In June 2025 we celebrated the successful opening of our Specialist Provision Class.  As a school we are very proud to be able to provide nursery places for children with Severe Learning Difficulties from our local communities.  We are the first, and only, nursery school in the Ards and North Down area to offer this provision.

We are delighted to have been awarded the Tiny Learners Award by TinyLife.  As a whole school we are committed to success for all of our children.  The Tiny Learners Award raises awareness of the impact of prematurity on development and learning. Supporting pupils who have been born prematurely or who start life in a neonatal unit, to reach their full educational potential.  The programme has enabled us to develop a learning experience that works for our setting and pupils who have been born pre-term and their families, creating a supportive culture and awareness of their birth story and potential support needs throughout their educational journey. 

Our school was recently featured in the Ards Chronicle celebrating our successes and awards. The whole staff team worked together to achieve a Makaton Silver Award (child sign language), Autism Impact Award, Eco School Green Flag Award and at the Families First event, we were honoured to be presented with 'Inspirational Nursery School of the Year for Northern Ireland'. 

We are delighted to have been recognised as an official Forest School by the Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA).  The school won an award to train alongside NIFSA, running Forest School sessions both in our own school grounds and at Londonderry Park.  Mrs Dunne and Miss Rutledge completed the Forest School Leader qualification as part of the training and says the benefits for the children in the Nursery School have been fantastic. 

 

“The children love the Forest School sessions, many children haven’t had experiences like these before; regularly playing in a Forest environment, using woodwork tools and cooking on campfires, especially at such a young age.  We have seen children’s interests in nature and the world around them grow, along with the wellbeing benefits of fresh air, physical activity and connecting with nature.”

 

Parents have also welcomed the regular inclusion of Forest School sessions in the school’s timetable. "My Son is an outdoor child and absolutely loved forest schools. He was in both Londonderry Park and Mount Stewart. His enthusiasm after these days was a joy to see, I feel this really helped him to find his voice and learn boundaries and how to take risks safely. I also feel he had the freedom to explore and has grow in confidence so much. I as a parent think in this day and age, it is so important for my children to appreciate nature and the world around us and what we can do to look after it. Absolutely the key to this nursery!"

 

“We are delighted to be able to offer Forest School activities to both of our classes in the Nursery School.  We would like to thank North Down and Ards Council for the funding to complete the award and NIFSA for the training, support and guidance in establishing our school as an official Forest School.”

After lots of hard work by our Eco Committee, led by Miss Rutledge, we are delighted to announce that Newtownards Nursery School has been awarded Eco Schools Green Flag Status.  This is 'an international accreditation that has recognised and rewarded young people’s environmental actions for over 25 years.'