Little Beacons Nursery

Specialist weekly lessons in French are taught to our Little Beacons using Matakon as a learning tool. This unique communication programme uses symbols, signs and speech to ensure lessons are informative and fun, including storytelling and other fun activities such as games, singing and dancing.

From the Spring Term, our Nursery boys have weekly swimming lessons in our heated covered pool focusing on teaching them to build confidence and ability in water. Lessons are tailored to each boys’ individual ability, using a variety of inflatables and floats to ensure the lessons are fun and engaging!

Little Beacons are introduced to numbers, shapes and measuring. Specific digits and sounds are focussed on in weekly Maths lessons.

Through fun and engaging games and activities, we encourage our boys to build an interest in Maths, numeracy and problem-solving.

Literacy lessons are scheduled daily. All our teachers in Early Years are trained in Read Write Inc. Phonics, which teaches our boys to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension and how to form letters, spell correctly and compose their ideas step-by-step.

Chef Dino runs Taste Buddy sessions and interactive workshops for our Nursery boys where they get to explore new food and learn the basics of cooking. Group sessions are also held in class to encourage boys to get creative with cooking. The tasting of each session is the best bit!

There is a dedicated woodland nature area that our Pre-Prep boys visit for their Outdoor Learning lessons. Little Beacons enjoy a weekly welly walk to explore this area. They learn about notable changes during the different seasons, look out for wildlife, use Outdoor Learning equipment to make dens, have fun in the mud kitchen as well as enjoy the fresh air.

Music and movement is a playful and engaging lesson. It introduces our youngest boys to the joy of combining musical elements with physical movement. Through playful and interactive activities, the boys explore rhythm, melody, and dance, building foundational skills in coordination, listening and social interaction.

In PE, Nursery boys practice and develop fundamental movement skills (FMS) including speed, agility and quickness (SAQ). They also take part in gymnastics, focusing on balances, rolls and locomotion. In the Spring Term, they are introduced to swimming lessons, hand/eye coordination activities and invasion games. The Summer Term includes swimming, athletic events and preparation for Sports Day held on Willsfield.

Our Nursery boys are introduced to the basics of using ICT equipment during classroom lessons, such as programming bee-bots and using apps on iPads and our digital screen.

Our Pre-Prep Library is a welcoming and colourful space where our Beacon Boys are encouraged to browse and select books within their level. Various Beacon staff members around the school volunteer to hold regular storytelling sessions for our boys to enjoy.

Each half term there is a Nursery Topic, such as dinosaurs or Mr Men stories, that act as a focal point for educational learning across lessons. Often, to celebrate topic learning, our boys and staff engage in themed days where they dress up and get creative with fun and inspiring activities.