Our special Easter Bunny hopped around the nursery today, leaving lots of delicious Easter eggs for everyone to find!

There was great excitement as we actually spotted the Bunny in action—what a magical moment for the children!

A wonderful day filled with fun, surprise and lots of happy smiles 

We had a fantastic day on our trip to the Fun Farm in Lisbellaw.

The children enjoyed petting the rabbits, guinea pigs, goats and ponies.

The children loved feeding the hens, ducks and turkeys. They fed the ponies, horses and donkeys. They also fed the pigs and goats.

They were able to get close to lots of the animals. They groomed the rabbits and guinea pigs as well as the Shetland ponies.

The barn with its indoor play area proved a hit. 

We finished our visit with a lovely picnic lunch together and played in the park, making it a truly special day full of fun, learning and fresh air

The Minister for Education in Northern Ireland, Paul Givan, came to Co Fermanagh on Wednesday 25th March and visited a number of different schools.

He visited Enniskillen Nursery School.

He was met by Mrs Humphreys (Executive Principal) and Ms Liz McVey (Chairperson of the Board of Governors) and pupils Alexandra Deller (Fox Class) and Nel O’Hare (Squirrel Class).

Two little guardsmen, Jack Sharpe and Sebb McFarland (Fox Class) proudly dressed in their guards uniforms welcomed the Minister at the front door and following the changing of the guards, Hugo Johnston and Daniel Stevenson (Squirrel Class) took up their positions.

We didn't have much notice but we quickly worked out a half hour itinerary. This included the opening of our polytunnel. 

During the visit, the Minister recognised the dedication of our staff, the lovely pupils and the inclusive, nurturing environment we strive to create each day. He loved our outdoor playground and was utterly impressed with our new polytunnel, Mr McGregor's Garden.

Our very own little guardsmen looking so smart in their red and black uniforms.

Absolutely adorable! The smartest guys in town!

Four little guardsmen, one, two, three, four,

Standing so smart by the nursery door.

Red buttoned jackets, heads held high,

Waving a welcome as he walked by!

We had the changing of the guard too!

Did you notice?

During his visit, the Minister for Education in Northern Ireland, Mr Paul Givan, spent time in both our Fox and Squirrel Classes. 

He took the time to talk, genuinely listen to the children and to play and engage with them in their learning.

The children were delighted to show them their art work, counting, towers and tadpoles.

The children loved having him play in the sand with them. 

Some had painted or given him and Easter egg to take home.

He had sand poured into his hand, a frog in his hair- all in the life of a day in a nursery school.

We were delighted to mark the official opening of our new Mr McGregor's Garden during a very special visit from the Minister for Education in Northern Ireland, Mr Paul Givan. It was the perfect opportunity for the Minister to open our polytunnel and see first-hand just how busy our little gardeners have been. From planting to caring for our growing garden, the children have shown such acre and enthusiasm. 

We had a beautiful ECO themed balloon arch and Mr Givan cut through the ribbon with the help of Theo and Abbie. Their daddies came along too. Inside the polytunnel, Mr Givan planted a fig tree and two children Theo Finlay (Fox Class) and Abbie Potter (Squirrel Class) planted strawberry plants to grow around the base of the fig tree. 

This was a truly special moment for our school community and served as a fitting celebration of our expanding outdoor provision.

Our school owes a heartfelt debt of gratitude to one of our grandparents, Peter Biczkowski. His tireless efforts have been instrumental in the development of Mr McGregor’s Garden. He has constructed the garden beds, installed the window openings, and ensured a steady supply of water by connecting our water butts to the downpipes and bringing water to the garden. His invaluable support has greatly enhanced our outdoor learning environment and helped create a welcoming and sustainable space for all.

Thank you to Mrs Tummon and her father for the lovely sign. Thank you to Mrs McBride for spear-heading this wonderful project.

A lovely moment for our nursery and a wonderful way to celebrate all the hard work taking place outdoors.

Mr Givan was shown the sensory room where two pupils, Ashley Graydon (Squirrel Class) and Logan McBurnie (Fox Class) showed the Minister some of their favourite activities.

Mr Givan congratulated the school on being awarded its Autism NI’s Impact Award for Education Award (2026-29).

Autism NI Impact Award for Education

Enniskillen Nursery School has recently achieved Autism NI’s Impact Award for Education (2026-2029), demonstrating our commitment to inclusion for autistic and neurodivergent pupils and their families.

Staff received tailored training from Autism NI and implemented a bespoke action plan of adjustments across the school, to build a more inclusive environment. 

Autism NI’s Director of Development, Christine Kearney said “We are delighted that Enniskillen Nursery has achieved the Impact Award. Through their training and action plan, the school has implemented a range of practical and meaningful changes to promote accessibility. By achieving the Impact Award, they have shown a clear commitment to building an inclusive culture for their pupils.”

Staff have also undertaken TEACCH Training; the Education Authority’s Social, Behavioural, Emotional, Wellbeing and Neurodiversity Training; ASD Tiers 1 and 2 Training; training on Developing a CALM Plan. They are about to embark on training with an OT specialising in Autism, Sensory Integration and Attention Autism on Monday 2^nd March 2026.

