Early Years
welcome to the early years page
We will be holding open evenings for 2024 places on the following dates:
Thursday 12th October 2023 @6pm – 7pm
Thursday 4th January 2024 @6pm – 7pm
If you would like to attend either of these events, please do let the office staff know by emailing office@jewell-
Early Years education at Jewell Academy
At Jewell Academy, your child will be encouraged to start their educational journey in a way that best suits them whilst having fun doing so.
We nurture our students through their time at Pre-school and Reception to ensure that the start of their education journey is a positive, fulfilling and inclusive experience.
Our Early Years curriculum embeds the three guiding principles of the Aspirations Academies Trust: self-worth, engagement and purpose. There is a focus on learning through play and children are encouraged to learn independently and be driven by their own curiosities and creativity.
Facilities
The Early Years department at Jewell Academy is large, bright and airy providing plenty of indoor and outdoor space. Our Early Years environment is well resourced and includes: two large airy classrooms, a shared base area showcasing our Early Years Library and an enclosed garden space. We have recently developed our outside area to include an integrated water and pebble play space and a large bespoke wooden play trail. The garden also includes a growing area and lots of opportunities for sand and water play as well as physical activities such as a mud kitchen and bikes and trikes trail.
Our beautiful environment supports and encourages the children to become inquisitive and enthusiastic learners offering real-world and authentic experiences across all areas of the curriculum.
Our Nursery and Reception children thrive in the Early Years setting provided at Jewell and are happy and excited to come to school. We strongly believe that there is no limit to what our children can achieve.
Scroll down to find out more & how to apply.
Jellyfish Stay and Play (for new starters only)
HOw can your child Apply for a place at Jewell Academy?
Jellyfish Pre-school
We welcome children to attend Pre-school from the beginning of the term after their third birthday. They can attend for 15 hours or 30 hours per week depending on eligibility. Please see links below for further Government information on eligibility. https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare
https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds
We strongly advise that parents / carers place their children’s names on our waiting list as soon as possible. ‘Stay and Play’ sessions are held 3 times per year for new starters to help them settle into their surroundings. These are held in November (for January starters), January (for April starters) and May (for September starters). We welcome all applications and are always pleased to offer tours of our fantastic facilities to new parents. Please contact Sarah Lowe, Admissions Manager at office@jewell-aspirations.org for more information.
Reception places (EARLy Years)
We welcome children into Reception from the September following their fourth birthday. We love to show our new families our inspiring learning environment and offer informal open evenings for prospective families in October and January.
Families who have confirmed a place are also offered the opportunity to attend our ‘Welcome to Reception’ evening in June. We know how excited our new children are to start school and offer an additional ‘Stay and Play’ session in July for children to explore their new classrooms. In September, a gradual start to school is offered; children have the opportunity to receive a home visit from their teachers, followed by a week of half-day ‘settling in sessions’, before starting their full-time learning journey at Jewell Academy.