The Governing Body consists of members from within our community:
Local Authority: Cllr Carmel Townsend and Cllr Paul Bright
Community: Dean Curtis and Mark Rowland
Staff: Raquel Gameiro, Vacancy
Parent: Kelly Mulcahy, Martyn Waters, Justyna Shakesheff
Governors Annual Report to Parents 2021-22
GOVERNORS’ ANNUAL REPORT TO PARENTS 2021-2022
Newport Nursery School has been formed following amalgamation of two long established, stand-alone nursery schools – Fairoak Nursery School and Kimberley Nursery School.
From September 2018 until amalgamation (September 2021), the schools shared a Headteacher, with the substantive Head of Fairoak accepting Executive Headteacher status at Kimberley Nursery. The communication class formerly at Kimberley relocated to the site of Newport Nursery to ensure continuity of provision for some of the local authority’s most vulnerable pupils. This School Development Plan addresses priorities identified as a result of self-evaluation of both former nurseries as well as actions to ensure Newport Nursery School offers high quality, effective Early Year provision from the offset. It also addresses key actions from the post inspection action plan of Kimberley Nursery namely ICT/STEM and the assessment of pupils with Additional Needs. National and Regional priorities, the National Mission and Blended/Distance Learning Plans have also been considered.
Mission Statement: Vision and Aims
Vision:
At Newport Nursery School all children will be nurtured to become creative, independent and resilient lifelong learners who are valued as individuals. Our purposeful, bespoke environment enables each child to explore and discover through their interests and through new experiences. Skilful, sensitive interactions facilitate them to become confident, healthy and happy members of our community.
We aim to achieve this through our ability to:
- Celebrate their individuality whilst respecting the needs of others as a member of a diverse society, ensuring they develop as responsible and ethically informed citizens
- Facilitate a stimulating environment that prepares children to seek and enjoy challenge in their learning and equips them with lifelong skills for the next stage of their learning journey
- Foster a love of learning and give children opportunity to connect with and apply their knowledge and skills
- Ensure that all children develop holistically through a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum which encourages creativity and a sense of enquiry and exploration
- Develop learners who can think creatively and grasp opportunities to solve problems and question to achieve success
- Engage children through meaningful, experiential opportunities to become ambitious, capable learners
- Create relevant and meaningful learning opportunities that enable children to discover, develop and explore cross curricula connections in their learning.
- Acknowledge and celebrate the role of families and the wider community in a spirit of partnership within the school, society and the world
- Enable facilitators through appropriate, collaborative and supportive professional learning to ensure teaching, learning, wellbeing and overall provision are of the highest quality
Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all stakeholders to share this commitment.
GOVERNORS’ RESPONSIBILITY
Through the Vision, Mission Statement and Aims, the Governors attempt to ensure that all the children at the school are given the opportunity to develop their unique talents to benefit themselves, the school and wider community.
Governors are responsible for the general direction of the school’s policies on organisation and curriculum. Governors also determine the times of the school hours, and the dates and times of the school sessions and school holidays. The Governing Body agrees the annual budget and has the task of appointing all teaching and non-teaching staff.
The full Governing Body usually meets a minimum of six times per year, twice each term. The Headteacher reports on how she has discharged her responsibilities. The minutes of the meetings, when approved, are published and become the official record of the manner in which the Governing Body has discharged its responsibilities. The published minutes are available for inspection at the school, as is all documentation.
To be effective, regular visits to the school take place by members of the GB, with opportunities to share training opportunities and link closely with different members of staff and their areas of responsibility.
Members of the GB are linked to specific areas of school life, e.g. child protection, health and safety, attendance, governor training, additional educational needs, equalities, curriculum areas.
GOVERNING BODY 2021-2022
Chairperson – Mr M Rowland
Vice Chair – Mrs J Beckett
Clerk – Mr T Sloaui, c/o Newport Nursery School
| Name | Category |
| Mr M Rowland | Chair: Community Governor |
| Mrs J Beckett | Vice-chair: Community Governor |
| Mr A Mahmood | Local Authority Governor |
| Cllr C Townsend | Local Authority Governor |
| Mr M Waters | Parent Representative |
| Mrs K Mulcahy | Parent Representative |
| Mrs R Gameiro | Staff Representative |
Finance, Recruitment and Resources Committee
The Resources and Recruitment Committee met each term to discuss various aspects including: monitoring of finances; health and safety; equalities; premises; resources; staffing organisation and recruitment. The group revised relevant school policies and recommended them for ratification by the full GB.
STATUTORY COMMITTEES
Committees were appointed as below:
Staff Disciplinary and Dismissal Committee – This panel was not required to meet this year.
A O’Brien
A Mahmood
K Mulcahy
Staff Disciplinary and Dismissal Appeal Committee- This panel was not required to meet this year.
M Rowland
C Townsend
M Waters
Pupil Discipline & Exclusions Committee – This panel was not required to meet this year.
M Rowland
A O’Brien
K Mulcahy
Grievance Committee – This panel was not required to meet this year.
J Beckett
A Mahmood
K Mulcahy
Grievance Appeals Committee – This panel was not required to meet this year.
M Rowland
C Townsend
M Waters
Complaints Committee – This panel was not required to meet this year.
M Rowland
C Townsend
M Waters
Headteacher Performance Management Committee – This committee met twice this year.
M Rowland
J Beckett
Headteacher Performance Management Appeals Committee – This panel was not required to meet this year.
C Townsend
A Mahmood
K Mulcahy
Pay Review Committee
M Rowland
A Mamhood
K Mulcahy
Number of pupils on roll
| Autumn | Spring | Summer | ||
| Mainstream | am | 43 | 54 | 56 |
| pm | 11 | 15 | 20 | |
| Communication Class | am | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| pm | 1 | 6 | 8 |
STAFF ORGANISATION SEPTEMBER 2021
| Teaching and Support Staff 2021-2022 | |
| Mrs Jayne Morgan | Mainstream Class Teacher & member of the Senior Leadership Teacher |
| Mrs Sian Edwards | Communication Class Teacher & member of the Senior Leadership Team |
| Mrs Emma Brenton | HLTA & Teaching Assistant |
| Mrs Taylor Coldrick | Teaching Assistant |
| Mrs Raquel Gameiro | ICT & Teaching Assistant |
| Ms Rhian Johnson | Outdoor Learning, ECO & Teaching Assistant |
| Miss Aisling Maguire | Teaching Assistant |
| Mrs Naila Waseem | Teaching Assistant |
| Miss Kitty Webb | Teaching Assistant |
| Mrs Julie Welsh | Family Engagement/Wellbeing, & Teaching Assistant ECO &Teaching Assistant |
| Mrs Bethanie Whitby | ECO &Teaching Assistant |
| School Support Officers (School office) |
| Mrs C Spear |
| Caretaker and Cleaning Staff | |
| Mr D Littlejohns | Miss N Dorling |
SCHOOL SESSIONS AND TIMES
Dates for the School Year September 2021 to July 2022
| Term | Start | Half term starts | Half term ends | Term ends |
| Autumn | 2nd Sept 2021 | 25th Oct 2021 | 29th Oct 2021 | 17th Dec 2021 |
| Spring | 4th Jan 2022 | 21st Feb 2022 | 25th Feb 2022 | 8th April 2022 |
| Summer | 25th April 2022 | 30th May 2022 | 3rd June 2022 | 22nd July 2022 |
Training Days 2021-2022
All schools have 6 training days per year for the staff, children do not attend school on these days.
Thurs 2nd Sept 2021
Fri 3rd Sept 2021
Mon 29th Nov 2021
Mon 28th Feb 2022
Mon 25th April 2022
Thurs 5th May 2022
Bank Holidays
Fri 27th May 2022 – Extra Bank Holiday Platinum Jubilee (in lieu)
COVID Planning Days
Tues 4th & Wed 5th Jan 2022 – Additional Planning days following a COVID spike during the Christmas period
School Day
| Morning | Afternoon | |
| Mainstream | 9.10am-11.40 am | 12.30pm-3.00pm |
| Communication Class | 9.00am-11.00 am | 12.30pm-3.00pm |
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS
The school prospectus is revised every year but this year was revised in September 2021 to ensure it reflected all recent changes
SCHOOL POLICIES
All policies relating to the school are available to parents on request. Policies are reviewed regularly detailed in a programme of policy revision, i.e. annually, bi-annually, etc. Identified policies are available on the school website to view and/or download. Any queries can be discussed with the Headteacher.
SECURITY
We, as a Governing Body, are always mindful of the children’s safety and security.
As part of the general school routine all visitors must report to the general office on arrival at the school.. If children arrive late or leave the school for appointments during the school day, they must be signed in or out at the school office by their parent/carer or an identified adult.
At the end of the day children must be collected by persons over the age of 16. Unless in extreme emergencies, no child is allowed to go home with anyone other than parents/carers or those identified by parents or carers. If arrangements change, then parents must inform the school of these changes. If in an emergency parents are late collecting their child, they must telephone the school and the child will be supervised until parents arrive.
PROVISION OF TOILET FACILITIES
The school has separate toilet facilities for the Mainstream and the Communication Classes. Each has washbasins, liquid soap, paper towels for drying and airdryers. These facilities are situated in each area.
All toilet areas are thoroughly cleaned daily by the school cleaners, and if there is a need, cleaned at other times by staff as required.
FINANCE
School Budget
- For the financial year 2021-2022, the school budget share was £279,688.
- £35,000 was allocated as a start up fund to cover a range of costs associated with the start-up of Ysgol Feithrin Casnewydd, Newport Nursery School.
- During the year the budget was closely monitored by the Governing Body.
- At the end of the financial year (31.3.21) the budget surplus was £90,074. This equates to 32% of the total budget allocation. This is artificially high this year as for one year only (because we were a new school), we were funded on the number of places available and not the number of pupils, which is how we will be funded from April 2022 moving forward.
- No monies were paid for travel and subsistence to members of the Governing Body.
School Funds
Amounts raised from various sources are invaluable for enhancing school life for the children, e.g. subsiding visits and visitors, ICT provision, outdoor equipment, children’s prizes, etc. The main source of revenue are commissions received (e.g. school photographs and voluntary contributions).
THE CONTENT AND ORGANISATION OF THE CURRICULUM
Parents are the first educators of their children. At Newport Nursery School we work closely with parents and families and the local community to provide learning experiences that excite and engage children. At
Newport Nursery School we strive to provide a safe, happy and stimulating environment for learning and teaching. We achieve this through high standards and expectations in all we do.
Newport Nursery School is the amalgamation of two long established and successful nursery schools.
Fairoak Nursery School was opened in 1968. The building was modernised and renovated in 2002. Kimberley Nursery School was opened in 1944 and moved to a purpose-built site in 1965.
Throughout the year, there can be up to 144 children on roll in the nursery (72 morning and 72 afternoon) in mainstream with a Specialist Class of 8 morning and 8 afternoon children who have, or are awaiting, a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
The school has a caring and happy ethos shared by children, parents, staff and governors. It takes great pride not only in its academic successes and high levels of emotional wellbeing but also in its participation in the local community.
Newport Nursery School is a lively, caring school where all staff share a sense of common purpose. Teamwork is essential and adults support each other and demonstrate a professional attitude at all times. They provide a positive role model for children and create an atmosphere of respect, harmony and common purpose.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is centred around all the documentation for C4W including the Enabling Pathways document, which highlights the need for a focus on the quality and impact of the interplay between the three key enablers to inspire and challenge children and young people in their learning. All three have equal importance in ensuring the best possible start for the children in our care:
- Enabling Adults
- Enabling Experiences
- Enabling Environment
We fully support the premise that “effective, learner-centred pedagogy, which is responsive, dynamic and embedded in strong relationships, is key to realising the Curriculum for Wales”, and that “pedagogy will be successful, and learners supported in their progression, when the enablers provide consistent opportunities for the following key features”:
- Play and Playful Learning
- Being Outdoors
- Observation
- Authentic and purposeful learning
Although we are mindful of Welsh Government and the National Mission, our curriculum is in response to the vision and aims we have for our children.
Learning and Teaching
Education is the purpose of our school. Our focus is on learning and the wellbeing of all our stakeholders.
Learning is a reflective activity that allows the learner to draw upon previous experience to understand and evaluate the present, so as to shape future action and formulate new knowledge. Learning is being taught, as well as individual’s making sense of and building skill and knowledge as part of doing things with others.
Our mission at Newport Nursery School is to enable children to fulfil their learning potential and to develop a lifelong love of learning – to ensure they are “Actively engaged to Explore, Discover and Grow”.
We believe that effective learning takes place when staff, parents and the community work together and we actively encourage parental involvement and strong community links.
The curriculum is carefully planned and structured around both the Enabling Learning Pathways (see previous page) as well as the six areas of learning and experience:
- Expressive Arts
- Health and Wellbeing
- Humanities
- Languages, Literacy and Communication
- Mathematics and Numeracy
- Science and Technology
Further details can be found at: Hwb.gov.wales – Curriculum for Wales
Curriculum for Wales
The school year 2021-22 has been preparing for the roll out of the Curriculum for Wales 2022 and has been working towards rolling out our Curriculum Design and summary ready to deliver in September 2022. We have dedicated staff meetings and all of our professional learning and training days to professional development, training, collaboration and research in readiness for this.
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Mainstream
Provision for a child with ALN should match the nature of the needs. When a child’s area of ALN has been identified, his/her needs will be addressed as appropriate and within the policies and resources of the school.
We believe that all children, including those with Special Educational Needs have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum that is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life. A child’s needs may first be identified by parents, the class teacher, a doctor or a social services professional. To assist in the early identification of children with ALN, use may be made of assessment/screening procedures. Parents are brought into this process at an early stage. If the appropriate stages to support a child with ALN are followed and there is still a lack of progress, then other agencies outside school will be involved and, if necessary, a request will be made to the Local Authority (LA) for a statement of educational needs for the child.
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Communication Class
As well as providing first class care and education for our mainstream children we also operate a Communication Class which accommodates children diagnosed with or awaiting a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These children will transition to one of the two Specialist Schools within Newport or into Learning Resources Bases around Newport when they reach Reception age. The children within this class require specialised support and benefit from appropriately trained staff to ensure their needs are met. Placement into the Communication Class is decided at Local Authority level following consideration at an Additional Learning Needs Panel. In 2021-22 we were able to offer this provision to 14 children from across Newport.
EAL- English as an Additional Language
The school liaises with GEMS (Gwent Ethnic Minority Service) in providing support for children and parents for whom English is an additional language (EAL).
Mrs O’Brien is the Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCO) and informs the governors on ALN provision and progress through regular meetings with the governor with responsibility for ALN. Further information can be obtained from Mrs O’Brien. Copies of the Inclusion, SEN and EAL policies for the school are available to parents on request.
Equal Opportunities
We are committed to promoting equal access to all areas of the curriculum for all our children and developing teaching methods appropriate to children’s developmental needs. We recognise that our society is multi-racial and multicultural and seek to develop attitudes and ways of behaving appropriate to living in a society which wishes to eliminate inequalities, and promote cultural harmony.
