Little Conkers Nursery

Little Conkers Nursery, situated in the heart of Banbury town, is carefully structured for pre-school aged children from 3 years.

The Little Conkers Nursery operates term time only, from Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 3:20pm with the provision for early morning drop off at 8:00am and afterschool until 6:00pm. School holiday provision is also available to our Nursery children, which operates through the main school holidays – Easter, Summer and Christmas. Holiday Club is ran by SJP staff members and exclusively available to SJP and Little Conkers children only.

The nursery is housed in our Little Conkers department, along with the Reception classroom that shares an inviting outdoor area that includes: a woodland play area, mud kitchen and lawn. The environment is bright, stimulating and spacious. A free flow approach enables our youngest children maximum benefit of continuous provision and learning through play.

As an integral part of the St John’s Priory School community, our Little Conkers and pre-prep children benefit hugely from early exposure to our broad curriculum and specialist teaching, including early experiences in: music, dance and the arts; PE and outdoor learning; and French and Spanish.

Fees & Early Years Entitlement

All children are entitled to receive 15 hours per week, funded by the Government, the term following their 3rd birthday. At St John’s Priory we accept the Early Education Funding (EEF) for 15 hours and 30 hours per week until the end of the school term in which a child is due to join the Reception class.

Little Conkers Nursery School Fees

Our hourly rate is £7.43 for additional hours.

The 15 free hours of funding must be used over the course of three mornings (8.30am – 1.15pm) and 30 free hours can be any combination of hours (subject to availability) between 8:30am and 6:00pm daily. Sessions are booked termly in advance and any additional hours are charged at £7.43 per hour during the school day or our afterschool rates as per the main fees and charges.

30 hour funded only places are limited and are given at the Headmistress’s discretion.

Basic Curriculum provision includes: Daily Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

Weekly enhanced Curriculum provision includes

Visiting our Nursery

We encourage families to book a private tour to come and see for yourselves our amazing Nursery children in action on a typical school day. Miss April Willis (Head of Early Years and Nursery Leader) will meet with you and show you around the Nursery classroom and the outside garden and woodland area, answering your questions as you go.

Come & Play Mornings

Parents and carers are invited to bring their children along to our regular ‘book themed’ Come & Play mornings. These sessions are suitable for children aged 2 – 4 years and led by Miss Willis and her Little Conkers team. The aim is to provide a stimulating, social experience for young children who are not yet attending Little Conkers; allowing them to become accustomed to the Nursery environment and key staff whilst still in the care of their parents or carers.

Taster sessions

We offer taster sessions for children the term before they are due to join us. The number of sessions will greatly depend on your child and how many are necessary to ensure a smooth transition.

Transition to Reception

A large proportion of our nursery children move up to the Reception class and they are given priority for places. The Reception classroom is adjacent to the nursery room, which assists a smooth transition as the children get to know the Reception team and environment.

In addition to offering private family tours, inviting families along to our Nursery Come & Play mornings, we hold a Reception information evening each year for parents of children entering Reception at St John’s Priory School and families who are considering our Prep School for their child; to find out more about how we support children starting school within our inclusive family-first environment.

If you would like to visit or speak to Miss April Willis, our Head of Early Years and Nursery Leader about any aspect of the early years and pre-prep journey, please get in touch with our Registrar, Gemma Osborne who will be delighted to connect you with her email: gosborne@stjohnspriory.co.uk

Nursery Enquiry Form

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