Policies

Special Educational needs and Disability

As part of our nurseries policy is to make sure that its provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any special educational needs or disability a child may have. Where a child is identified as needing extra support, we will involve the Special Educational Need Co-ordinator, the child’s key person and the parents/carers. We aim to make any reasonable adjustments required by individual children or parents. Should the SENCO, key person and particularly the parent decide the child needs further support then outside agencies will be contacted as appropriate.

Safeguarding children

Our setting has a duty under law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual physical harm. Our employment practices ensure children against the likelihood of abuse at our nursery and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.

Our way of working with children and their parents ensures we are aware of any problems that may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies when necessary. We have a duty under law to inform other agencies directly, if we could be putting the child at risk by informing family first.

Feeding time at the Swiss Cottage Nursery.

~The dietary requirements of each child must be filled in on their registration form, including any allergies or intolerance to foods. We ensure perishable contents of packed lunches/snacks are refrigerated. Children may bring in fruit , rice cakes, chopped vegetables to share with the other children, the children and staff prepare the fruit/vegetables so that it is pleasing to the eye and cut into small pieces. Staff sit with children at snack and all meal times, it is a social occasion where all participate. Fresh drinking water is available for children throughout the day, we show the children where it is kept and they are shown how to pour it, staff will always be at hand to help. We also provide semi skimmed milk.

Snacks and Lunch

Parents bring in a snack and packed lunch for their child if their child is staying for lunch, lunch is at 12 noon each day. Snack is at 10.30am, if parents could bring in a snack for the children to share, e.g a piece of fruit, some rice cakes, bread sticks, a dip. Please cut any grapes into quarters to avoid choking.

Children attending -9am to 15.00 pm 1 snack and a packed lunch.

Children attending -9am to 12.45pm 1 snack and a packed lunch.

Children attending -9am to 12.00pm 1 snack

Dietary

Please be advised not to bring in any nuts, crisps, chocolate, cakes or juices in your child’s snack/lunch box as the local government and Ofsted have strict rules on this with trying to promote new healthy eating. Rice cakes, sandwiches, fruit, etc are all acceptable. We cannot heat any foods in a microwave at the nursery, so if you would like your child to eat hot food, please bring it in in a thermos flask or vessel.

Necessities for your child.

It is important each child has a bag with their name on it, with at least one spare set of clothing, little accidents can happen during the day, although we will do all we can to prevent this, paint, water and other activities can cause your child’s clothing to get wet even though we do provide aprons for all children. It would also be helpful if your child was dressed in clothing that he/she finds easy to manage, so elasticated waists on trousers rather than difficult buttons and zips, especially if your child is in the process of potty training. If as many of your child’s clothes and shoes could be labelled with your child’s name that would help us and prevent children going home with each other’s belongings. It would also be helpful if their lunch box was labelled with their name, this helps when we store them in the fridge.

If your child is in nappies, we would need you to provide nappies and wipes. For the sunnier days if you could provide a hat and sun protection cream for your child, one that is suitable for their skin. If you could put your child’s name on the cream, we will keep it in the nursery and use it as and when necessary.

Admissions Policy Statement

Procedures

At Swiss cottage community nursery we arrange our waiting list in birth order. In addition our policy may take into account the following:

The vicinity of the home to the nursery and
Siblings already in the nursery.

When parents enquire about a place in our nursery for their child, we provide a prospectus and an application form for parents to fill in and return to the nursery. We then arrange for you to visit the nursery. Once a place becomes available and is accepted by the parent(s) for their child, we send a registration form to the parent to be filled in. At this stage we ask parents to return the registration form and a copy of your child’s birth certificate and proof of address e.g. (utility bill), with the deposit of £200.00 ( if applicable).

We agree with parents a settling in time, some children take longer to settle than others, and we will discuss a period of time and the best way forward with the parent/ carer, the first week is a gradual build- up of time, that the child spends at our nursery. The first three days are not payable by parents, however by day four, the child may still need a gradual build- up of time again and this is payable by parents.

If we have no available spaces at the time, parents may still visit the nursery and fill in an application form and then we put their child/children on the waiting list. Once a parent gives us the relevant terms notice that their child is leaving our nursery, we contact the next person on the waiting list to see if they still require the place for their child and if so we give them the registration form to be filled in and returned.

If they no longer need the place, we offer the place to the next child on the waiting list.

Our nursery accepts and welcomes fathers, mothers, carers, other relations and child-minders. We welcome every child and their family and have regard to their needs arising from their gender, special education needs disabilities, social background, religion and ethnicity or from English being a newly acquired additional language.

The Session/Day

The activities that make up the day, change frequently in the nursery and are provided in ways that:

Help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the nursery

Ensure the safety of each child
Help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group.
Provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning