Meet our Teacher


Miss C Jordan

Nursery Manager

Welcome To Happy Hares!

We work hard as a team to ensure children feel safe, valued and nurtured within the Nursery environment. There are lots of opportunities for children to learn through play, which we believe gives them the best start to their school life. Some of the learning environments we have to offer include: sand and water, construction, a creative area and a very cosy reading corner. These areas give children plenty of opportunities to practise their early writing and maths skills. 

At Happy Hares Nursery at Upper Arley CofE Primary school we aim to educate the whole child and to ensure children are happy, healthy and fulfil their potential in terms of development of skills for life, social and moral values and academic success.

Our Early Years curriculum offers stimulating and creative play with a focus on the Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, and Communication and Language areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum as set out by the Department for Education.

In order to develop well rounded, happy children, Happy Hares Nursery offers:

• A small family feel nursery, where children are at the centre of all we do.

• Experienced Early Years practitioners.

• Stimulating and creative play, with a focus on Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, and Communication and Language.

• Opportunities to develop these skills in the outdoors as well as the indoors.

• Strong links between Nursery and the Foundation Stage classroom, to aid transition into Reception at Upper Arley seamlessly.

• Weekly Forest School led by an experienced Forest School Leader.

• Stimulating and inviting outdoor area, which is used daily for learning and continuous provision.

• Opportunities to develop a healthy lifestyle with exercise, outdoor play and lots of action songs and dancing.

Our Day

• 9am-12pm Session 1

• 12pm-3pm Session 2

Foundation Stage Curriculum

This is the curriculum for children prior to and including the reception year in school. The focus is on ensuring children develop in a safe environment that supports their well-being, social skills and increased personal independence. Skills and knowledge are developed through relevant and enjoyable play and experiences.

Children have the opportunity to experience:

• Forest School – in our Forest School area, where children den build, create toys and art from natural materials, run, balance and climb and cook on fires in the outdoors, our favourite is toast.

• Outdoor play – mixing and making in the mud kitchen, large drawings in the sheltered outdoor area with chalk and an easel to paint on.

• Indoor play – using role play to explore the familiar world and engage in creative activities such as painting and junk modelling.

• Storytime and teaching sessions – opportunities to engage with quality texts, learn rhymes and poems and play with language as well as developing fine motor through WriteDance and ‘Dough Disco’, Maths, Phonics, Communication and Language and the all-important ‘listening’ ready for school.

• Singing and music – exploring their sense of rhythm and enjoyment of diverse types of music as well as a weekly music session with the reception children.

Please contact Happy Hares for further details via email at happyhares@upperarleycofeschool.org We look forward to hearing from you.


Want to see what we are learning this summer? Download the file below and have a read!