Information Pages

Our latest Ofsted report :  APRIL 2023 OFSTED REPORT

Please find detailed information about how we care for your children and details about the daily running of our Nursery. For other information hover on the tab to list the options below.

 Key Person Approach

Children thrive from a base of a loving and secure relationships. This is the aim of the Key Person to build this strong caring environment whereby each child feels safe and cared for. A key person is a named member of staff with responsibilities for a small group of children, who they observe and recorded their developing milestones in a learning journey (profiles). The Key Person nurture’s all areas of a child’s development, helping and supporting milestones such as toileting and dressing.

Your child’s key person will be a familiar figure who is accessible and available for the child and yourselves. It is paramount for us to work in partnership to provide all around care for you child, so please do not hesitate in raising any worries you may have as we are here to work together and help.  It is important that if you child has any specific learning requirements you inform your Key Person and Julie. This can include allergies as we have an allergy board highlighting any specific needs for your child.

The Key person will be assigned to your child before or on their first day to offer that supporting relationship to build from the start. However, on occasion this can change due to your child naturally bonding with another Key Person or if a staff member leaves. In both occasions the new Key Person will be assigned because they are the closest member of the team to your child. If any changes are made you will be spoken to, or if you have any queries you can raise this with any member of the team.

Learning Journeys (Profiles)

At the Chelsfield Pre-School and Nursery we use learning journey’s as a visual evidence that each child is achieving developmental stages in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2017). The profiles will be made from written observations observed in the setting by all members of the team and photo’s of the child’s achievements. Each profile is done over two months, analysed using the EYFS (2017) providing Next Steps to support your child’s on going journey of development.

Your Child’s First Day

Welcoming your child to our Pre-School/Nursery is a privilege as it will be a milestone in their education and learning.  Every child is different when joining a new setting, we understand this time can be worrying and exciting all in one. To help ease this transition we offer the opportunity for you and your child to meet the team and get familiar with the setting.

On the day of your child joining, your welcome to join us for a couple of morning session to help settle your child, showing them where their peg is, where the nappy/toilet room is and modelling to them this is a safe environment. If the child can see you playing and joining in activities on that day it should help to show them this is an environment where it’s safe, that they can play and enjoy themselves. After this time though it is best for you to leave your child to allow them to develop their own relationships with the team without you.

What to bring with you

We encourage you to bring a bag and coat with you each day for your child. In your bag please provide the relevant for your child: Nappies, Wet wipes, serval spare pairs of pants/kickers, serval leggings/trousers and socks. This is particularly important when your child starts potty training.

Clothing

We do not have a Uniform, but we do ask children do not come into school with laced up shoes, no dresses, skirts, or skinny jeans as this can limit their ability to play and/or can be time consuming for staff changing your child.

Home Time Procedure

In the mornings when dropping off your child, (9:15am) you are welcome to come in, hang up coats/bags and say goodbye to your child, however this is different from our home time procedure. For Pre-Schoolers collecting at 12:15pm, we will get your children ready for home time and bring your children to the door, you will not be able to enter the building unless you need to speak to a member of staff. This is to maintain the routine for the Nursery children staying.

Collection Consent Forms/ Holidays during Term time

When joining the setting it is encouraged to share photos of people who will be collecting your child, for example grandparents, childminders, this is about our safeguarding commitment to you child. Furthermore, if on occasion you have arranged a different person to collect your child, we encourage the use of a password. This is chosen by the parent/carer and shared with us and the person collecting, as well as the name of the person collecting.

If you chose to take your child on holiday during term time, you will still need to make your normal payments. Before going on holiday please inform the Nursery/Pre-school as this will need to be recorded in our attendance book, otherwise you will receive phone calls asking why your child isn’t present at Nursery/Pre-School.

Late

If you are running late, please contact us (01689 853183) as it can become very distressing for the child not knowing where you are. As a part of our policies if you are running late there will be a fee as it means staff have to stay later. You can also arrange over the phone, a change of collection. Please confirm a chosen password and the name of the person who will be collecting. The password would be for the Nursery and the person collecting to identify they are the correct person.

Sickness, Medication and Accidents

There is always a member of staff with relevant First Aid/Paediatric Qualification on site and a up to date first aid box on premises at all times. If an accident or incident occurs we recorded this on a sheet which logs the date, time, staff member who observed it and the details, which is then shared with you the parent/carer and the signed and stored in a secure cupboard.

If your child is ill during the day at Pre-School/Nursery we will contact you or your emergency numbers provided on the registration form, to come and collect them to prevent others from catching any illness. We ask that if your child has been ill with Sickness or Diarrhoea that you do not bring them into the setting for 48hours after the Sickness/Diarrhoea has stopped this is to prevent the spread of infection.

If your child becomes ill, please can you contact us as we record all sicknesses in a log, if you forget Theresa will phone you to ask why your child isn’t, recording the conversation in the attendance book. This also applies to if your child has any medical problems we need to be made aware of.

Term dates for pre-school

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