Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Closure due to snow
Fri 09 Jan 2026Due to the heavy snowfall and the associated risks with travelling, the nursery will be closed today.
The safety of our children, families, and staff is our highest priority. Road and pavement conditions are currently hazardous, and we do not want anyone to put themselves at risk trying to reach the nursery site.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Please stay safe and warm. -
CANCELLED Coping with Conflict - Coffee Morning at Ripley Junior School
Tue 04 Nov 2025CANCELLED
Coping with Conflict - Coffee Morning at Ripley Junior School
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Keeping children safe online
Tue 04 Nov 2025Please see these tips and resources on how to keep children safe online
https://parentsafe.lgfl.net/
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Supporting Your Child with Toilet Training
Thu 02 Oct 2025We understand that toilet training can be a challenging and sometimes stressful time for families, and we want to reassure you that we are here to support you and your child every step of the way. If your child wears a pull-up at home most of the time, please send them to nursery in a pull-up too.
This consistency helps us work together to introduce pants when your child is ready, making the transition smoother for everyone. It’s very common for children to experience some regression in their toileting habits when they first start nursery.
The nursery environment is busy and exciting, and children often become so engrossed in play that they may forget they need the toilet or not make it in time. Please don’t worry—this is a normal part of settling in. As your child becomes familiar with the rhythm and routine of the nursery day, they will gain confidence and independence in managing their toileting needs.
To help your child be as independent as possible, please dress them in clothes they can easily pull up and down themselves. If you have any concerns or questions, please speak to your child’s key worker. We are here to support you and your child throughout this journey.
For additional guidance and support at home, we recommend the following resources: ERIC – Potty Training Advice, https://eric.org.uk/potty-training/ Anna Freud Centre – Toileting Difficulties, https://www.annafreud.org/resources/under-fives-wellbeing/common-difficulties/toileting/ NHS – How to Potty Train, https://www.nhs.uk/baby/babys-development/potty-training-and-bedwetting/how-to-potty-train/#:~:text=Having%20a%20book%20to%20look,try%20using%20a%20sticker%20chart.
Thank you for working with us to support your child’s development.
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Ripley Nursery School & The Loop Project!
Wed 06 Aug 2025We’re thrilled to share a video from a music initiative we've been involved in over the past year — the Loop Project!
This inspiring work focuses on early years development and explores how music and sound can be embedded into our nursery setting. Collaborating with talented musicians, the project highlights how children themselves can play a vital role in shaping musical experiences in their environments.
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After School Club changes
Fri 18 Jul 2025Dear Parents and Carers,
We are writing to inform you of an important change regarding the use of government-funded hours within our childcare and nursery setting, effective from 1 January 2026.
From this date, our after-school club will no longer be included within the government-funded nursery hours. This means that if you wish to use the after school club, it will now be chargeable.
We understand that this may be an adjustment for some families, and we have worked hard to keep our charges as low as possible. The new rates will be:
· 3:30pm – 4:30pm: £8.00 per session
· 3:30pm – 5:45pm: £16.00 per session
Please be assured that any children currently attending our setting will continue under their existing contracts, and these changes will not affect them. However, if your child is moving from one setting to the other then the charges will apply at the new setting.
This has been a difficult decision, but due to increasing demand and limited space, we must adapt the way we operate to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality care for all children.
We remain committed to offering the best possible environment for your child’s development and wellbeing. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how this change may affect you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Warm regards,
Nicola Brown
Headteacher
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Keeping Children Safe in Hot Weather
Wed 09 Jul 2025Keeping Children Safe in Hot Weather
Once again, temperatures are expected to be high for the rest of this week and whilst many of us look forward to this, high temperatures can be dangerous for children, this can range from mild heat stress and potentially life-threatening heatstroke. Try to help children to adjust their behaviour by offering shade, changing activity times, choices of activities and changes to uniform.
Please find the information below and attached, which you can distribute among your staff, parents, and caregivers to help protect children from the heat.
Key points for Education and Early Years Providers during hot weather
Please note the guidance for looking after children during hot weather : Looking after children and those in early years settings before and during hot weather: teachers and other educational professionals - GOV.UK It is predicted that there will be more periods of hotter weather in future years so any changes or investment in buildings or resources you make now will help in the future.
Key points from the guidance to take note of are:-
· Look at timing of events where children, staff and parents/carers are spending time outdoors. Avoid the hottest part of the day between 11am to 3pm. Children should not take part in strenuous physical activity on very hot days
· Encourage shade during outside breaks, sun cream and hats for both children and adults
· Encourage frequent fluid intake across children and adults – assess access to water points and toilets to increase water intake
· Know the signs of heat illness and the actions to take
· Look at creating shade including with blinds, shutters, sun awnings and planting
· Look at the guidance for reducing Indoor air temperature Beat the heat: keep cool at home checklist - GOV.UK
· Communicating resources including the attached and Beat the Heat Beat the heat: hot weather advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Sign up to Heat- Health Alerts to ensure you are alerted to periods of hot weather in order to take appropriate action - https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/heat-health-alert-service
Many thanks for your support.
