Goldstone Crescent
Dunstable
Beds
LU5 4QU
Phone: 01582 662600
Email: office@willownursery.co.uk
Latest News
Nursery News – 2nd November 2026
NURSERY NEWS
2nd November 2026 – Edition 425
Find out About:
A. School Photographer visiting.
B. Parent Consultations, Big Nursery this week.
C. BBC Children in Need.
D. What are the children learning about this week?
A. School Photographer visiting.
A little reminder that a school photographer will be here on Wednesday 4th November and Thursday 5th November.
B. Parent Consultations, Big Nursery this week.
Big Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations this week! Parents have made appointments with Keyworkers, here are the times staff will be speaking to parents on the phone, as a reminder:
Monday 2nd November, Mrs Patterson’s Green Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm.
Tuesday 3rd November Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:50pm
Wednesday 4th November Miss Skai’s Red Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:55pm
Thursday 5th November Miss Howe’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:05pm
Each appointment lasts only five minutes. Please help staff to remain on time.
C. BBC Children in Need.
Friday 13th November is Children in Need Day. Parents often ask us what we are doing for Children in Need. –So as in previous years, we will collect money in Charity buckets, should anyone wish to donate. We do organise activities with a Pudsey Bear theme, and we try to share with the children that we are fundraising to help other children. Sometimes the Nursery children want to dress up because they see their older brothers and sisters dressing up for their school’s event. We are happy for children to dress up, or not to dress up. We do not wish any family to feel under pressure.
D. What are the children learning about this week?
The theme this week is Festivals and Autumn, Fireworks and Diwali
The children will be learning about colour and light, especially the colours they may have seen in fireworks. Some children may have experienced fireworks due to having celebrations such as Bonfire Night and Diwali.
The learning intention this week is for literacy; to show interest in illustrations, words in print and words in the environment. There will be lots of opportunities for the children to look at words and pictures in different areas throughout the school, we have a large library and cosy corners for the children to snuggle down and explore some books. Staff will also encourage children to look for signs and logos that are around the school and talk about what they mean.
Our seven C’s learning intention is to show an interest in others. We have been working on learning everyone’s names and similarities and differences. We will teach the children to remember to use names when talking to their friends and to show an interest in what their friends like to do at school. This makes playing with others more fun, because the children are sharing their interests and allowing others to join in with their play.
The children will also be working on improving their ball skills this week, including rolling, catching, throwing and kicking. There will be lots of opportunity to explore with bats, balls and basketball hoops.
Nursery News 19th October 2026
NURSERY NEWS
19th October 2026 – Edition 424
Find out About:
A. Important dates, a reminder.
B. Parent Consultations
C. Clothing for Winter Months.
D. Box modelling
E. What are the children learning about this week?
F. Easy Peasy App
A. Important dates, a reminder.
Mon 26th October 2026 to Fri 30th October 2026: Autumn Half term – School Closed
Wednesday 4th November and Thursday 5th November-School Photographer to visit.
B. Parent Consultations
Little Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations this week!
Parents have made appointments with Keyworkers, here are the times staff will be speaking to parents on the phone, as a reminder:
Monday 19th October Mrs Chiriac’s Orange Group Consultations. 5 minute telephone consultations between 9:15am and 9:55 am
Tuesday 20th October Mrs Whiting’s Little Yellow Group Consultations. 5 minute telephone consultations between 9:15am and 10:10am
Tuesday 20th October Miss Gaffney’s Blue Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:45pm
Each appointment lasts only five minutes. Please help staff to remain on time.
C. Clothing for Winter Months.
The staff have asked that I write about appropriate clothing for the children during Winter months…
Winter is coming and conditions become generally wetter and colder in the Nursery gardens. We go outside every day, in all weather conditions, so please make sure all children are appropriately dressed. A warm winter coat is important, preferably with a hood. We need children to learn to become as independent as possible with regard to their coats. At home, please encourage your child to put on their coat themselves. We know nearly all the Big Nursery children have the ability to do this, but they often ask for help. Please try to teach them to fasten their coat themselves.
