Little Deputies

Welcome to our Nursery and Pre-School Provision at Sheriff Hutton Primary School!

We aim to provide quality childcare and education at the heart of the village community. We view and treat every child as an individual, playing alongside and following their interests and passions – because that’s the way they learn best! We support parents/carers, as we believe that they are the chief educators of all children. We have a vision for a seamless transition from babyhood, through the toddler stage into early childhood and through to school.

Our children are provided with as many opportunities as possible to explore and be creative learners. We have a free-flow system where children can initiate their own learning, both indoors and outdoors, alongside focus activities where children are supported to develop specific skills in phonics, maths and literacy.

The Little Deputies Class offers part-time and full-time places, during term time only. These sessions run everyday as follows:

Core hours: 9.00am to 3.00pm.

Little Deputies children can attend Castle Club which runs from 7.45am to 6.00pm. For further information have a look at our Castle Club page.

What do we do in our nursery / pre-school provision?

We follow the EYFS curriculum or the Early Years Foundation Stage, which sets out seven areas of learning that must be included in a child’s early years experience. These areas are Personal Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Communication and Language, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

We know that children learn best when they are interested in what they are doing so we try very hard to plan our activities around their interests, and to bring learning experiences to them rather than impose our own views about what they should be learning.

We produce a newsletter regularly so that parents/carers are aware of what we will be doing and we also have information on display to let parents know exactly what activities we will be involved in that week.

Personal, social and emotional development

Encouraging children to make friends and play together, using language and developing negotiating skills, particularly in taking turns and sharing.

Physical development

Gaining control of their bodies through running and stopping games. Concentrating on riding the bikes safely and with increased control. Thinking about how to keep ourselves safe.

Communication and language

Encouraging children to introduce a story-line to their play, particularly outside and in the role play area. Children within a mixed age range are given the opportunity to have their input and learn to negotiate and share ideas and respond to their peers’ ideas.

Literacy

Reading lots of stories with rhymes and playing games that encourage children to hear rhyming words.

Mathematics
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Recognising numbers to 5 or 10 and then 20 and beyond and counting objects in our environment.

Understanding the world

Talking about how we celebrate birthdays, Christmas and other cultural celebrations in our different households. Know that some adults are safe to approach for help but that we should never ask a stranger to help us.

Expressive arts and design

Making up rhythms and singing simple songs. Making up a story-line in our role play. Lots of creative crafts.

Our Team

Manager / Nursery Supervisor

Hi, I’m Angela and I am delighted to welcome you to our provision.

I have been involved with Sheriff Hutton Pre-school since 2004 when my eldest son attended Babies and Toddlers. This was to become the beginning of my journey into childcare! In 2008 I became a member of the playgroup committee while my youngest son attended before assisting as a relief member of staff in 2010. During this time I achieved the Basic Awareness in Child Protection Level 1 which is regularly updated.

During my training in 2011 I became a Play Leader. Since achieving a Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce (Early Learning and Childcare) (QCF) I have become the named person for behaviour management for the provision.  I also currently hold an Advanced Paediatric First Aid Certificate and Level 2 in Food Hygiene.

I am passionate about working with children and enjoy so many aspects of working in the Early Years sector. There is a huge amount of satisfaction from seeing children in our care play, learn, develop and flourish and I believe supporting parents/carers is the key to children’s success. I have the pleasure of working with an amazing team of nurturing staff. Friendships are formed between children and staff which may well last a life-time. I truly believe that our provision provides a fantastic learning and social experience for your child which is at the heart of the community.

I live on a farm with my husband Martin and two sons Michael and Adam. My hobbies include card-making, mindful colouring, jigsaws walking and gardening. My favourite colour is pink. We have a dog called Fizz, a cat called Fudge, and two guinea pigs Frankie and Oreo.

Play Leader

​Hi my name is Becky. I am the newest member of the team having joined in September 2020, while the world was deep in the COVID pandemic. I was given the opportunity to join this amazing team. I studied in Childcare and Education at York College in 2010 where I gained a Level 2 Diploma in 2011. I gained full time employment in one of the settings I did my work placement. Just under a year later I left full-time employment to have my two children in 2013 and 2017. I have been a stay-at-home mum for nearly 8 years. As many will agree it is the hardest but most rewarding job. I have cherished my time at home but I was ready to start a new chapter! This provision has given me an amazing opportunity to develop and expand my learning, while working with children.

I enjoy being part of children’s play and helping them learn and develop. Building relationships, supporting them and watching children flourish is the most rewarding part of being involved in the childcare industry.

I moved to Sheriff Hutton with my partner and two children in 2018. We have several pets including 2 dogs, a giant African land snail, 3 snakes and a tortoise called Harry. As a pastime I enjoy reading, listening to music, crochet, and as a family we enjoy going to steam rallies and camping. My favourite colour is purple.