PORTLAND HOUSE PARENT NEWSLETTER SPRING TERM 2026

As we enter the transitional in-between period from winter into spring the children are already starting to notice the changes taking shape in their outdoor environments igniting their curiosity and wonder. This time of year is a wonderful opportunity for nurturing those observational skills in young children as the season is a sensory rich transition filled with new life, vibrant colours and warmer longer daylight days 

Don't forget our regular Stay and Play's which give you an opportunity to join in with your child's activities, talk to staff and meet other parents I look forward to meeting all the new families that have joined us. 

Dates for your diary

School Applications for Sept 2026 – On Wednesday 16th April, parents will find out which school they have been allocated for September 2026. Once you have received your confirmation of school allocation please can you inform your child’s key person in order for us to effectively plan their school transition.

Staff Training Day – Friday 24th April 2026, all sites across Portland Nurseries will be closed for Staff training day. It is vital for us to take these opportunities to ensure all staff across the Portland nurseries group stay up to date with changes and ensure high quality care and education is continuous throughout our nurseries.

Stay and Play events

As always we have our monthly stay and play’s, which provide you with the opportunity to join us with your child in nursery to meet other parents, chat with your child’s key person and of course join in with some fun activities with your child. Our Stay and Play dates for April and May are as below;

Thursday 23rd  April (10.00am –11.00) Babies- St Georges Day

Wednesday 1st April (4:15pm-5:15pm) Toddlers – Welcoming Spring- Easter Themed activities

Wednesday 22nd April (4:30pm-5:30pm) Preschool – Earth Day

Monday 13th May (3.30pm-4.30pm) – Babies Spring picnic (details to follow for booking tickets)

Tuesday 19th May (2.15-3.15pm) Toddlers – Green Fingers & nature activities

Monday 11th May (9.30-10.30am) Preschool- Phonics

Nursery Closure Dates

Friday 24th April – Staff Training Day 

Friday 3rd April and Monday 6th April – Easter Bank Holiday

Monday 4th May –Early May Bank Holiday

Monday 25th May –Spring Bank Holiday

Monday 31st August –Summer Bank Holiday

Upcoming Events

Friday 20th March - Red Nose day – We will be joining in this year’s Red Nose Day fundraising event raising some smiles and money for this great cause. Everyone is invited to wear something red or just a Red Nose for a donation of £2.  Raffle tickets will also be on sale for £1.00 a ticket and will be available to buy in the run up to the event.

This year we will be exploring the “red” theme and enjoying some fun-filled activities both in and outdoors and getting creative in the kitchen.  Families will also have an opportunity to purchase some of the children’s home-baked culinary delights on the day.

If you are not in nursery on Friday 20th March, we would still love for our children and parents to join in the fun at home.  We would also be delighted to see your photos if you could please upload them onto Parent Zone.  

Monday 30th March – Thursday 2nd  April – Easter

Children will be exploring different Easter activities, Crafts and learning all about the origin of Easter, as well as baking some Easter treats in our cooking club.

Tuesday 1st April – April fool’s day

Children will be showcasing their favourite jokes to their friends, getting involved in silly activities and playing harmless tricks on the staff members.

Wednesday 1st  April – National Walk Day

Children at nursery will celebrate National Walk Day by enjoying a fun outdoor walk, exploring nature, and learning about the benefits of staying active

Friday 11th April – Big Wind day

Children will be learning all about the effects of wind, observing and experimenting with wind and making wind ourselves.

Tuesday 22nd April – Earth Day

Linking in with our ‘Eco-Schools@ project the children will be learning all about the earth and how we can use methods learnt to protect and help the earth such as sustainable foods, recycling and energy wastage.

Wednesday 23rd April – St George’s day

Children will be learning about St George as well as getting involved in various dragon themed activities/arts & crafts.

Tuesday 29th April – International dance day

Children will be showing off their best dance moves with the Dance-athon with the staff team.

Staff News

Congratulations to Mandeep as she celebrates the completion of  her level 3 Early Years Educator qualification with Distinction, just in time for preparing to start her maternity leave as she looks forward to welcoming her 2nd child in June. Mandeep will be starting her maternity leave in May and we are all very much looking forward to meeting her new baby.

We welcome Jackie who has started her apprentice journey at Portland House and is currently enjoying her initial induction month gaining experience working across the different age groups until she transitions to Oakwood in April. 

Sadly we say goodbye to Louise who has made the decision not to return to work just yet after her maternity leave and will be staying at home with her little girl. We hope to see her as she pops in from time to time and should she decide to resume her role in the future.

Congratulations to Bethany who has taken on the role of 3rd in charge at Portland House which is a step up in her professional development.

Congratulations to Kirsty who celebrated her 20 year Milestone on Friday 13th March working for Portland Nurseries, she joins the 20 year club along with Clara and Nichola who have also attained this milestone year together with Julie who has done 30 years they collectively have over 100 years of experience working in the childcare sector. Kirsty was showered with gifts from the company and beautiful cards made by the children. The preschool children were thrilled to celebrate Kirsty turning ‘20’!! 

Project Updates

We are also pleased to begin introducing the Think Equal programme with our preschool children. This initiative focuses on supporting children’s social and emotional development by helping them to recognise, understand and express their feelings, while also building empathy, kindness and respect for others. Through stories, discussions and activities, the programme encourages children to develop important life skills such as self-awareness, resilience and positive relationships. We look forward to rolling this out with our preschool group and supporting children in developing strong foundations for their emotional wellbeing and learning. Kirsty will be leading this project and there will be activities she will share for you to do with your child to strengthen their learning at home.

