It is widely recognised that children who benefit from pre-school education settle more quickly into full-time schooling. At Temple Meadow, we take pride in our outstanding nursery provision, which lays a strong foundation for future learning.

Our Nursery caters for children aged 3 and 4, offering both full-time and part-time places. We provide morning sessions from 8:45am to 11:45am and afternoon sessions from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. In addition, we offer 30-hour places from 8:45am to 3:30pm, which include a 45-minute lunch break.

Our Early Years provision is a real strength; in our OFSTED inspection, it was highly praised in terms of provision, experiences and leadership. If any child, for whatever reason has particular needs, we pride ourselves on early identification and provision of the required support. Our trends over time regarding GLD (Good Level of Development) at the end of Early Years, is consistently positive.

Settling in

We appreciate that starting school is a big step for both you and your child. At Temple Meadow, we aim to make this a happy and positive event, in which your child will enjoy a caring, stimulating environment. We therefore value a good relationship with you, the parents and carers, as we believe this plays a fundamental part in the settling in process and in the rest of your child’s time in school.

We recognise that when your child comes here, they would have already learnt a lot from you at home. We want to build on what your child knows and can do, continually taking this further into the next stage of learning.

Our Vision

In our early years provision at Temple Meadow children are excited and motivated to learn, through rich and challenging learning children have ample opportunities to explore and take risks. We plan imaginative hands-on experiences. We have high expectations for all our children and recognise that children have different starting points to their learning. Children are supported and cared for through a nurturing and safe environment. We plan according to children's stages of development so that all children can thrive and develop. We are a cohesive team with play-based child-centred learning at the heart of our practice.

30-Hour Provision

From September 2021, we introduced the 30-hour offer within our Nursery provision. If eligible for the 30-hour offer, your child’s school day would begin at 8.45am and end at 3.30pm, Monday-Friday. These are set days and hours. You would need to provide your child with a healthy packed lunch from home each day. There will be a ‘comfy’ area for children to access during their lunch break at 11.45am-12.30pm. Parents of children attending our Nursery 30-hour provision are charged a daily supplementary charge of £2.60 for the additional 45 minutes offered through the provision. This charge should be paid through ParentPay.

The curriculum will be appropriate for Nursery based on the Early Years Framework. Throughout the day there will be a focus on communication and language, personal development and physical development. Appropriate Literacy and Numeracy skills are introduced and there is a strong emphasis on learning through play and outdoor learning.

Eligibility

Your eligibility depends on:

• if you are working
• your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one)
• your child’s age and circumstances
• your immigration status.

Next Steps:

1. If you are interested in accessing a 30-hour place at our Nursery, you will need to complete our Nursery application form and visit https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare to read the full 30-hour offer eligibility criteria.
2. If you believe that you are eligible, please follow the link to apply online https://www.gov.uk/apply-30-hours-free-childcare. It usually takes 20 minutes to apply. You may find out if you’re eligible straight away, but it can take up to 7 days.
3. If you are eligible you will get a childcare account and a code for 30 hours free childcare.
4. Please email the name of your child, your national insurance number, your child’s date of birth and the 30-hour offer code to tm.admin@meadow.sandwell.sch.uk
5. We will then validate this code, without this code we are unable to offer your child the 30-hour space.

Please note that our AM and PM slots also remain the same: 8.45am-11.45am or 12.30pm-3.30pm. You will need to complete a Nursery application form and indicate your preference.

Rising 3's Provision

Our Rising 3s provision is designed for children who turn three during their first term with us. The application process depends on family circumstances and is typically categorised as either a Working Families Application or a Non-Working Families Application.

Non-Working Families are entitled to 15 funded hours. To apply, parents/carers should visit the link below, select ‘Families in receipt of additional support application’, and complete the relevant form:

https://fis.sandwell.gov.uk/kb5/sandwell/directory/advice.page?id=gogQx9T0ixs

Working Families may be entitled to an additional 15 funded hours (totalling 30 hours). Please see our 30-hour provision section above on how to apply.

For both categories, once your application is processed, you will receive an eligibility code if approved. This code must be included on the relevant nursery application form.

Applications for our standard 15-hour provision

If you are applying for a Nursery place for your child who has already turned 3, an eligibility code is not required.

Please complete the Standard Nursery Application Form and submit it to the School Office along with your child’s birth certificate.

What next?

If you would like more information about our Nursery classes please do not hesitate to contact us.