Autism NI work alongside autistic people and their families, and build partnerships that champion better understanding, accessibility, and services for our autism community.

Our nursery school provides an inclusive, predictable and nurturing environment where children presenting with an autistic profile are understood, supported and celebrated. Staff use consistent, evidence-based strategies to support communication, emotional regulation and sensory needs, enabling the child to feel safe, confident and ready to learn. Our nursery staff are to be commended.

Of course, Mr Givan wanted to meet the staff. He spoke with them as he walked around and after the event.

He thanked them for all they do in a busy nursery school.

Enniskillen Nursery School has benefited from the £4.5 million NI Pre-School Inclusion Fund, announced by the Minister of Education in November 2025. This is part of the minister’s ongoing commitment to delivering SEN Reform to support the growing number of children requiring additional support in schools.

This funding enabled Enniskillen Nursery School to buy in additional staff, a part time teacher for two days per week during Term 2 and enhanced classroom assistant support. This facilitated targeted interventions for children presenting with social, emotional, behavioural and wellbeing needs, including small group work focused on language development, emotional literacy, regulation strategies, and therapeutic approaches with a story, music, movement and relaxation.

Staff capacity has been strengthened through specialised training, including sensory integration (OT-led), Makaton, and EA training programmes relating to autism, neurodivergence, and social, emotional and behavioural needs. Carefully considered approaches are being implemented effectively in daily practice.

Additional resources, including sensory equipment, funded through parental fundraising, have enhanced the learning environment and are widely accessed by all pupils in our sensory area.

Mrs Humphreys from Enniskillen Nursery School said, ‘Increased funding has enabled the school to respond proactively and flexibly to support diverse needs, leading to improved engagement, self-regulation, communication and wellbeing. The impact of this funding is both significant and far-reaching for our children and the families.’

There was lots of excitement at Toddler Sense as the children enjoyed dancing, music making and having fun together!  Lots of energetic moves and fun!  The slow dancing with our glowsticks was so cool!

We loved beating our drums and hitting the big balls. We had great fun with the blowers and the air blowing our balloons away (and our hairs too!)

Balloons in the air, floating so light, 

Parachute colours, bold and bright.

Blowing and watching them fly up high,

Reaching and Stretching towards the sky.

Drums went tap as we marched along,

Moving our feet to a steady song.

Then gentle music, soft and slow,

With glowing sticks that shimmer and glow.

There is something truly special about welcoming families and loved ones to share in our Come and Play sessions.

It can be an aunt or uncle, a grandparents or our mums or dads.

Families are always well represented. Thank you to our parents who make the effort to come along.

This is a very special time for our little ones.

Our families came to play today,

In our nursery to Stay and Play.

Sharing stories, games and fun,

Special moments for everyone!

Little Green Fingers at Work!

Today we began planting in our brand new polytunnel! 

The children rolled up their sleeves, explored the soil, and carefully planted their seeds with great excitement and curiosity. There were some muddy hands, big smiles, and wonderful conversations about how things grow 

We can’t wait to watch our plants grow and care for them together over the coming weeks.

Dig a little hole, plant it down low,

Cover it up and help it grow.

Water it gently, watch and see,

A  tall yellow sunflower it will be. 

A Special Visit to Fox Class!

We were delighted to welcome Monika the Vet into the Fox Class!

As part of the current vet-themed play area, the children had a wonderful opportunity to learn from a real expert. Monika showed the children how to gently get to know a pet and gain its trust, how to listen carefully to a heartbeat, and even how to carefully put on a bandage.

The children were fully engaged, showing such kindness, curiosity and care — future vets in the making!

At Enniskillen Nursery School, we love bringing real-life experiences into our play to support learning in a meaningful and memorable way.

The sun was shining and our nursery playground was full of superheroes!

Imagination took over as our little heroes were able to zoom, climb, rescue and save the day!

From capes flying in the breeze to acts of kindness and teamwork, it was a joy to see confidence, creativity and friendships shining through.

Superheroes in the playground today,

Flying and zooming in every way. 

Capes in the sunshine, colours so bright, Saving the day with all their might!

If you were there, what would you have been?

ECO Week – Wear Green Day

Today we finished our wonderful ECO Week at Enniskillen Nursery School with our Wear Green Day.

The nursery was filled with so many lovely shades of green — green jumpers, green tops, green hairbands and lots of bright smiles! 

Thank you to all our families for helping the children take part and celebrate caring for our world. Everyone looked fantastic today!

What a lovely way to finish a very special ECO Week.

We all wore green for ECO Day,

To help our world in every way.

Green for trees and grass so bright,

Green for keeping our planet right!

We care for nature, big and small,

Our Eco Day was fun for all!

The children invited someone special to school.

What a beautiful afternoon. 

They had something special to give them. It was lovely to meet new faces.

Thank you to all who came along.

A special person came to school today,

To laugh and learn and join our play.

Together we enjoyed the fun

Thank you for coming everyone!

Chairs all ready, table set.

Happy Faces we won't forget.

We had a delicious Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. 

We loved pulling the crackers and wearing our Christmas hats. 

Thank you to the cooks for a scrumptious dinner!

