Rye St Antony’s co-educational nursery provides a secure, happy and stimulating environment where each child is nurtured, valued and guided to become a confident, enthusiastic and independent learner.

First-hand experiences, exploration and play provide excitement, pleasure and adventure, both indoors and outside in our extensive wooded grounds — an outdoor environment which gives children opportunities to investigate, explore and develop their physical skills.

Children also have the benefit of the school’s impressive sports hall. Supportive adult role models encourage children to talk about their experiences, extend their interests and become successful learners.

We offer a broad and rich curriculum which provides strong foundations for future learning and promotes children’s progress in the following areas: personal, social and emotional wellbeing; language and communication skills; reading and writing; problem solving, reasoning and numeracy; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical and creative development.

This curriculum, incorporating Every Child Matters, is enriched by specialist teaching staff, for example, in music and dance. We celebrate children’s achievements, praising effort and good behaviour and encouraging children to become self-motivated learners.

The nursery forms part of the school’s Foundation Stage. Weekly link sessions are incorporated into the curriculum, for example, in physical education, music and art, in order to develop positive relationships, friendships and behaviour throughout the Foundation Stage.

Relationships with parents are strong, and many opportunities are made available to exchange information and feedback on children’s progress and developments in early years care and education.

There are informative noticeboards, a weekly newsletter, assembly participation, a Living Journey Profile on each child by their key worker, progress reports and regular parents’ meetings.

Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning and they are invited to come into school to share their own professional knowledge and interests with the children. For example, we recently learnt of the work of a policeman and a policewoman, and we enjoyed dressing up in uniform and sitting in a flashing-light police car!

Links with the local community are maintained through numerous events, for example the charity walk for Barnardo’s and our contacts with several local care homes.

The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6.30pm. We offer flexible morning, afternoon and full-day sessions (length according to need and preference). We offer government funding through the Early Years Voucher Scheme for three afternoons a week. Children can join nursery in the term when they turn three. We are holding an Early Years Open Afternoon on Wednesday February 16 from 2pm to 3.30pm, and individual visits can be made throughout the school year. Please telephone the main school office (01865 762802) and arrangements for your visit will be put into place.