The best photo of the week will win 30 worth of children'sbooks
PEOPLE AND PLACES
Busy being inspected
Grangetown Nursery School in Cardiff has passed its recent Estyninspection with flying colours, gaining a maximum of seven Grade 1marks, the equivalent of Ofsted's outstanding. Inspectors noted thatsome children were so engrossed in their daily activities that theypolitely but assertively explained to practitioners who enquired abouttheir work that they didn't have time to talk now.
Head teacher Jan Comrie said, 'The whole school community is elated withthe outcome of the recent full Estyn inspection. The report confirms theschool's commitment to giving every child the flying start theydeserve.'
Reflective practice
Babies at Strawberry Hill Nursery in Edinburgh have been enjoyinglearning how to imitate others, mimicking facial expressions and usingtheir bodies to recreate experiences. Nursery manager Farina Tavasoliansaid, 'We provide imaginative opportunities for babies to exploremovement and materials that use all the senses. Our newly opened sensoryroom has provided lots of advantages for young babies to observe,explore and mirror.'
EVENTS
- Up For Reading
Nurseries, schools, families and support groups are invited to take partin this year's Up For Reading campaign, a sponsored reading event fromnow until the summer. The campaign, backed by leading children's authorssuch as Quentin Blake and Lucy Cousins of Maisy fame, will raise fundsfor Down Syndrome Education International.
Schools organising Up For Reading events can choose to keep up to aquarter of the proceeds for their own use.
Order a fundraising pack, including sponsorship forms, posters andstickers at www.upforreading.org, on 023 9285 5330 or by e-mail atenquiries@up-for-reading.org.
- Dads dash
Fathers are invited to take part in Barnado's Dads Dash, a 5km familyrun in London's Hyde Park on 8 February, sponsored by the Royal MailGroup.
Tim Lovejoy of BBC2's 'Something for the Weekend' said, 'Barnardo's DadsDash is all about the family getting involved in fitness, fundraisingand, most importantly, spending time together'.
Runners can register athttp://challenges.barnardos.org.uk/index.php/challenges/dads_dash_2009or e-mail events@barnardos.org.uk.
- Red Noses
Early years settings can do something funny for money for this year'sRed Nose Day, Friday 13 March. There are three new recyclable noses tochoose from, which can be ordered in bulk using the Red Nose DepositScheme. For the first time this year, schools and early years settingscan choose how their fundraising money is spent in helping childrenacross Africa.
Order a free early years Mr Men and Little Miss themed activity pack,which includes a storybook to help children learn about life in Africa,at www.rednoseday.com/do_something/early_years_group, or e-mailschools@rednoseday.com or phone 020 7820 5555.
- Photo of the week - Children from the pre-school room at Little AcornsDay Nursery in Gomersal, West Yorkshire, celebrated National Potato Dayon 19 January by making potato art prints. They also enjoyed bakingpotato scones, and to understand where potatoes come from, they plantedsome of their own.