Please can we ask that you do not provide ‘All In One Snowsuits’, as they are particularly difficult to get on and off. Staff do not have the time to assist children with these. Even in winter we have free flow play where children can choose to move from inside to outside as frequently as they wish, so throughout the day a child may have many occasions where coats are put on and taken off again.
Mittens are easier for children to put on themselves, rather than gloves. We do not mind helping the children to wrap up warm, because they love to play outside. Children enjoy the outside space even when it is freezing! Just remember to label mittens, hats and scarves with your child’s name so we can send them home with the correct child at the end of the day!
Now for inside school….
Our school is generally warm, we set our classroom thermostats to 21 degrees C. So for the majority of the year the school is comfortably warm.
However, unlike your homes, we have a lot of outside walls in each classroom and lots of windows. Our doors to the outside areas, situated in Room 1 for Big Nursery, and in Room 4 for Little Nursery are open for the majority of the day to allow for continuous free flow play. So, when weather temperatures outside begin to drop, it may feel a little cooler inside school. We would suggest sending your child to school in warmer clothing than they would need at home. We would always suggest adding layers, so children can adjust what they wear.
Parents may not be aware that staff act similarly to a child’s parent when checking a child’s wellbeing. We do act if we think a child is too hot, or too cold, and adjust clothing accordingly.
When we have extreme winter temperatures, we do limit how long we spend outside. We close outside, to maintain warmth inside, and allow shorter play periods outside, making sure no child gets too cold.
D. Box Modelling
We are running very short of recycled materials for our box modelling area. We would be very grateful for recycled materials that the children can use to create models. Children love boxes, but not too big please. The biggest boxes we can store are cereal boxes. Tiny boxes are useful, or unusual shapes. Plastic bottle tops make good buttons and wheels. Yogurt pots, butter tubs and other plastic containers are interesting to glue together, but please ensure they are clean. Toilet roll tubes become superhero cuffs, covered in foil. Egg boxes are great places to glue coloured tissue.
E. What are the children learning about this week?
The theme this week is keeping healthy. This week the children will be learning about how to make healthy choices and explore the importance of hygiene and exercise. Staff will be encouraging the children to go outside and be physically active.
Staff will explain how important it is to stay hydrated throughout the day, especially when exercising and getting hot. Staff will model lots of language for the children, so that they understand the meaning of words such as ‘hot’, ‘thirsty’, ‘tired’ etc. After lots of movement, the staff will encourage the children to think about how they feel by asking questions like ‘are you puffed out?’ or ‘is your heart beating faster than normal?’, and they will explain that these are the effects that exercise has on our body.
We will also be learning about oral hygiene and how important it is that we look after our teeth. There will be lots of activities to show the children how to brush their teeth properly and staff will talk about visiting the dentist and making healthy food choices.
We will also be focusing on scissor skills. The children will learn how to use scissors safely and effectively. We will be providing lots of cutting opportunities to upskill our children and encourage them to cut appropriate materials such as paper, card and boxes in the creative areas. Scissor skills are tricky to master so we aim to provide as much practice as possible.
F. Easy Peasy App
Last week we had a visit from Vicky Lucas from Central Bedfordshire’s Early Years and Childcare Team. She wanted me to share with you a new FREE APP for parents:
We (Central Bedfordshire Local Authority) are excited to offer you free, premium access to EasyPeasy – an app full of parenting tips, advice, and activities for you and your 0-5-year-old.
With EasyPeasy, you can transform everyday family moments into playful and enriching connection experiences that will support your child’s development, with materials you will already have access to at home.
Register for free easypeasyapp.com/central-bedfordshire or via Central Bedfordshire Council Family Information Directory and join the community of Central Bedfordshire EasyPeasy parents today!