The Health Protection Team
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Message from Neighbourhood Alert.
Tue 01 Jul 2025Webinar for parents and carers ahead of the school holidays
Derbyshire Police Cybercrime Unit will be hosting a webinar on Tuesday 15th July at 1830h for parents and carers, ahead of the school holidays! This will also include the risk of “sextortion” and also signposting to a wealth of appropriate, free resources.
We will attempt to record the session – if successful, we will share the link to the recording once it has been topped and tailed, and added to YouTube by our colleagues from the Comms Team.
If you are unable to make the date, these webinars will be repeated in the future – they will be advertised via Derbyshire Alert (www.derbyshirealert.co.uk) and via our Facebook page, Derbyshire Police Online Safety
Tuesday 15th July at 1830 (45 min max)
To register for your free place, please email samantha.hancock@derbyshire.police.uk
** The link to the meeting will be emailed out on the morning of 15th July **
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Childcare changes September 2025
Wed 28 May 2025Exciting news for Childcare from September 2025!
* Applies to Little Ladybirds and Busy Butterflies only*
Dear Parents/Carers,
As part of our work on developing a set of Core Beliefs and Guiding Principles we have been reviewing certain aspects of our current practice, and believe that in order for us to develop ‘Nurturing Relationships’ with you and your child (our first and most important core belief), we need you to be able to come into nursery to drop off and pick up your precious little people and have time for quality handovers with your family key worker.
So from September 2025, we are very excited to be inviting the parents and carers of Little Ladybirds and Busy Butterflies back into setting during drop off and collection times!
We understand our transition times are extremely busy and can be very chaotic for our younger children, especially with so many coming and leaving all within a very short space of time. By inviting our parents back into setting it will help create a much smoother and calmer transition for our youngest children, but also this gives our parents the chance to see for themselves what their child will be, and has been learning throughout their session in nursery.
From September 2025 we are going to be changing our session times to the following;
Full day
7:45am – 5:45pm
Session A
7:45am – 11:00am
Session B
8:00am – 11:00am
Session C
8:00am – 3:00pm
Session D
7:45am – 3:00pm
Session E
8:00am – 5:45pm
Session F
12:00pm – 3:00pm
Session G
12:00pm – 5:45pm
This will reduce the number of people arriving and being collected outside the main entrance, by opening the gap between Childcare and Nursery School session times. If you have any questions about the revised session’s times or you are wanting to make any amendments from your current sessions, please contact me. Unfortunately, we are at full capacity each day so cannot amend days.There is a labelled doorbell for each room, now positioned outside the main entrance, on the left of the door frame. When you arrive to drop your child off or collect at your session time, please press the bell for the correct room and wait outside. A member of the team will come down and invite you in. We ask all parents/carers to stick to your session times as much as possible and please call on the day if you are going to be late or collecting early. We have a new attendance policy which we will be sharing very soon, this states late collection charges will apply for those collecting late on a regular basis.
Government Funding
The free Government funding for working parents of children the term after they are 9 months of age is increasing from 15 hours to 30 hours per week from the new academic year, September 2025.In light of this we will be offering stretched funding from September onwards for children eligible for 30 hours. The maximum hours a child can do each week to stretch their funding across the 50 weeks we are open is 22.75 hours. Please email and let me know if you are wanting to stretch your funding or are looking at the term time option only. I will then be able to work out your total weekly charges for meals and let you know if you are required to top up your sessions over the funded hours. Together we can work out the best and most feasible option for your family.
Closure weeks
We are reducing our closure weeks in the new academic year 2025/2026 from 3 weeks to 2 weeks. This means we will now only be closed 1 week at the end of the summer term (August) and 1 week over Christmas and New Year. Dates will be confirmed in September.The new academic year will start on Monday 8th September 2025. Please note Thursday 4th September and Friday 5th September will be inset days for Nursery School and Childcare so both will be closed for staff training.
Thank you for your understanding and we can’t wait to see you in nursery very soon!
Kind Regards,
Charly Manley (Childcare Manager) and Nicola Brown (Head Teacher)
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Funding Reminder - 30 hour code
Tue 25 Mar 2025Funding Reminder - 30 hour code
A reminder about funding codes and cut off dates for our families that access 30 hours working parent funding.
HMRC Code Cut-off Dates: Please be reminded where parents have not applied for an HMRC working family entitlement code before the deadline date of 31 March 2025, they will not be able to access the entitlement funding for the following term - in this case summer 2025 term.
Parents are responsible to ensure their details are up to date through their childcare account every three months
