Hedgehogs 

Class Teacher – Mrs Parton

Teaching Assistants- Miss Winward, Miss Gaskell, Miss Elvey and Miss Gordon.

The Hedgehog class children start in the term after they turn 3 and come to Nursery every morning from 8.45am until 11.45am and afternoons from 12.15pm until 3.15pm. Some children come all day and have lunch in school. For some children, this is their pre-school year and for others they will have up to 5 terms as a Hedgehog before moving into Reception.

Hedgehogs love to learn and play indoors and outside in a safe, caring, warm and fun environment, supported by adults who know them well and who enjoy planning lots of exciting activities that support all aspects of little ones learning and development. We follow the interests of the children, seasons, sensory experiences and special events as well as incorporating lots of high-quality stories, rhymes and poems. 

We have a daily Little Wandle Rhyme Time session which lays the foundations for the phonics skills needed in Reception by teaching new words and developing understanding of the world, introducing rhyme, syllables, sounds and alliteration and having fun building a bank of shared language. In their pre-school year children are taught to hear specific sounds for names and words of objects alongside oral blending through a range of games and activities.

The children also follow the Squiggle programme. Through movement to some fairly funky music we strengthen muscles, develop coordination and begin to link these movements to the marks we make.

The children follow the White Rose Maths programme within continuous provision exploring and playing with comparison, pattern, shape, space and measure, counting and subitising

 We play and explore outside in all weathers, mud, rain and puddles especially! We crunch through leaves, listen to birds, squelch in mud, swing and climb, find out about creatures and their habitats and use natural materials to make and create.

Making friends, building relationships and managing our feelings are perhaps the most important areas of learning in Hedgehogs. We value communication and high-quality interactions, surrounding our little ones with language and fun. We encourage the children to be as independent as possible whilst nurturing, supporting and caring.  We offer positive experiences and stable, responsive relationships with experienced staff to help our wonderful children grow and learn.