WELSH SECOND LANGUAGE
Newport Nursery School is an English medium school where lesson instruction is given through the medium of English. However, we are very aware of our role, as a school in Wales, in promoting and developing the use of Welsh as a living language.
The school tries to promotes the use of informal Welsh through a variety of strategies:
- Instructions are given bilingually or in Welsh, for children to hear and respond to, e.g. register, hands up, line up, asking for the toilet, etc.
- Staff and pupils greet each other throughout the day using the medium of Welsh and pupils are encouraged and supported to use the short sentence patterns they know outside of the classroom in the playground.
- Subject/area of learning specific Welsh is used by children and teachers appropriate to their age and ability.
All members of staff participate in training and support programmes to deliver Welsh as a Second Language and informal Welsh.
Healthy Living
At Newport Nursery School we promote healthy living and we have achieved the National Quality Award. We promote healthy living in a variety of ways including:
- Children have fruit snacks for break times. Parents donate fruit throughout the week which is shared amongst the children.
- Children are encouraged to drink their water and milk throughout the session to avoid dehydration and maximise learning. Filtered, chilled water is available in school throughout the day.
COMMUNITY LINKS
We continue to develop links between home, school and the local and wider community.
Home Links
All families receive school communication by email. Due to the continued COVID disruption this year we did not hold as many family engagement sessions as we have in previous years but we have continued to inform parents about their children’s progress through phone conversations for parent consultations, shared videos and photographs through SeeSaw and we have increased our followers on our school Twitter account.
Parents, Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA)
Due to current restrictions, the PTFA were unable to organise large fundraising events, but they did hold a summer Fayre.
Charitable Donations
As always, during the year children and their families were generous in supporting local, national and world charities. The charities supported during 2021-2022 were:
- BBC Children in Need
- Comic Relief
- Food Bank – Feed Newport
- Sparkle
Parent Partnerships
At Newport Nursery School we have always endeavoured to follow an ‘open door’ policy and make parents feel welcome in school. At the end of the year, we were able to invite small groups of Nursery children and their parents to view the school before their start in Reception.
We hope to resume inviting parents into school to foster those important relationships in the near future.
At the end of the year we were able to hold a concert at Duckpool Road Baptist Church which we coincided with a Summer Fayre.
Parent consultations took place via the telephone in the autumn term. In the summer term we were able to use an online video consultation format – School Cloud.
Local and National Businesses
Links with local and national businesses and groups during 2021- 22 included:
- Newport County in the Community
- Supermarket donations of selection boxes and Fairtrade goods
- Welsh Love Spoons – Immersion Day
Parish and community events
Visits and visitors are important to Newport Nursery School and the life of the school. Visitors to school and school events during 2021-22 included:
- School Improvement Partner
- Cluster nursery school colleagues visit
- Zumba
- Wild Science
- Animals Interactive
Transition
As part of the transition programme this year, children from St Joseph’s Primary school visited the nursery children to prepare for their Buddy Roles when the nursery children start in school. Teachers and ALNCO’s from each of the feeder schools visited to meet the children that were transitioning to them and the children had a visit to each of their prospective schools.
ENRICHMENT AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
During 2021-2022 a wide number of activities were undertaken by the school to enrich the curriculum and school life at Newport Nursery School. COVID restrictions meant that some of these were more difficult, but our children were still able to take part in many activities.
These included:
- Welsh Rhyme Time
- Insect Lore – Caterpillars and butterflies
- World Book Day
- Divali
- Eid
- Chinese New Year
- Pili Pala Puppets
- Zumba
- Jubilee Party – including ice-cream van & Newport Transport Bus
THANK YOU
This has been another very successful year for the newly formed Newport Nursery School despite the challenges faced throughout the year as a result of the pandemic. As Governors, we are extremely proud of the resilience shown by the children, their families and the staff. Wellbeing has always been at the heart of our school, and this has continued to be the case this year. We extend our grateful thanks to all the staff and our families who work so tirelessly on behalf of our children.