See below for information posters:
Nursery News 12th October 2026
NURSERY NEWS
12th October 2026 – Edition 423
Find out About:
A. Parent Consultations
B. Willow Pumpkin Patch
C. What are the children learning about this week?
A. Parent Consultations
We aim to offer all parents the opportunity to have a Parent Consultation with their child’s keyworker once per term.
Now it is time for Big Nursery parents to book appointments to speak with your child’s Keyworker.
These consultations are offered to talk about how your child is settling in and the progress your child is making. They are not compulsory, but if you would like an appointment please arrange this with your child’s keyworker when they are outside before morning sessions, or after afternoon sessions.
These consultations will be on the telephone, will last 5 minutes and will be available at the following times:
Monday 2nd November, Mrs Patterson’s Green Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:20pm.
Tuesday 3rd November Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:50pm
Wednesday 4th November Miss Skai’s Red Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:55pm
Thursday 5th November Miss Howe’s Yellow Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 4:05pm
B. Willow Pumpkin Patch
The Pumpkin Patch has been a great success!!
Mrs Patterson has provided wheelbarrows and delivery trolleys, and a big bike with a delivery box on the front to allow children to move the pumpkins around. There has been some super problem solving. Groups of children have been working together to load the wheelbarrows with pumpkins most efficiently. They have been working out how best to stack the pumpkins, considering the size, shape and weight, into a wheelbarrow without pumpkins toppling out. Children have been lining up the pumpkins and counting them to find out how many pumpkins there are. One group built an enclosure with large wooden blocks, and put a large amount of pumpkins inside. This structure was labelled the ‘Pumpkin Police Station’. Some big pumpkins are quite heavy. Children like feeling the challenge of the weight, lifting and moving the pumpkins. We have provided golf tees and little wooden hammers to allow the children to tap the golf tees into the pumpkins. In the 2+ class they have been exploring rolling the smallest pumpkins down sloped guttering. The children really laugh as the pumpkins roll off in a wobbly way along the floor.
There is more to come next week…. If the weather is good enough, the children will be able to use paint brushes and paint to cover their pumpkins completely in paint, then put them in water to wash the paint off with sponges and cloths. Things may get messy!
C. What are the children learning about this week?
The learning intention this week is for the children to know some of the things that make them unique, and talk about similarities and differences in relation to friends and family.
The theme this week is ‘Happy in Our Skin’, so the children will be using mirrors to look at their reflections and adults will take these opportunities to talk to the children about what they can see. This can then evolve into an opportunity to discuss things that make us different and any similarities that we may have with each other.
The children will begin to look at their features, and think about their friends features then identify and compare features such as eye and hair colour. Staff will highlight the similarities that they may have with children and each other, they will explain that we are all unique even though we may have some similar features or habits.
Our seven C’s learning intention is for the children to be able to feed themselves. Staff encourage the children to be as independent as possible during lunchtimes. They are asked to get their own lunch boxes and drinks bottles and to feed themselves with as little support as possible. Our aim is for the children to understand the importance of being able to do things for themselves and how things become easier with practise.
Nursery News 5th October 2026
NURSERY NEWS
5th October 2026 – Edition 422
Find out About:
A. Parent Consultations- A reminder
B. How to keep your child healthy over the coming Autumn/ Winter season.
C. Local Schools offering School Tours/ Open days for families looking for reception class places in September 2027
D. What are the children learning about this week?
A. Parent Consultations – A reminder
We aim to offer all parents the opportunity to have a Parent Consultation with their child’s keyworker once per term
Little Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations during week beginning Monday 19th October, 2026
These consultations are offered to talk about how your child is settling in. They are not compulsory, but if you would like an appointment please arrange this with your child’s keyworker when they are outside before morning sessions, or after afternoon sessions.
B. How to keep your child healthy over the coming Autumn/ Winter season.
With the new school term starting, children spend more time together, which can lead to more colds, flu, and other illnesses.
Here are some ways to keep your children healthy and in school:
1.Keep your child’s vaccinations up to date.
Measles and whooping cough are still around. The best way to protect your child from getting sick is to make sure they have had all their vaccines. If you are unsure. you can ask your GP or use the NHS app to check.