Learning focus at the moment

 Babies 1

This term the babies celebrated Lunar new year enjoying ‘Holi’ activities exploring and experimenting with colour. During this spring term they will be exploring the changing world around them and will be using their 5 senses through a range of sensory and messy play activities in both their indoor and outdoor environments. The babies have been participating in the new Maths Champion project by learning their numbers through auditory and visual ways such as singing many nursery rhymes and reading books. Babies in the incoming weeks will be enhancing their language, by exploring different animals and their habitats such as shaving foam for white snow and water play for the sea.  Recently the babies have been taking part in World Book Day dressing up as their favourite characters and have enjoyed reading lots of stories along the way. We have also enjoyed having a tea party Stay and Play for Mother’s Day.

Babies 2

This term babies 2 will be doing lots of spring time activities. We have planned lots of Easter art including making and decorating our own Easter crowns. We will also have lots of activities around ' new life' including planting spring bulbs and seeds, and will be talking and reading books about mummy and baby animals including our baby brothers and sisters too as our families are growing!

Toddlers

The toddlers have been showing a keen interest in books and stories, we have been bringing books to life during our sensory play activities where they have been able to retell their favourite books. We did ‘Going on a bear hunt’ using leaves, sticks, mud, grass, snow, water, a cave with little people and a bear at the end. Our book club have been focusing on the ‘Scarecrows wedding’ where we made our own scarecrow people, rings, bells, pink flowers and white dress of feathers like in the story. As we approach Spring we will hopefully be spending more time in the garden transforming our 'toddler allotment' while learning about growing and planting. We will be planting seeds, bulbs and plants taking time to care for them and having discussions around how we can help them to grow and get bigger before harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs for us to taste and use in cooking. The children will have opportunities for developing their own green fingers using tools, watering cans and getting stuck in with their hands. We will be reading books about how to care for the garden, exploring wildlife by going on bug hunts and making our own bird feeders. We will also be learning about new life outside of nursery talking lots about farm animals, lambs, chicks, piglets and bunnies. We would love for any parents to share photos on parents zone of the children visiting the farm or going on nature trails.

Preschool

Up and coming in preschool the children will be exploring another change in season. Preschool will be identifying the changes of transition from Winter to Spring! We will be looking at changes in the weather, plants and even the animals, and insects, that might be sneaking out of hibernation. In phonics the preschool children will be progressing to look at rhythm and rhyme. Working on identifying our sounds through body percussion and familiar rhyming patterns. Throughout this, Preschool will continue to develop their skills in Music, Rugby and French. Whilst working hard to become even closer to being school ready.

 Fun club

Over the next term in Fun Club we will be looking at spring and starting to prepare for garden club, in which the children will help to create and care for an edible garden. We have also been exploring music and are continuing to expand on this with the children using different instruments and writing their own songs!

Outdoor Focus

Our outdoor focus will centre on observing the changes in the seasons as we transition from winter into spring. Children will be encouraged to explore the outdoor environment, noticing signs of new growth such as budding plants, flowers beginning to bloom and changes in the weather. Through outdoor play, nature walks and hands-on activities, we will support children in developing their curiosity about the natural world while learning about how seasons change and how we can care for our environment as spring approaches.

Outdoor Workshop Learning

Our ‘nurturing nature group’ lead by Alannah will resume on Tuesday the 7th April at 4.30pm when the evenings start to get lighter. They will take place bi- weekly and family members are welcome too. 

If anybody would like to borrow some Nurturing Nature Home Learning Bags, please see Alannah in the baby room.

If there are any parents or family members that are green fingered and would be interested in helping us with the gardening club for the children or coming along to learn new skills please can you contact the office or speak to your child’s key worker.

Safeguarding

Mobile Phones

Please can I remind parents that the use of mobile phones on nursery premises is strictly prohibited, you must not take any photographs or videos at nursery or at any nursery events. Using your mobile phone breaks the statutory welfare requirements and is also a breach of safeguarding policies to which we must all adhere.

Car Seats 

The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is our highest priority. We would like to remind all families of the legal and safety requirements regarding the use of appropriate car seats when transporting children to and from nursery.

All children must be secured in a suitable, properly fitted car seat that meets current safety regulations. This is not only a legal requirement, but a critical measure to protect children from serious injury in the event of an accident.

Please be advised that if a staff member observes a child arriving at or leaving the nursery without being secured in an appropriate car seat, this will be reported in line with safeguarding procedures. In such circumstances, we will not release the child until a suitable car seat is provided to ensure their safe journey.

We understand that situations can occasionally arise unexpectedly; however, children’s safety cannot be compromised. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for all children.

Further information

Lost and Found Property

We kindly request your cooperation in labelling your child's belongings, including shoes, clothes, hats and other personal items. Clear labelling with your child's name will help ensure that everything is returned to its rightful owner. This simple step will save time and minimise any potential mix-ups. Please check the Lost and Found property boxes periodically to retrieve any misplaced items.

Spring Outdoor Clothing

During the chillier months, please ensure your child has suitable clothing to participate comfortably in all aspects of outdoor play that are all clearly labelled with their name and that can be kept at nursery.

We would kindly request that you bring a warm fleece to wear under the outdoor coats and a pair of wellingtons for participating in outdoor play. 

Nursery Fee Payment Reminder

A reminder that all payments must reach our bank account before the 1st of each month this includes all childcare vouchers, Tax Free Childcare Payments and Direct Debits. Any parents paying by SLC with need to pay their monthly top up amount by 1st also. Please note that payments usually take 3-4 business days to reach our account.

Any payments received after 1st of the month will incur a £25 late payment charge and continued failure to pay will be charged at a daily rate of 8% of the outstanding balance.

Holiday/leavers Dates

Please can you inform the office of your upcoming holiday dates, celebrations days. For the children who will be leaving for a September school transition please note a calendar months’ notice is required.