BIG BEDTIME READ NIGHT

On Thursday evening, we came back to school after dark for our magical Big Bedtime Read.

The school was all lit up with twinkling lights.

When we stepped into our classrooms, the Christmas lights were sparkling, the tree was glowing, and everything felt warm and cosy. We cuddled up with hot chocolate and buttery toast, played a few games, and snuggled in close with our parents and grandparents to share stories and explore lovely books together.

Then we gathered as a whole class for a special story and sang some songs to finish the night.

It was calm, magical, and full of Christmas warmth. 

And just when we thought the night couldn’t get any more special… it was time to go home.

But as we stood up to leave,  we could hear a bell ringing and guess who arrived?

None other than the man himself — Santa Claus!

With his great big warm red coat, matching trousers, and his beautiful snowy beard, he rang his bell and called out a cheerful “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

And what did he bring for us?

A very special bauble — the very one we had painted in nursery a few weeks ago! We had sent them away for some magical finishing touches, and Santa delivered them back to us in person.

We carried them home proudly for our mums and dads to hang on the Christmas tree — our very own nursery bauble, designed and created by us! 

What a night!

Making beautiful memories under twinkling lights, sipping hot chocolate and eating warm buttery toast, playing games, building jigsaws, reading books, and singing Christmas songs.

And to top it all… a special visitor!

Well… it’s officially the start of the Christmas season now! 

We received a huge brown envelope this morning addressed to the Boy and Girls at Enniskillen Nursery. Mrs Humphreys brought us all in together to see who it was from…..oh wow! A special letter from Santa.

The letter said that Santa was dropping us off a Christmas tree for the nursery school but that the baubles for our tree had blown off the sleigh last night and they were in the forest at Castlecoole. Santa included a map to tell us where the baubles were. 

It was a good job that we were going to Castlecoole today!

First of all we had to search for the Christmas tree. We searched up high and we searched down low. It wasn’t in the classrooms nor in our story rooms.  Then we looked out…. and found it… wrapped up in beautiful wrapping paper in the conservatory! 

Oh wow! We had such fun ripping all the paper off… and there was a beautiful Christmas tree. 

We quickly put on our outdoor suits and wellies and got onto the bus. We gave the driver the map so that he knew how to take us to Castlecoole. 

In the car park, so many mums and dads were waiting for us… grandparents too. We told them about our special letter and our Christmas tree back at school.

We walked up to the big house and had lovely warm hot chocolate, gingerbread men and biscuits before setting off on our task… to find the baubles for our tree. 

We looked and looked… and looked and looked… and then suddenly… we noticed them! They were hanging from branches on trees and bushes. Oh my… there were gold ones… and purple ones… and green ones… and pink ones… and sparkly ones.

 
We brought them back to put on our tree at school… but not without a little play in the park first. 

We had a wonderful morning. 

Billy the Brave Lion makes his way to Enniskillen Nursery School

Billy is a brand new brave lion who will be adopted by the children and staff in Enniskillen Nursery School.

Mrs Humphreys had heard about Billy’s release and wanted to meet him.  She felt that he might be just perfect for pupils in the Nursery School.

Today we introduced Billy to a few children and a few members of staff.  He is just adorable.

Billy is a therapeutic, weighted lion.  He can bring calmness and comfort to children who sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed or experience challenges.

He comes along with a lovely story book called  ‘Amber and Billy the Brave Lion’.  It is a story about managing daily overwhelming challenges with courage and cuddles.

He has just been created by Audrey (MUIR TOYS) who accepted Mrs Humphreys’ invitation to Enniskillen Nursery School. He will meet more pupils after our half-term holiday.

Billy is hot off the press and he gives the best hugs and snuggles!

You can find out more about Billy the Lion at Muir Toys - Enhancing Sensory Well-Being with SensorySoothe

Morning in the Nursery School where the proceeds were going to Marie Curie. We were delighted with the number of people who attended.  Our visitors were treated to a delicious spread of homemade bran muffins, traybakes, breads, cakes and traybakes, all kindly baked by our wonderful families and friends. The room was filled with warm conversation and that comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Thank you all who joined us including staff from Enniskillen Model Primary School. We raised £500 for Marie Curie. Your generosity made a difference. This was a lovely community event in support of a truly worthwhile cause.

Marie Curie provides a end of life care for people, whatever their illness. They are there for anyone living with any illness that they are likely to die from, and those close to them. They support the family and give them much need rest in those tough days. They provide free palliative and end of life care, information and support. 

The children from Enniskillen Nursery School enjoyed their first trip on a bus with their friends as they set off for a wonderful Autumn Walk at Castlecoole. 

Excitement filled the air as they left school and travelled on the big blue and white bus, waving out of the windows and chatting about what they might see.

Once there, the children delighted in exploring the Beech Wood- walking through crunchy leaves, feeling the autumnal carpet under their feet and collecting acorns, conkers and colourful leaves. It was a day full of discovery, laughter as they sprinkled lots of leaves on top of Mrs Humphreys and learning about the beauty of the changing seasons.  They made a warm nest for the hedgehog.

They had wonderful fun in the new playpark.