- Make sure your child gets the flu vaccine.
Flu can make children very sick. The Flu vaccine reduces the risk of needing hospital care. Most children from age 2 to 16 can get the vaccine. The vaccine is usually a quick, painless spray in the nose. There is also a version without pork ingredients. Children aged 2-3 can get the flu vaccine at their GP. Vaccinating your child also helps protect others, like family members, from getting the flu.
3.Teach your child good handwashing habits.
Washing hands helps stop the spread of germs. Remind your child to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Teach them to use tissues for coughs and sneezes and to throw them in the bin afterwards.
- Know when to keep your child at home.
Sometimes it is hard to know if your child should stay home. For minor illnesses, like a slight cough or cold, it’s usually OK to send them to school. But if they have a high temperature or a rash, keep them at home and speak to your GP
C. Local Schools offering School Tours/ Open days for families looking for reception class places in September 2027
Dunstable Icknield Lower School has been in touch with our school office, asking us to share with you information about their upcoming Open Days:
EYFS OPEN DAYS
CONSIDERING SCHOOLS FOR YOUR CHILD?
Admissions are now open for Reception places in September 2027
We will be holding Open Sessions in our new EYFS area, starting at 9am, on:
Monday 5th October
Tuesday 6th October
Wednesday 7th October
There will be an opportunity to hear from our new Senior Leadership Team and tour our updated facilities, as well as ask any questions you may have about your child starting school.
Their address is Burr Street, Dunstable, LU6 3AG. Tel 01582 663709
Website www.dunstableicknield.co.uk
I have looked at schools local to Willow Nursery School to see if they are offering open days too. All information is taken from the individual school’s website.
Hadrian Academy
Open Mornings for Reception.
We are delighted to be able to invite prospective parents and guardians, whose child starts school in 2027 into Hadrian Academy for an informal tour of our school in action.
Our Open Mornings will take place on:
Tuesday 20th October 2026 at 9:30am
Thursday 12th November 2026 at 9:30 am
Thursday 3rd December 2026 at 9:30am
There is no need to book, just come along at 9:30am.
Their address is Hadrian Avenue, Dunstable, LU5 4SR Tel: 01582 618400
Website: hadrianacademy.co.uk
Vale Academy
We’d love to welcome you into our Dunstable primary school community! Come and see our vibrant classrooms in action, explore our fantastic facilities, and experience the exciting learning opportunities we offer every child. There’s no better way to get a real feel for what makes our school so special. Come and see it for yourself!
We currently have the below dates available for a school tour:
- Wednesday 7th October 9.30am – 10.30am
- Wednesday 14th October 10.30am – 11.30am
- Thursday 15th October 9.30am – 10.30am
Their address is: Wilbury Drive, Dunstable, LU5 4QP Tel:01582 211150
Website:thevaleacademy.co.uk
St Christophers Academy
Open Day!
Everyone is welcome-
Come and meet our dedicated team, look around our school and ask any questions you may have.
Monday 12th October 2026 9:30am to 12:30pm
Come along to:
- Explore our school facilities
- Meet our dedicated teachers
- Learn about our curriculum, enrichment activities, and support services
- Ask any questions you may have about joining our school community
Book via the school office and come along and see what makes our school such a special place to learn and grow.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Their address is: Gorham Way, Dunstable, LU5 4NJ Tel: 01582 500960
www.stchristophersacademy.org.uk
D. What are the children learning about this week?
The theme this week is ‘who is who in nursery?’
This week each morning the children will see photographs of each member of staff and they will learn the names of the staff. This is to help the children to feel more at ease with the staff and to encourage children to use names when talking to someone. We will talk about the importance of addressing people by their names and recognizing who each person is and where they work within the nursery. Learning the names of the people around you, helps to build confidence and create a sense of self.
