St Chad’s Church of England Primary School

LITTLE DOVES NURSERY AND PRE-SCHOOL

We are delighted to have opened a Nursery and Pre-school here at St Chad's - Little Doves. This is brand new and opened in September 2025. 

From January 2026, we will have 26 places in pre-school and up to 15 places in Nursery. Funded and non-funded places are available. 

At St. Chad’s CE Primary School, we follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2025 and also the Non-statutory development matters guidance.

We fully believe that-

• Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support that enables them to fulfil their potential.
• We follow the standards set out for all Early Years providers to ensure that the children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.

Our school ethos underpins everything we do in EYFS. Our St. Chad’s family nurtures a culture of Christian love, service and respect for each other and the world around us.

We follow the specific requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. We focus on the learning and development of each child; shaping activities and experiences for individual needs, helping children to work towards the knowledge, skills and understanding (Early Learning Goals)..

Safeguarding and welfare requirements ensure that children in our school are kept safe and their welfare is promoted.

Little Doves is an Early Years Unit with children from aged 2-4 years old. We are a term-time only provision that is integrated within St Chad’s CE Primary School. Our nursery provides high quality education and care in a fun and engaging environment where play is at the heart of what we do.

The experienced and skilled practitioners in our Nursery support children in their development in all areas of learning as well as encouraging life skills. We understand that leaving your child in the care of someone else is a big deal to families and so we are a nurturing, caring environment, where if your child needs a hug, they will receive one!

Our Pre-school will be Teacher-led. This is excellent preparation for starting school in Reception. We recognise that all children come into our setting with varied experiences and all staff work hard to ensure that the learning opportunities provided widen their knowledge and understanding of the world, setting ambitious expectations for all children. Our teaching assistants bring their many years of experience with them and are qualified Level 3 & Level 2 and have their paediatric first aid certificates.

Our fees

In line with the rest of school, our opening times are from 8.45am – 3.15pm Monday to Friday. The nursery closes at 3.15pm. The nursery is open term time only and is closed all Bank Holidays.

Morning session: 8:45am- 11:45am
Afternoon session: 12:15pm - 3:15pm

Nursery per session (am or pm) £15

Nursery full day £30

All children within our Early Years Unit will be expected to have a School Lunch. £5 per day.

Depending on your circumstances, your child may be eligible for 15 or 30 hours of funding. 

15 or 30 Hours Free Childcare

Depending on your circumstances, your child may be entitled to 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare per week. You can check your eligibility and apply through the Government website here

Tax-Free Childcare

You could also be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, which can save you up to £2,000 per year, per child. Find out more here

Nursery fees are still payable if your child is sick or absent from nursery.

Uniform

We would like our Little Doves children to wear a white polo t-shirt with grey bottoms (leggings, joggers, shorts, skirt or pinafore) and a grey jumper. Children can wear a dark pair of trainers or shoes.

The jumper and polo do not have to be school branded, this is your choice.

Wraparound Care

We have an amazing Breakfast and After school club here at St Chad’s, which will be available for Nursery children.

Breakfast club is from 7:30am - 8:40am
After-school club is in two sessions: 3:30pm - 4:30pm, then 4:31pm - 5:45pm

Forest school

We are lucky enough to have an amazing forest school space, with staff who are trained in this. We will use the outdoors both planned and spontaneously and so wellies and a full waterproof outdoor suit will need to be in school at all times. Our Forest School will enable children to be independent, self-motivated, courageous, considerate and will set them up for life-long learning. 

he Forest school learning environment provides opportunities for children to develop self- esteem, self-confidence, to form positive relationships with others, to develop a growing awareness of their emotional needs and the needs of others, to learn to cooperate and work with their peers and adults and to develop strategies in order to take risks within the boundaries of safety. Forest School is about exploring and experiencing the natural world through practical activities. The children go out in all weathers, all year round, exploring and learning from the seasons and environment changes. The children’s interests along with the varied natural resources in our woodland are used to stimulate creative thinking, problem solving and skill development, all in the guise of play.

“This is the best kind of classroom,
It’s a journey through time and space,
From the smallest seed to the largest tree,
This is a Forest and a learning place.
This is the best kind of classroom,
Where the seasons don’t happen in books.
Where the learning is watching and thinking and talking And everyone notices, everyone looks.”

From ‘The Best Kind of Classroom’ by Ian MacMillan