Admissions to our nursery are made through Newport City Council. There are two ways to make a nursery application for September 2023:

• Print out an application form and post it to the address below
• Call (01633) 656656 to request an application form and post it to: School Admissions Team, Newport City Council, Civic Centre, Newport, NP20 4UR

Once your child has been allocated a place in our Nursery, Newport Council will write to you to confirm your child’s place and they will also inform us.

When we have received our complete Nursery admission list at each admission round during the year, we will write to parents to invite you and your child to an information evening. This information evening will give you the chance to meet key staff as well as receiving important information ahead of your child starting with us. Your child will also have the chance to explore our nursery, play with some of our toys and meet new friends who will be starting at the same time as them.

Ahead of your child starting with us we will also ask you to do three things:

• State your preference for morning (9am – 11:30am) or afternoon (12:45pm-3:15pm) sessions. This is done by completing an online form (the link will be in your welcome letter). We try to accommodate all preferences where possible, however, there are only a limited number of morning and afternoon spaces. Once you have completed the form, we aim to notify parents of their child’s allocated session before the information evening.
• Complete a Data Collection Form to provide us with information about your child and emergency contact information. You can either do this online or complete a paper form.
• Send us a copy of their Birth Certificate. You can either email a photograph/scan of this to us or bring it into the office for us to copy.

For children starting at the beginning of an academic year in September, we usually stagger their starting days during the first week – meaning your child would attend nursery once as part of a small group for a reduced session between Monday – Thursday and they would then stay for their full session from Friday onwards. This helps us to get to know your child really well and helps them to settle in quickly without feeling overwhelmed.

For children starting in our nursery as an in-year transfer (not at the start of an academic year or as a Rising 3 in January or April), you will receive a notification from Newport Council that your child has been allocated a place. When you receive this notification, please contact the school office to arrange your child’s starting date.

Your child should bring a coat to school – we spend lots of time outside!

They can bring their own water-bottle if they choose but we have plenty of cups for children to drink water when they’re thirsty.

On a Friday, we collect snack money, a voluntary contribution which enables us to buy a healthy snack for children to enjoy every day.

A spare change of underwear can be helpful in case your child has an toileting accident.

In Summer months, please make sure your child wears sun cream and brings a sun hat to school.

Yes, we expect all children to wear our school uniform, though please don’t worry if there are odd days where you. haven’t managed to wash it and need to send your child in wearing something else. You can find out more about our school uniform and where to get it from here. We also have some uniform available from school.

At St Julian’s Primary, we communicate with parents in a variety of ways.

Text Message/Email: We often send text messages and emails to update parents on school events or various matters.

Telephone: For more urgent issues, we will contact you via telephone.

Class Dojo App: We post photographs, videos and updates to our ClassDojo Story. This is a private group messaging system and that only you and other nursery parents can see. We will provide you with an access code for your child when they start nursery with us. You can download the ClassDojo app from the Apple or Android app store.

SeeSaw App: We will upload some of your child’s work to the SeeSaw app. You can also upload images and videos of your child’s work/achievements outside of school to share with us.

School Website/Newsletters: Each half-term, we send out a newsletter to update parents on all that’s been taking place in the school. Each year group, including nursery, publishes a blog post with more detailed updates.

Pupil Learning Review Meetings for Parents: In Nursery, we hold one Pupil Learning Review Meeting during the year, for parents to meet with their child’s teacher. This is usually during the Spring Term.

Child’s Annual Report: At the end of the school year, parents are provided with a written report summarising what their child has covered and achieved during the year.

If you accept a place at any Newport Council maintained nursery setting, your child is expected to attend their half-day session every day. If you don’t want your child to attend all five sessions each week, you may prefer to find a place at a private setting that can offer more flexible arrangements – contact Newport Family Information Service for advice.

If your child is absent from nursery due to illness or any other reason, you must inform the school office. Failing to do so may raise a child-protection concern.

Young children love it when you chat, play and read with them!

Read together
Reading is a fundamental part of education and reading on a daily basis greatly helps your child in all areas of learning. Reading is also a great opportunity to wind down and relax in between other activities. Picture books introduce your child to new things they may not have seen yet. Try to use the same book because children learn from repetition.

Talk
Switch off the television and talk to your child about everything. When talking to your child you are teaching them what communication is about. Remember to listen to what they are saying and respond.

Imaginative play
Imaginative play is a great way to get children to express their creativity. You could create a scene such as setting up a shop with tins from the cupboard. You could set up a pet shop using soft toys or a farm using animal figures.

Replicate activities
Repeating activities or tasks your child has carried out at nursery can help to reinforce the things they have learnt. You will learn directly from your child what they have enjoyed and things they might like to do more of. You can find what we have been up to in nursery on Seesaw and Class dojo.