The learning intention this week is for the children to be able to count up to five items, recognising that the last number said, represents the total counted so far. Children will be taught lots of number songs to help them count in order and they will be encouraged to check their counting by using fingers to represent the numbers. Staff will model number language throughout the week and will give children targets such as ‘please give me one or two things’. This helps to check the children’s understanding and confidence with numbers and amounts.
The skill we will be focusing on this week is riding a bike. We have a large selection of bikes for the children to use, including two wheeled bikes, tricycles and tandems. We will provide a timer to support the children to take turns on the bikes and play fairly. All children are encouraged to ride safely and to park their bikes up in the designated parking area after their turn.
Nursery News 28th September 2026
NURSERY NEWS
28th September 2026 – Edition 421
Find out About:
A. Important dates
B. Parent Consultations
C. Display of Family Photographs- For All Children
D. Forest School Program
E. Willow Pumpkin Patch
F. What are the children learning about this week?
A. Important dates
It is time to give parents an overview of the term, as most families are now enrolled and attending in Big Nursery and Little Nursery.
The school year has three terms, Autumn, Spring and Summer. Each term has a Half Term break in the middle of the term. So dates for this term are:
Mon 26th October 2026 to Fri 30th October 2026: Autumn Half term – School Closed
Thursday 17th December 2026 Last normal school day of the Autumn Term.
Friday 18th December 2026 School open for Christmas Parties only (As a guide: Last year Little Nursery Party 9:00am to 10:00am Big Nursery Party 11:15am to 1:00pm, but this may change slightly when we begin planning for this year)
Monday 4th January 2027 –Teacher Training Day- School Closed
Tuesday 5th January 2027 First day of Spring Term- School open.
We have some other notable dates to share with you. Further information will be included in these newsletters nearer to the time, regarding each event.
Wednesday 4th November and Thursday 5th November-School Photographer to visit.
Thursday 19th November 5pm- Open School Event ‘Walk In the Dark’.
Wednesday 18th November Open School Event Big Nursery Green Group –Parents to watch Basic Skills Literacy Session.
Week beginning Monday 30th November Open School Event: Big Nursery Parents invited in to watch their child’s Music Session.
B. Parent Consultations
We aim to offer all parents the opportunity to have a Parent Consultation with their child’s keyworker once per term
Little Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations during week beginning Monday 19th October, 2026
These consultations are offered to talk about how your child is settling in. They are not compulsory, but if you would like an appointment please arrange this with your child’s keyworker when they are outside before morning sessions, or after afternoon sessions.
These consultations will be on the telephone, will last 5 minutes and will be available at the following times:
Monday 19th October Mrs Chiriac’s Orange Group Consultations. 5 minute telephone consultations between 9:15am and 9:55 am
Tuesday 20th October Mrs Whiting’s Little Yellow Group Consultations. 5 minute telephone consultations between 9:15am and 10:10am
Tuesday 20th October Miss Gaffney’s Blue Group Consultations, 5 minute telephone consultations between 3:15pm and 3:45pm
Big Nursery will be having their Parent Consultations (on the telephone) during week beginning Monday 2nd November, 2026. Dates and times for appointments will be detailed in Nursery News 423 (published on Monday 12th October).
C. Display of Family Photographs- For All Children
Two weeks ago I told everyone about the display we would like to put up of Family photo’s in Big Nursery, and the booklet of Family photo’s we would like to create in Little Nursery. We have had a few photographs come in. We will be using them next week to stimulate discussions about ‘Family’.
We know people have lots of photos on their phone, but people do not always print them. I am suggesting that you might like to send a family photo to the school office, and we can print it off, and place it on the wall. The school email address is office@willownursery.co.uk
D. Forest School Program
Mrs Brinkley has started teaching our Forest School program to Big Nursery Red Group. I just wanted to tell you a little about Forest School at Willow.
Mrs Brinkley spent a year studying to become a Level 3 Forest School Practitioner. In order to support her work in school, all other school staff studied to become Level 1 Forest School Practitioners.
