some new nursery rhymes as well as some new resources.

“If a child knows eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are 4 years old, they are usually among the best readers and spellers in their class by the time they are 8.”

– Mem Fox

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We raised £426 for this wonderful cause!

On Friday 20th October 2023 we were delighted to welcome families, friends and people from the local community to our Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer support. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved, from those who donated baked (or faked) treats for us to serve, attended the event, were unable to attend but donated anyway, and of course, the wonderful children who helped locate Colin the Caterpillar who went missing on the day! Also, one of our parents very kindly donated a raffle prize of a customised children’s chair, which boosted our fundraising efforts substantially and we are very grateful.

We are thrilled to say the event was a huge success thanks to our fantastic families and practitioners and the communal efforts have raised a massive total of £426 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

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At Shotley Bridge Nursery School we constantly strive to be at the forefront of Early Years provision, aiming to ensure all of our children leave us with the best possible foundation of holistic skills which will help them go on to reach their full potential. Within this, we continuously study developments in research and theory across the sector and embed changes within our practice that reflect our findings. We are lucky enough to be working closely with Debby Shaw from the County Early Years Team in adapting our approach to mathematics provision in line with new, forward-thinking research. Mrs Bainbridge initially attended several training sessions based upon the concept of ‘what comes before counting’ which explored the depth of understanding around numbers 1-3 that children should be supported to develop before considering introducing higher numbers, sequential counting and numerals. This was then relayed to practitioners and slight adaptations to practice were made. Building from this, Debby has since delivered in-house training to the whole Nursery team to ensure we can cater our provision to help children build the strongest foundation of mathematics skills.

“Through unstructured exploration, we foster the development of imagination & creativity”

– Beth Rosenthal Davis

Heuristic Play is an opportunity in which children are presented with a wide variation of natural and everyday objects and containers and allowed to explore freely, without unnecessary adult intervention. At SBNS we are very passionate about the value of Heuristic Play and the varied, endless benefits it offers. Within our provision we offer a wide range of loose parts with the intent of promoting children’s creativity and imagination. By providing an array of open-ended resources that do not have a set use or purpose, we are given an insight into children’s true thoughts and curiosities when they implement their own ideas for use. These glimpses into the way the children’s minds work allow us to then adapt our environments to promote further exploration of curiosities. On Thursday 21^st September Debby supported practitioners in hosting a Heuristic Play session in the Nursery hall, which children from The Rivers and The Bridges accessed. The intent of the session was to observe the way children naturally develop mathematics skills when the provision available supports this, varying from our usual Heuristic Play opportunities that happen within the rhythms of the Nursery day.

During the session practitioners were available for children to invite into their play and to support as required, but predominantly stood back and observed the (often maths-related) magic that unfolded. Children used the items in a variety of ways but the development of lots of maths, and pre-number concept, related skills was observed. The children categorised according to similar properties, positioned items in particular ways, explored the concept of capacity, recognised the need for more or less when filling spaces or containers, and demonstrated an array of critical thinking skills alongside extremely high levels of engagement. It was a pleasure to witness as children sought practitioner support in achieving their intentions when they were beyond their own reach, but simultaneously thrived on the independence the opportunity offered.

We look forward to developing further on this journey with Debby, embracing all the opportunities we are presented with to ensure we continue to provide the absolute best for the children in our care.

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At Shotley Bridge Nursery School we hugely value the importance of having strong parental, and familial, partnerships. Children are extremely receptive to the feelings and emotions of others and rely on adults’ body language and interactions, predominantly their parents, to judge social situations and new experiences to establish a sense of safety and comfort. Therefore, we recognise how much a positive relationship between parents and practitioners can contribute to children feeling secure with practitioners and in the Nursery environment. We also recognise that many of our children’s peer relationships are the first experiences of friendship they have. It can be difficult for parents to form links between one another and therefore we plan events that provide the opportunity to do so, thus allowing friendships to blossom outside of Nursery.

“Together, may we give our children roots to grow and wings to fly”

With these benefits in mind, on Saturday 9^th and Saturday 23rd September our wonderful Rivers and Bridges teams hosted events at Allensford park with our children and their families. Practitioners led an array of games and songs that the children are regularly involved in as part of the Nursery provision. We received brilliant feedback and will certainly be holding similar events in the future. We are grateful to our fantastic practitioners and wonderful families for taking time out of their weekends to make these events possible.

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We would like to wish our lovely Miss Harrison the very best of luck as she leaves SBNS to continue with her teaching career. Miss Harrison has been part of the SBNS family for almost 5 years and she will be dearly missed by practitioners, children and parents as she moves on to achieve her career dreams.

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