We join Wolverhampton primary school as it gets musical for World Nursery Rhyme Week

Those catchy tunes we learned as youngsters never leave us - as much as you may desperately want them to when they are stuck in your head.

Along with schools across the globe, the songs will fill Elston Hall Primary School in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, over the next few days as part of World Nursery Rhyme Week.

I took a trip to the school, which forms part of the Elston Hall Learning Trust, on Monday (November 11) morning to find out what the initiative was all about. 

Upon walking through the doors, I was greeted by Early Years Phase Leader and Reception Teacher Ciara Burns, who had taken the form of an alien, complete with green face paint and a tutu. 

She wasn't the only one who donned an impressive costume, with all of the children in Nursery and Reception dressed inspired by their favourite nursery rhyme. 

A Hickory Dickory Clock, a Humpty Dumpty and Itsy Bitsy Spider - with all eight legs - were just some of the outfits worn by youngsters at the school, as they happily sang nursery rhymes in the classroom.

The children started out their day 'parading' around the school, showcasing their impressive clothes to the rest of the school goers before having a virtual sing-a-long with pupils from the other four schools which form part of the Elston Hall Learning Trust.

And it was only natural that I joined in on the fun and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - though sadly without a fun costume of my own.

Miss Burns first signed the school up to take part in World Nursery Rhyme Week four years ago to help promote the role the songs play in a child's learning and has continued to do so ever since.

She said: "If a child knows eight nursery rhymes by the time they leave the Early Years phase they are most likely to succeed in their maths and literacy by the time they get to Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. 

"Everything that is on the curriculum can be covered through nursery rhymes. It [promotes] great language skills for the children, it gives confidence for children who come in with no English, they can repeat words so it gives them confidence in learning new words as well.

"...Although we do use nursery rhymes throughout the year, we use this week to promote it, get the parents involved, get the other schools involved and just make sure children know the importance of it."

Miss Burns said Early Years staff are able to notice a difference in the children who start at the school and have been exposed to nursery rhymes.

The teacher, who has worked at Elston Hall Primary for the past four years, added: "The children who come to us already knowing nursery rhymes are the children that perform better. 

"If we get it right and we expose all the children to the nursery rhymes, then we do see it throughout the school."

The youngsters will spend the rest of the week taking part in activities including completing an arts and crafts project inspired by a nursery rhyme - and of course continuing to showcase their singing skills.