What is a Forest School? -this is a quote which outlines what a Forest School is and the ethos of them:
‘An inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland environment’ (Forest School (England) network 2002)
Whilst we have some trees and shrubs, we acknowledge that we do not have a ‘Forest’, but Forest School teaching and learning is all about participating in activities in the outdoors, learning new skills, building strong relationships and thinking creatively. Mrs Brinkley has planned 7 activity sessions that Big Nursery children will take part in during their final year at nursery. Mrs Brinkley will work with Red group once a week for 7 weeks. We aim to have worked with Red, Green and Yellow group children by Summer 2027.
So, for your information, these are the seven activities the children will be participating in:
1.Fairy/ Gnome Dens. Children will use natural materials that they find in the garden to build a small den for an imaginary fairy or gnome.
- Making Fairies or small people. Children will be shown how to make a fairy using twigs and clay. Children will be encouraged to make their own character, using their imagination to add hair, wings or other accessories.
3.Larger Dens. Working as part of a small group children will build a den from tarpaulins and ropes. Children will then join Mrs Brinkley inside the den for a story together.
- Clay Faces. Children will mould a flat circular clay shape onto a tree trunk. Children will then add natural objects to the clay to create a face. Children will be shown how to make marks in the clay using sticks found in the garden. Children will compare their own features with those of their friends. Children will discuss similarities and differences.
5.Bug Hunt. Children will look around the garden areas, trying to find bugs to put into their bug collecting pot. They will tip their collections out onto a white paper surface, then use a magnifying glass to look carefully at the bugs. We will be teaching them about being careful with the wildlife and to look after nature.
- Mud Kitchens, Mud Potions and Mixtures. Children will be provided with pots and spoons. They will have the opportunity to mix soil with sand and water to make liquid mud. Children will then be able to add leaves and grass, and anything else that they find in the garden, into their mixture.
- Making Woodland Medals. Children will be shown how to use a hand drill to drill a hole in a small disc of wood in order to make a medal. Children will decorate their medals using felt tip pens
Mrs Brinkley’s Thoughts….
I am really excited to be now teaching our children ‘The Forest School Way’. The children are enjoying the new experience and their ideas are extending learning further. Forest School learning has so many benefits to the child’s learning and covers all areas to support the overall well being of the children.
Welcome to Forest School learning Willow!
E. Willow Pumpkin Patch
Mrs Patterson is planning to set up a Pumpkin Patch in our outside area and is requesting donations of a pumpkin. She is looking for pumpkins of all sizes to add to the patch, so, if you are able to add one to your shopping list, please do! There are so many activities that can stem from having a collection of pumpkins, including; transportation of pumpkins in wheelbarrows and on bikes, pumpkin painting, hammering golf tees into the pumpkins, using the pumpkins in the mud kitchen and even opening up the pumpkins to investigate what’s inside. It will be a very exciting project, full of art, science and cognitive and physical development. Thank you for your support!
(We did this last year and it was an amazing success. The children had so much fun!)
F. What are the children learning about this week?
The theme this week is all about me
The learning intention this week is for the children to become more aware of the similarities and differences between themselves and others in more detailed ways and to identify themselves in relation to social groups and their peers.
The children have been bringing in family photos which have been put on a display board for everyone to see. Everyone is enjoying looking at all of the pictures, it is fun for the children to look for their own picture and also to see who they recognise in the other photo’s. The photographs are a big talking point for the children and prompt them to share memories and experiences.
This week the children will be encouraged to use mirrors to look at their facial features and then they can try to recreate their own image, using a variety of resources. Staff will support children by naming all of the different facial features, including those that may be trickier to remember such as chin, eyebrows, forehead, freckles etc. While the children are looking at their faces, staff will discuss with them the similarities and differences between them and their friends.
The skill that we will focus on this week is numbers and counting, this means that there will be lots of math’s resources out for the children to enjoy. Staff will encourage children to practice counting math’s resources as well as objects in the environment, they will model lots counting for the children to hear, learn and repeat.
